Cone Quip About Pinango Tattoo Stirs Pinango Blue Jays Broadcast

David Cone turned a fifth-inning at-bat into the night’s sharpest moment for pinango blue jays coverage when he noticed Yohendrick Pinango’s big red lips tattoo on the left side of his neck during Monday night’s game in New York. The exchange stopped the booth for a beat and put the Blue Jays outfielder in the middle of a very public broadcast moment.

Cone asked, "Has he got lips on his neck? Is that what it is?" Paul O'Neill answered, "I was gonna say, either mom gave him a big kiss, or he’s got a tattoo," and Cone followed with, "That’s pretty good, I like that. I want one. I want to get one of those," before adding that he "wouldn’t put it on my neck."

Cone, O'Neill, Kay

Michael Kay tried to break the pause with, "Sometimes silence is my best option …" Cone then said, "The booth goes silent on you, you know it," and O'Neill closed the exchange with, "hit the mute point, Conie, don’t worry, I don’t even know what you said."

The on-air moment landed because Pinango had already become a bigger talking point for the Blue Jays since his call-up from the minors earlier this season, and the tattoo is hard to miss. This was not a routine jersey-number glance; Cone noticed a very visible piece of body art and pushed the conversation live while the game was still going on.

Pinango Explains the Tattoo

Pinango later explained the choice in an interview with Shi Davidi. "When you’re young, you do things," he said. "I liked it, so I did it."

That answer closes the loop on why the tattoo is there, and it also gives the broadcast exchange its edge: a simple glance at a neck tattoo became a televised moment because the design was so noticeable and the reaction in the booth turned awkward fast. For Pinango, it meant another spotlight in a season where he has already drawn attention after reaching Toronto from the minors.