NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst John Kruk is well-known for saying strange things on air. He followed in that pattern Sunday during the Phillies’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. There, play-by-play voice Tom McCarthy’s discussion of Phillies’ partner King Swings led to Kruk asking if McCarthy’s swing set was Phillies-themed, then brought up a text from McCarthy’s son Patrick (a New York Mets’ radio broadcaster) asking about where to eat between games of a doubleheader in St. Louis, and then offered a “I hope he chokes a little bit”:
John Kruk on a text from one of broadcast partner Tom McCarthy’s sons: “I don’t care what he eats. Since he’s a Mets’ fan, I hope he chokes a little bit. But since he’s your son, I hope it’s not fatal.” “Thank you, John.” pic.twitter.com/y0lgLuYdEr
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 4, 2025
Kruk is obviously joking there, and McCarthy’s deadpan response of “Thank you, John” both is a perfect reaction and suggests he’s not too bothered here. But this does add to a long history of odd commentary about the Mets in particular from NBC Sports Philadelphia, with Kruk himself even taking exception to some of their studio show’s hyperbole.
This also adds to the long list of strange comments Kruk has made on air. And those are likely to continue for some time, with the analyst signing a four-year extension this winter. But hey, now connections (or, at least Mets-tied connections) know not to text him for food recommendations.
