The Baseball Western: How John DeMarsico Redefined the Baseball Broadcast

To John DeMarsico, a full count with two outs and bases loaded isn’t just a high stakes baseball moment; it's a standoff at high noon.

From inside a production truck parked just beyond the outfield, DeMarsico watches over 25 screens. He notices the pitcher's eyes tighten and the batter settling into the box. Fingers twitch. Breathing slows. The crowd rises, volume in the packed stadium closely following suit. He gives a signal: Ready one, take one. And just like that, the showdown begins.

DeMarsico, an Emmy-winning and world renowned broadcasting director for the New York Mets, doesn’t just see baseball as a sport. It’s cinema. At its best, a western. “The language that’s used in cinema translates very nicely to baseball because of the moments of stillness,” DeMarsico says. “The confrontation between the hitter and the pitcher, it's an event that really resembles a western to me. The two gunslingers, waiting to draw their pistols.” 

For DeMarsico, timing is his weapon of choice. The timing to cut the perfect shot. To hold the pitchers glare just long enough to build up suspense. To switch to the batter’s box just in time to catch the batter’s muscles tensing for the swing. “You never want the cuts to happen too quickly,” DeMarsico explains. “As excited as you might be to get the next shot because you see something going on, it takes a second or two for a viewer to realize what they’re looking at and for it to make sense within the big picture.” This instinct, refined over years of experience, is what separates a good broadcast from a truly memorable one. 

DeMarsico’s style is to let the game itself dictate the flow and timing. He never forces moments, he catches them as they happen and elevates them. He emphasizes, “The moments that have sort of become sort of our trademark and gotten a lot of attention have been moments where the game dictates that moment.” It's a philosophy rooted in respect for the sport and its natural rhythm, allowing the action to breathe and speak for itself, ensuring the audience absorbs every detail.

At the same time, the production crew understand their role goes beyond just showing the plays on the field. “We think of ourselves as in the entertainment business,” DeMarsico says. “Whether it be our amazing booth telling a non-baseball story or being funny during a blowout, or our graphics people showing hard hitting stats in a big moment… It's about educating but also entertaining.” Every element in a broadcast is carefully curated to enrich the viewing experience. The effort DeMarsico and his team put into each broadcast does not go unnoticed. His work for SNY has gone viral multiple times over the years and recently won his seventh New York Emmy.

Baseball, much like the old West, is a game of tension, timing, and split-second decisions. And in the broadcast booth, DeMarsico is the gunslinger with a sharp eye, equipped with careful camera cuts and cinematic decisions the very moment the game demands it. “It really is an instinct thing,” he says. “It’s a feel thing and you gotta trust the people you work with.”

John DeMarsico’s broadcasts remind us that baseball is more than a game, it's storytelling in real time. With each pitch, catch, cut, and pause, he brings cinematic flair to America’s pastime, capturing both the quiet moments and explosive action. His instinctive direction turns a regular season game night into something much larger than just a baseball game, part sports, part cinema. In an age of fast clips and fleeting attention, DeMarsico invites viewers to absorb the moments, slow down, and appreciate the true art of baseball. Like a true western director, he knows exactly when to draw and when to let silence speak.