MILWAUKEE (news agencies) — Bob Uecker, who parlayed a forgettable playing career into a punch line for movie and TV appearances as “Mr. Baseball” and a Hall of Fame broadcasting tenure, has died. He was 90.
The Milwaukee Brewers, whose games Uecker had broadcast for over half a century, announced his death Thursday morning, calling it “one of the most difficult days in Milwaukee Brewers history.” In a statement released by the club, Uecker’s family said he had battled small cell lung cancer since early 2023.
“Even in the face of this challenge, his enthusiasm for life was always present, never allowing his spirit to falter,” the family said.
Uecker was best known as a colorful comedian and broadcaster whose sense of humor and self-deprecating style earned him fame and affection beyond his .200 batting average.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Uecker was a beloved member of the baseball community and a pillar of the sport in Wisconsin. He had broadcast Brewers games for the last 54 seasons.
“Even with his considerable success in Hollywood, Bob remained fiercely loyal to baseball and to Milwaukee,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “He loved the game and used his platform to help numerous charitable causes in his hometown and beyond.
“Bob was the genuine item: always the funniest person in any room he was in, and always an outstanding ambassador for our National Pastime. We are grateful for this baseball life like no other, and we will never forget him.”
When the Brewers clinched the NL Central title in 2024, manager Pat Murphy threw an arm around Uecker in the locker room, pulling him in tight as players white-knuckled their corks, ready to shower “Mr. Baseball” in Champagne.
“There is no one — there is no one — who epitomizes a champion the way this man does right here,” Murphy proclaimed as the players chanted “UUUUUECK.”
“What an example for us to be with every single day — Bob Uecker.”
As news of Uecker’s death spread, numerous fans converged at his statue outside American Family Field. They paid their respects by leaving flowers, Brewers caps and even cans of the Miller Lite beer he endorsed at the base of the statue.
“He’s the narrator to all the best times of a couple of generations’ lives,” said Shawn Bosman of Franklin, Wisconsin, who visited the statue with his mother.
Kairee Larson, a longtime Brewers season-ticket holder who lives just down the road from the stadium, said after leaving flowers by the statue that Uecker’s call of Ryan Braun’s walk-off grand slam in a 2008 late-season victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates remains her ring tone to this day.
“One of the things I thought today was my baby that’s due any day is not going to hear that iconic voice,” Larson said.
Uecker signed his first professional contract with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and reached the majors in 1962. He’d last six seasons in the big leagues as a backup catcher, finishing with a .200 average and 14 homers.
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