The beloved broadcasting duo of Tom McCarthy and John Kruk will continue to delight Phillies fans for the foreseeable future. Kruk reportedly announced a new four-year contract extension with NBC Sports Philadelphia through a feature piece in Philadelphia Magazine. The extension is expected to keep the multi-time MLB All-Star in the broadcast booth through the rest of the decade. Tom McCarthy signed a “long-term contract extension” with the Phillies two years ago.
Kruk’s Playing Career
In January 1981, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected John Kruk in the 3rd round of the 1981 amateur draft, but the two sides could not agree on a contract. The San Diego Padres selected Kruk in June 1981’s secondary draft selection process on June 13, 1981. San Diego was a suitable location for Kruk to start his MLB career.
Kruk played 122 games for the Padres in his rookie season in 1986. The 5-foot-10 ballplayer appeared in 411 games over four seasons with San Diego with a .281 batting average, 36 home runs, and 179 RBIs. In June 1989, Kruk was traded with Randy Ready to Philadelphia for Chris James.
Life with the Phillies
The 28-year-old Kruk blossomed into an All-Star first baseman over 6 seasons in Philly between 1989 and 1994. His best season in Philadelphia culminated in the 1993 National League Championship and a run to the 1993 World Series. Kruk sported a .298 batting average with 9 RBIs over 12 playoff games, his lone trip to the MLB’s postseason. He played one more season for the Phillies in 1994, including an emotional start in the 1994 Home Opener following cancer surgery. After the season, Kruk was a free agent and finished his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1995.
Kruk’s Excels in Broadcasting
Following a 10-year playing career that included stops in Philadelphia, San Diego, and Chicago, Kruk tried his hand at coaching within the organization. In 2001, Kruk was a hitting coach for the Phillies’ double-A team in Reading. He finished the season assisting the sales process for suites at Citizens Bank Park, a venue still being built in South Philadelphia. The chatty former ballplayer found a natural home in the broadcasting booth. Kruk joined the Phillies broadcast team for the first time in 2003, the final season at Veterans Stadium.
ESPN recognized that John Kruk’s unpredictable vocal stylings made for good television. The three-time MLB All-Star spent 13 years with ESPN as a color commentator on “Sunday Night Baseball” and a studio analyst for “Baseball Tonight.”
The Philadelphia Phillies color commentator John Kruk plugs Money in the Bank and mentions @RheaRipley_WWE as his favorite wrestler currently. pic.twitter.com/puT8ho55il
— Novel ⌛? (@time_novelist) June 7, 2023
Kruk returned to Philadelphia in his current role as the primary color commentator on Phillies broadcasts alongside Tom McCarthy. Over the last eight years, Phillies fans have been constantly surprised (and thoroughly entertained) by the randomness that Kruk brings to a broadcast.
From describing the rules of a WWE ladder match to his broadcast partner in June 2023 to scaring a young baseball fan in a nearby window last summer, you never quite know what you will hear over a nine-inning broadcast with the beloved Phillies first baseman. Thankfully, Philadelphia fans will spend the next several seasons waiting for the next viral moment to make them smile during the long, grueling MLB schedule.
Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
