MILWAUKEE — 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 while 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.
“Bob was the genuine item: always the funniest person in any room he was in, and always an outstanding ambassador for our national pastime,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We are grateful for this baseball life like no other, and we will never forget him.”
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 community and a pillar of the sport. He broadcast Brewers games for the last 54 seasons.
“George Steinbrenner tried to hire him, I think more than once,” Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said of the longtime New York Yankees owner. “He could have left for an acting career. He could have left for a comedy career. … He was a Wisconsin guy. He was true blue to Wisconsin.”
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 homer in a 2008 playoff-clinching victory over the Chicago Cubs remains her ringtone 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.
He won a World Series ring with St. Louis in 1964 and also played for Atlanta and Philadelphia.
“Career highlights? I had two,” Uecker often joked. “I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets.”
Uecker also befriended former Brewers owner and baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who initially hired him as a scout. Selig liked to joke about how Uecker’s initial scouting report was stained with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Selig eventually brought Uecker to the broadcast booth. Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971, in the second year after the team moved from Seattle.
