Bob Uecker Highlights From Baseball Broadcast Booth For ‘Major League’

On January 17, 2025By Littum

Major League Baseball lost one of its trademark personalities.

The Milwaukee Brewers announced that longtime team play-by-play announcer Bob Uecker, who gained national fame for his appearances on “The Johnny Carson Show” and his role as broadcaster Harry Doyle in the “Major League” film franchise, died Thursday at 90 years old.

The Uecker family said in a statement that Uecker had been in a private battle with small cell lung cancer since early 2023. The team called it “one of the hardest days in Milwaukee Brewers history.”

Uecker had been the Brewers’ radio play-by-play voice since 1971, a run of more than 50 years that made him an indelible part of the MLB experience in Milwaukee and across the country. Uecker was a player before his television career, and eventually a comedian, actor and pitchman who became ubiquitous on television and movie screens during the 1980s and 1990s.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Uecker’s influence spans generations and genres. Here’s more about the legendary life of this TV legend, his transition to the world of acting and movies, and the best moments of his career:

Bob Uecker: ‘Mr. Baseball’ with Johnny Carson

Uecker first crossed over into the mainstream on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” beginning in 1971. Carson gave Uecker the nickname, “Mr. Baseball” during Uecker’s first appearance, and it stuck throughout Uecker’s career. Uecker was reportedly invited to the show more than 100 times, with his self-deprecating humor and deadpan delivery making him one of Carson’s regular guests.

Bob Uecker’s ‘Major League’ Star Tour and Acting Career

Uecker’s popularity as an entertainer and broadcaster, aided by Carson’s stamp, eventually led to an acting career. Uecker’s biggest role was as Harry Doyle, the quick-witted, sarcastic (and sometimes drunken) broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians in the “Major League” film series, who was even more outlandish than Uecker. Some of Uecker’s most famous quotes from the film are still recited today, more than 35 years after the original film’s theatrical release in 1989.

In addition to various cameo appearances playing himself since then, Uecker was a regular cast member on the sitcom ‘Mr. Belvedere. Uecker played the father and sportswriter George Owen on the television show that aired from 1985-1990. Uecker also hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 1984 and appeared in a number of national television advertising campaigns, most notably for Miller Lite.

Bob Uecker, Andre the Giant and WWE’s Wrestlemania

Uecker’s broad appeal also took him into the world of professional wrestling, where he played a role in a few memorable Wrestlemania moments and earned a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Uecker first served as ring announcer for Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant match at Wrestlemania III at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan in 1987. A year later at Wrestlemania IV, Andre the Giant chokeslammed Uecker for mouthing him during a backstage interview, producing an image that is still played today.

Bob Uecker’s Broadcasting Career

Uecker’s broadcasting career began at WSB-TV in Atlanta in 1969 as part of the Braves’ broadcast booth. He was named to the broadcast booth in Milwaukee by former Brewers owner and MLB commissioner Bud Selig in 1971. It was the franchise’s second season after moving from Seattle.

Uecker remained with the team for 54 years until his death Thursday. He is the fourth longest-tenured broadcaster in major-league history, trailing only Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin of the Los Angeles Dodgers (67 and 64 years, respectively) and the still active Denny Matthews of the Kansas City Royals (56 years). Uecker’s best-known Brewers-related catchphrase was “Get up! Get up! Get away! Away!” when a Milwaukee player hit a home run.

In what became Uecker’s final postseason game for the team in 2024, the Brewers won the National League Central before losing to the New York Mets in a wild-card series. First-year Brewers manager Pat Murphy offered a toast to Uecker when the team celebrated its division title in September.

“There’s nobody who epitomizes being a champion like this man does … What an example for us to be around every single day,” Murphy said in the champagne-soaked locker room.

Uecker given toast, doused with champagne after Brewer’s clinch

Bob Uecker received a customary toast and champagne spray during the Brewers’ celebration of the National League Central title on September 18, 2024.

Uecker also served as a color commentator for national MLB broadcasts produced by ABC and NBC in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, teaming with Bob Costas and Joe Morgan to call the World Series.

Uecker’s broadcast earned him the prestigious Ford Frick Award in 2003 for his contributions to the game, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of receiving the honor.

Bob Uecker: MLB Career Statistics, Achievements

Uecker’s playing career often bore the brunt of his jokes.

He signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 after serving in the Army and made his Major League debut with the club in 1962. He hit .200 over his six seasons playing catcher with the Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals, where he won a World Series as Tim McCarver’s back-up behind the plate in 1964.

“I was once named minor league player of the year,” Uecker once said. “Unfortunately, I had been in the major for two years at that point.”