One of Major League Baseball’s most iconic voices, Bob Uecker, passed away on Thursday at the age of 90, the Milwaukee Brewers announced.
We are heartbroken to announce that Brewers icon & Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Uecker passed away today at the age of 90 pic.twitter.com/EJRBC8Cjj4
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) January 16, 2025
Uecker had served as the Brewers’ radio play-by-play man since 1971, though his infectious personality and quick wit saw him transcend the game of baseball.
The Milwaukee native became a regular on the late-night talk show scene throughout the 1970s and 1980s to the point where the legendary Johnny Carson dubbed him “Mr. Baseball.”
He also started as Harry Doyle in the classic film, “Major League”, where he quipped famous one-liners such as “just a bit outside,” which is still ever present in modern baseball vernacular.
In 2003, he was honored with the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford Frick Award for his broadcasting career, which ultimately spanned 54 seasons. It was the second-longest active streak among baseball broadcasters behind only Denny Matthews of the Kansas City Royals.
Uecker spent six years in the majors as a catcher from 1962-1967 with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies. He was a light-hitting and defensively-challenged catcher — something he always liked to poke fun at throughout his later career, like the 1967 season when he allowed a league-record 27 passed balls to get by him.
“There was a game, as a matter of fact, during that year when Phil Niekro’s brother and he were pitching against each other in Atlanta,” Uecker said in 2003. “Their parents were sitting right behind home plate. I saw their folks that day more than they did the whole weekend.”
