John Kruk isn’t leaving NBC Sports Philadelphia anytime soon
Kruk, the former Phillies first baseman turned beloved announcer, is entering his ninth season in the booth.
Love him or hate him, it’s hard to argue John Kruk doesn’t make Phillies games more entertaining.
The former first baseman and ex-ESPNer turned Phillies announcer is entering his ninth season in the booth on NBC Sports Philadelphia (which was still known as Comcast SportsNet when he was hired in 2017 to replace Matt Stairs), where he plans to remain for the foreseeable future.
Kruk recently signed a new four-year deal that will keep him in the booth for Phillies games through the 2028 season, sources have confirmed. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Philly Mag was first to report Kruk’s new contract.
Kruk, 64, will call the Phillies’ opening day matchup against the Washington Nationals Thursday alongside veteran play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy. Kruk will divide his time with fellow NBC Sports Philadelphia analysts Ruben Amaro Jr., Ben Davis, and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. The new kid at the Bank this season is former Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels, who Kruk joked during spring training is joining “the sexiest broadcast team in all of sports.”
It’s those types of lines that have made Kruk a fan favorite in the booth in recent years, where he’s revealed an entertaining tendency to pull the broadcast in directions you wouldn’t expect.
Last season, that included a story about playing baseball on a prison team in Mexico and recalling the time he was asked to pinch hit after being benched by the Phillies for “language that wasn’t conducive to a baseball environment” the night before. He also had the chance to return to Baltimore for just the second time since 1995, when his baseball career ended as a member of the Chicago White Sox.
During the Phillies’ final regular-season game last year, Kruk had McCarthy wheezing after scaring a young man leaning out of a booth at Nationals Park.
“Can’t beat fun at the old ball yard,” Kruk said during the broadcast.
There’s also the St. Louis Arch, which Kruk has yet to visit, despite promises made during a 2023 broadcast. He’ll get this opportunity next month, when the Phillies travel to St. Louis to face the Cardinals in a three-game series beginning April 11.
“Me and my damn big mouth,” Kruk said.
The fun continued during an otherwise boring spring training, where Kruk went off on a tangent that involved him trading a chainsaw for four cases of Labatt Blue during his playing days while facing the Montreal Expos before they relocated to Washington, D.C.
“It’s a great place to drink, Tom. Montreal. For all you kids planning on going up there for a trip,” Kruk said. “I’m kidding. No, I’m not.”
With the Phillies’ roster almost identical to last year’s squad, there was certainly a lack of drama during spring training. Veteran announcer Scott Franzke, entering his 20th season on the radio, said just one thing down in Clearwater caught him off guard
“It surprised me that John Kruk actually showed up to do a game,” Franzke joked.
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