John Kruk reacts to bat boy taking unfortunate hit to the groin: ‘Didn’t need to see that’

No one likes to see someone suffer through taking a baseball to the groin, but if it’s going to happen, having John Kruk narrate it isn’t a bad thing.

Kruk returned to the Philadelphia Phillies TV broadcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia alongside Tom McCarthy this week after a bit of a break, and his services were needed Tuesday night. In the fifth inning, Miami Marlins outfielder Owen Caissie fouled a Zack Wheeler pitch back toward the Phillies dugout. Immediately, the bat boy turned into a ball boy, charging the foul with a look of determination on his face. Unfortunately for him and everyone watching, the ball took one bad hop, bouncing right through his hands and directly into his groin.

“If you don’t wear a cup, adoption is an option” – John Kruk pic.twitter.com/Xkm0ncWKC4

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 19, 2026

“Knock it down, knock it down!” McCarthy said emphatically despite already knowing the looming result.

Unfortunately, McCarthy was not able to change the outcome, with the bat boy turned ball boy taking a ball to the, well, balls. McCarthy and Kruk then joined everyone watching by audibly cringing with an “oooh.”

In defense of the bat boy, he’s used to retrieving bats, not balls, so he wasn’t prepared with a glove. Maybe the glove wouldn’t have made a difference, but it would have given him a better chance because his glove hand did get close to deflecting the ball. But more than needing a glove, Kruk pointed out that he needed a cup.

“He could possibly be the first bat boy to ever where a cup,” Kruk said, suggesting if he’s not wearing any protective gear, he should probably go put some on. But if it’s too late, and the damage was already done, Kruk had some words of encouragement.

“You know what they say, Tom,” Kruk prefaced his old adage. “If you don’t wear a cup, adoption is an option.”