One of the most beloved broadcasters in baseball, San Francisco Giants color commentator Mike Krukow, will take a step back in 2017.
Krukow reportedly told Bay Area radio show Murph and Mac he’ll call only 120 games next season, with Jeremy Affeldt and the just-retired Javier Lopez working the rest of the games on CSN Bay Area, alongside play-by-play man Duane Kuiper.
Mike Krukow says he will cut down his broadcasting schedule to 120-games this year w/ Javier Lopez and @JeremyAffeldt filling in. #SFGiants
— Joe Hughes (@VegasJoeHughes) February 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/JohnLundRadio/status/829719379768020992
Via the San Francisco Chronicle:
Krukow’s mobility is hampered by a progressive disease, making it tougher to get around. He alluded to his health when citing the reason he will broadcast fewer games in 2017, saying it was “not by the Giants’ design. It’s just by nature’s design. It’s all I can do.”
Krukow has been calling Giants games for 26 years and has developed a reputation as one of the best in baseball. In Awful Announcing’s 2016 local MLB TV announcer rankings, the Giants’ broadcast team placed second in fan voting, behind only Vin Scully.
As for Krukow’s replacements, Lopez retired just this week, while Affeldt called it quits after the 2015 season and spent 2016 as a pregame and postgame analyst on CSN Bay Area.
