John Kruk is famous for speaking his mind. That’s one of the things that made him such a popular MLB player. And he’s still speaking out, now as a color analyst for NBC Sports Philadelphia.
No matter the topic, Kruk can be brutally honest in sharing his opinion. That happened Wednesday in the Philadelphia Phillies game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kruk tackled the topic of Rays manager Kevin Cash’s one-game suspension, which Cash served that day. MLB suspended Cash and pitcher Edwin Uceta after the Rays reliever hit Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos with a pitch in Tuesday’s game.
“Kevin Cash has to watch a game in the clubhouse?” Kruk asked Phillies play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy.
“Yes. Managers are not allowed to appeal a suspension,” McCarthy replied.
There was a lengthy pause, and you could feel a Krukism on the way.
“You have any message for him, you want to send him?” McCarthy asked.
“I think that’s the dumbest damn rule I’ve ever heard,” Kruk said.
McCarthy laughed. “It is kind of weird.”
“What did he have to do with the guy throwing at Nick?” Kruk continued.
John Kruk was not a fan of Rays manager Kevin Cash getting a suspension for Nick Castellanos getting hit by a pitch, calling it “the dumbest damn rule I’ve ever heard.” pic.twitter.com/QeSEsoetPa
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 13, 2024
“He didn’t have anything to do with it,” McCarthy agreed.
“Wasn’t like he gave him a signal … do they have that on the PitchCom thing? ‘Hey, drill it,'” Kruk said.
It’s not the first time Kruk has called out what he sees as a bad rule, and it certainly won’t be the last. He’s also well-known for sharing incredibly bizarre tales on the air, including his adventures on a squirrel hunting trip, the day he played an exhibition game against a Mexican prison team, and the time he was awakened by a giraffe.
[NBC Sports Philadelphia]
