Legendary Broadcaster, Former Braves Catcher Bob Uecker Passes Away at 90

The former Braves catcher had a legendary career as the voice of the Milwuakee Brewers as well as leaving his mark on television and film

The former Braves turned legendary Brewers broadcaster has died at age 90 | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Legendary MLB broadcaster and former Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves catcher Bob Uecker has died at the age of 90. 

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Bob Uecker, a legendary ambassador for our game.

After a six-year playing career with the Braves, Cardinals and Phillies from 1962-67, Uecker spent more than half a century as “Voice of the Brewers” beginning in 1971.

Uecker’s… pic.twitter.com/0YUxvfYUd3

— MLB (@MLB) January 16, 2025

If only we knew where to begin to discuss the impact he had on the game of baseball and pop culture. He was a man famous for many different reasons. He was a broadcaster, a former ballplayer and a comedian all wrapped into one. 

During his playing career, the Milwaukee native signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956 and played there for the first two seasons of his career from 1962 to 1963. During that time, he was a teammate of Hank Aaron, Joe Torre and Eddie Matthews. He eventually returned to the Braves in 1967 for part of his final season in the Majors. 

His lackluster career - he slashed .200/.293/.287 - in the Majors provided him with plenty of self-deprecating joke material. 

He returned to Milwaukee in 1971 to famously become the voice of the Brewers from 1971. He took the job at 37 years old and hung onto it for the rest of his life. His work in the booth earned him the Ford Frick Award in 2003. 

For baseball fans, he is also best remembered for his iconic role as Harry Doyle in the “Major League” film franchise, where he was the fictional voice of the Cleveland Indians. His off-the-cuff and out-of-left-field remarks solidified the movie as a classic. To this day, people say, “Just a bit outside” when a terrible pitch has been thrown. 

Uecker made his mark on pop culture beyond the sports world. His contagious personality landed him as a guest on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson dozens of times. He hosted Saturday Night Live in 1984 and was in various Miller Lite commercials. Uecker also played the role of George Owens on the hit show Mr. Belvedere. He played the character in all 118 episodes of the six-season run.  

He managed to do all of this while still providing the Brewers with over 50 years on the mic. Uecker’s passing is a loss not just to the baseball world, but to the world as a whole.