A key behind-the-scenes player at Late Night with Seth Meyers got his own moment in front of the cameras last week when he threw out the first pitch at a New York Mets game.
Sal Gentile, head writer and producer of Late Night’s “A Closer Look” segment, took the mound at Citi Field before the Mets took on the Atlanta Braves on July 26.
Seth Meyers dropped the news about the first-pitch opportunity two weeks ago on the show’s Emmy-nominated web series Corrections.
“If you have tickets to the Mets on July 26, show up early, baby! And if you’re sitting behind home plate, wear a helmet!,” Meyers joked—adding: “What better illustration about the sad decline of a once-proud franchise.”
Meyers went on to explain how the opportunity came about for Gentile. “True story. This happened because [Late Night camera operator] Buck [Buchanan] cold-called the Mets.”
Gentile reflected on the experience for the Mets’ social channels ahead of his big moment. “Not only is it high on my Mets pantheon of moments,” he said, “throwing out the first pitch at a Mets game is high on my life pantheon of moments.”
“I grew up in New Jersey. I had no choice but to be a Mets fan,” Gentile added. “My dad was a Mets fan, so I’ve been a diehard Mets fan my whole life.”
The writer-producer cautiously set a goal of throwing a strike, but noted he was really “just hoping I equip myself well, get it over the plate.”
The Mets have since shared footage of Gentile’s pitch, and just like his work on “A Closer Look,” he nailed it.
“Nothing I ever do for the rest of my life will top throwing out the first pitch at @CitiField and that’s a burden my family will simply have to live with,” Gentile wrote on X/Twitter.
Gentile has been with Late Night with Seth Meyers since it premiered in 2014, and now writes the show’s signature political deep-dive segments every day. His work on the show has earned him seven Emmy nominations and five WGA Award nods.
With all this done, there’s still one part of the trade that Late Night has yet to come through on. “Because Sal is throwing out the first pitch,” Meyers told viewers on Corrections, “as a trade-off, Mets closer Edwin Diaz is writing our next ‘Closer Look.’”
Late Night is currently on a brief hiatus due to the Olympics. Meyers—and Gentile—will be back with new episodes the week of August 12.