Jason Benetti and Joe Girardi poke fun at John Kruk in a suit for Sunday Night Baseball. Credit: NBC Credit: NBC
By Matt Clapp on

Along with featuring the impressive debut of Joey Votto as an NBC analyst, the Sunday Night Baseball game between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies included John Kruk and Joe Girardi joining play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti in the booth as color commentators.

And as Benetti introduced the crew to open the NBC broadcast, Benetti said to Kruk, “John, this is your third time in a suit for us… It looks great.”

Kruk, an NBC Sports Philadelphia color commentator, typically has casual wear on in the booth, but the NBC crew wears suits and ties for Sunday Night Baseball.

After Votto was introduced on the broadcast, he said to Kruk, “John, it’s good to see you didn’t pick the clip-on.”

“Yeah, he chose the actual tie, John did,” Benetti responded. “But I’m told that John Kruk has a number of ties that he’s going to circulate throughout the telecast.”

“Yeah, I’ve got this knucklehead friend that sent me something on Amazon every day for the last five days with different ties,” Kruk said. “So, he said, ‘Are you going to wear one?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I might as well wear ’em all.'”

And in the top of the second inning, a big struggle began for Kruk and his attempt to put on ties.

“You know, this is pure entertainment sitting next to John Kruk here,” Girardi explained. “He has five ties. Two red, two blue, and I guess the other one is tan and brown.”

“I can’t get this dang button,” Kruk said.

“Because he’s got a clip-on!” Girardi responded. “He’s got a clip-on! I love it!”

“I’ve got four clip-ons,” Kruk clarified. “When a knucklehead friend sends ’em to you, you better wear ’em. I might not be able to. I can’t get this button buttoned.”

“You know, John is still fighting his tie,” Girardi added several minutes later.

“Why don’t you just clip it to your headset?” Girardi asked Kruk.

“I don’t know how to do it,” Kruk explained.

“It’s a battle. It’s a real battle,” Benetti said.

“You guys let me know how the game is going,” Kruk added.

Kruk only got more annoyed when the broadcast then showed one of the most replayed moments in MLB All-Star Game history, when Randy Johnson threw a fastball over his head in 1993.

“Let’s watch Cristopher (Sánchez),” Kruk said, alluding to the Phillies’ star pitcher on the mound. “I’ve seen enough of that fiasco.”

In the eighth inning, the discussion about Kruk’s ties returned, with references to his NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast partner, Tom McCarthy, along with a reference to his days as an analyst at ESPN (without naming the network).

Additionally, in a rather surprising moment, Kruk showed his affinity for reality television, particularly Married at First Sight, after Benetti initially asked him about Love Island. Kruk went into detail, breaking down the program.

“Now I’m on to Peacock’s very own Married at First Sight,” Kruk said. “These three psychiatrists or whatever, they interview people. Then try to match them with what they think would be their perfect mate. Boy, do they fail miserably sometimes… But I’m on it, man. Season 12.”

A couple of minutes later, Kruk’s commentary on Married at First Sight returned.

“It’s a great show. It’s a great show. It really is,” Kruk said.

“Well, are you thinking of helping them out a little bit, maybe?” Girardi asked.

“No. No, because I could care less what they do,” Kruk responded. “I don’t know none of ’em. But the majority of ’em don’t work out.”

“So, they have to get married,” Kruk continued. “Have to. They get married, and then they go on a honeymoon for a week to some place they put ’em all, send ’em all. And then when they get back, they have eight weeks where they have to live together in an apartment… Then at the end of the eight weeks, they have to make the final decision.”

The Phillies will be on Sunday Night Baseball one more time this season, when the Atlanta Braves travel to face them at Citizens Bank Park on Sept. 6. So, we might get at least one more broadcast with Kruk in the NBC booth.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.

He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

View all posts by Matt Clapp