When Josh Lewin started out in broadcasting, he figured he would have plenty of his own Al Michaels’ “Do you believe in miracles?” moments on the microphone.
Why wouldn’t he think that? In his first season as the primary play-by-play voice for Rochester Community Baseball, the summer of 1990, the Red Wings won the International League’s Governors’ Cup.
He hasn’t called a championship since. Not in 19 previous years behind the Major League Baseball microphone or in 11 NFL seasons with the San Diego Chargers.
That could finally change within the next week, if the New York Mets can overcome the 2-0 deficit they face in the World Series against the Kansas City Royals.
“I’ve lived the personalized version of Mets fans and Royals fans,” Lewin said by phone before Game 2 of the World Series, referring to the title-call drought.
Lewin, a 1986 graduate of Brighton High School, has been describing Mets games on the radio since 2012 and is in his 11th year as voice of the Chargers. His resume also includes two years with the Baltimore Orioles, one with the Chicago Cubs, four with the Detroit Tigers and nine with the Texas Rangers.
“The Chargers have never made the Super Bowl, the Rangers were just getting good when I left and the year I was with the Cubs they started 0-14,” Lewin said.
“Right now I’m just happy to be along for the ride.”
What a ride — and flight — it may be on Sunday, too. If the Mets force a Game 5, Lewin will work his own football/baseball east coast doubleheader. The Chargers play in Baltimore against the Ravens at 1 p.m. First pitch for Game 5 of the World Series is set for 8:15 p.m. at Citi Field.
He plans to call both.
Because the Chargers game, barring overtime, figures to end around 4 p.m. or 4:15 p.m., Lewin couldn’t risk trying to find a commercial flight to New York so he could be on the air on WOR-AM (710) for the first pitch.
So he booked a small private plane, at his expense, to take him from Baltimore to LaGuardia Airport. While he didn’t divulge the price, it’s more than he’ll earn by calling the games that day.
“I’ve got my goggles and my scarf,” said Lewin, 47. “I have to be the master of my domain. I’ll be operating at a big loss but I’m happy to do it. I have two great jobs and two great bosses that let me do what I love to do.”
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