SF Giants Announcer Mike Krukow to Retire at End of Season

Longtime San Francisco Giants broadcaster and former major league pitcher Mike Krukow announced on Aug. 6 that he was retiring at the end of the season, after a nearly four-decade career.

“Jennifer and I have been so blessed to be able to stay in the game for as long as we have and it’s really made it impossible to feel sorry for myself that my career is coming to an end,” Krukow said in a letter to fans posted on the team’s webpage. “Our time together has been a gift.”

Krukow, 74, said he and his wife expect an emotional few weeks ahead. He has become known for his positive energy and sense of humor over the years, despite battling a rare degenerative muscle disease for more than a decade.

Giants President and CEO Larry Baer said the announcement was a “deeply emotional moment” for the club.

“For decades, he has shared far more than his voice. He has been our spiritual leader,” Baer said in a statement. “With his beloved and inseparable partner Duane Kuiper, he has taught generations of fans about baseball, brought us inside it from the perspective of a Major League pitcher and called every game with incredible insight, unmistakable humor and genuine heart.”

Baer invited fans to celebrate Krukow’s retirement with the team on Sept. 27.

“We often talk about what it means to be a Forever Giant,” Baer said. “No one embodies that more completely than Kruk.”

Krukow took his seat in the broadcast booth after ending 14 seasons pitching in the majors. The Long Beach, California, native played for the Chicago Cubs (1976-81), Philadelphia Phillies (1982), and the Giants.

The right-hander finished third in the National League’s Cy Young Award voting in 1986, given to the best pitcher in the league, when he went 20-9 with a 3.05 ERA over 245 innings. He had a career record of 124-117 and a 3.90 ERA in 369 appearances and 355 starts.

The broadcasting duo Krukow and Kuiper were also Giants teammates from 1983 to 1985, forming a bond that stayed with them when they started the “Kuip & Kruk” show in the 1990s.

Kuiper had not made a public statement about Krukow’s announcement Thursday afternoon.

San Francisco sports radio station KNBR posted a tribute to Krukow on Facebook, saying “Thank you for an unbelievable 36-year broadcasting career. The irreplaceable Mike Krukow. Atta babe, Kruk.”

MLB Network baseball writer Jayson Stark called him “one of baseball’s greatest gifts” in a post on X.

“I live in the east, but I can’t tell you how many nights I stayed up late because I couldn’t stop watching and listening. Didn’t even matter who the Giants were playing. You were guaranteed to learn something you never knew. You were guaranteed to laugh. You were guaranteed to come back for more,” Stark said.