West Sayville boy wins SNY Kidcaster spot at Mets game

Danny Shea Burke got his turn in the SNY booth at Citi Field after the 9-year-old from West Sayville was named the 2026 Kidcaster during a Mets game on June 10. Less than two weeks later, Burke called the bottom half of the fourth inning alongside Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling during the Mets-Cubs game on June 23.

SNY’s Kidcaster Contest is an annual promotion that gives a child between ages 8 and 12 the chance to call part of a Mets home game from the booth. Burke was identified as the 15th Kidcaster winner in 2026, a mark that underscores how long the program has been giving young fans a rare seat next to the Mets’ television team.

The surprise reveal happened at Citi Field in Queens, where SNY reporter Steve Gelbs told Burke he was the 2026 Kidcaster and would join the broadcast booth. The announcement set up the later game appearance, when Burke stepped into one of the most recognizable broadcast booths in baseball and took over for a half-inning.

For Suffolk County, the moment carried a built-in hometown pull. West Sayville sits on Long Island’s South Shore, and Burke’s appearance linked a local child to a regional sports stage that reaches across New York City and back into communities from Sayville to Islip, Bayport and beyond. The scene was simple but unmistakable: a 9-year-old from Suffolk County, a Mets game, and three longtime voices of the franchise giving him the microphone for a live inning.

The result was a clean local sports story with a very specific payoff. Burke did not just win a contest; he moved from a surprise announcement to an actual inning in the SNY booth, turning a childhood baseball moment into a memory tied directly to West Sayville and Citi Field.