Photo Credit: Adam McCalvy on X.
By Reice Shipley on

On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Brewers honored longtime radio play-by-play broadcaster Bob Uecker on a truly special day for the organization.

The Chicago Cubs’ loss to the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday afternoon made the Brewers the first team in the MLB this season to clinch their respective division, which also, of course, means they were the first to clinch a playoff berth.

When it came time for their matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies later Wednesday night, the energy in the stadium was naturally at a season-high, which was capped off by a tremendous ending for Brewers fans.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers sent fans home happy by lacing a single down the first base line to walk it off in a 2-1 victory.

After the conclusion of the game, Uecker, who was on the call of the game on the radio broadcast, spoke with Brewers reporter Sophia Minnaert down on the field after the game and discussed what this moment meant to him.

“It’s more of a friendship thing,” Uecker said of his time with the Brewers. “It’s not that I’m the local broadcaster anymore. I’m one of the guys. I miss the days when I used to throw batting practice. I miss those days when I was in the clubhouse every day and dressing. But still, to be able to do this…

“We were kinda laughing tonight. Mark Attanasio, the owner, asked me about how many games I’ve done. I said I really don’t know. We figured out with my time as a player and my time as a broadcaster, I’ve done 11,000-plus games. So I’ve been around for a while. We got a laugh out of that, it’s a lot of games.”

With over five decades as the organization’s play-by-play voice, Uecker’s impact on the Brewers and baseball in general is irreplaceable.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy expressed as much later in the night when Uecker joined the team in the clubhouse, issuing a speech in his honor before the champagne started flying.

“There is no one who epitomizes being a champion the way this man does right here,” said Murphy with his arm around Uecker. “There is no one out here… What an example for us to be with right here, Bob Uecker.”

Uecker was then doused in champagne by Brewers players before hilariously saying “I peed my pants”.

While the celebration is first and foremost about the players’ achievement of reaching the playoffs, it also shows just how much the players love Uecker, which is very cool to see.

[Adam McCalvy on X]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley