MLB and baseball fans everywhere have lost a giant.
Uecker passed away last week. He was 90.
Bob Ucker’s MLB career spanned fewer than 300 games, but it did include a big moment when his St. Louis Cardinals won the 1964 World Series. Uecker then parlayed that modest MLB experience into a successful baseball media career.
In 1971, Uecker became the voice of his hometown Milwaukee Brewers, remaining in that role for the rest of his life. His final broadcast came only a few months before his death: it was also the last game of the Brewers’ 2024 season, Game 3 of the National League Wild Card series against the victorious New York Mets.
Far from being a conventional play-by-play broadcaster, Uecker will be forever known for his colorful, if not bombastic, style. Whenever a Brewer hit a home run, Uecker would utter his catchphrase, “Get up! Get up! Get outta here! Gone!
Late-night TV icon Johnny Carson dubbed him “Mr. Baseball,” and the moniker stuck.
Not only was Uecker a mainstay sports broadcaster on television and radio but he was also known for his other media pursuits, which extended far beyond the game. Those included roles in the sitcom Mr. Belvedere and Miller Lite TV commercials. For many, his most memorable appearance was playing Harry Doyle, “The Voice of the Cleveland Indians,” in the film Major League. In that role, Uecker popularized the catchphrase, “Just a bit outside.”
Despite doing many things–and doing them well–baseball was always at the center of his life. “Baseball has always been number one,” Uecker once said. “No matter what else I did, baseball was the only way I wanted to go.”
Widely admired and applauded for his skills and contribution to the game, Uecker received the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame for Excellence in Broadcasting, and he is memorialized on the Brewers Wall of Honor.
The Milwaukee Brewers: Ueck was the light of the Brewers, the soundtrack of our summers, the laughter in our hearts, and his passing is a profound loss. He was the heart and soul of Wisconsin and a dear friend.
Baseball in Milwaukee this spring will not be the same without Bob Uecker’s signature voice.
