One of the most popular broadcasting duos in baseball, Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow will continue calling games for the San Francisco Giants with the bonus of their newly created “SplitKast.”
NBC Sports Bay Area and the Giants announced longtime color analyst, Mike Krukow signed a two-year contract extension to remain on the broadcast. The former major league pitcher who played seven seasons in San Francisco will call 103 games for the Giants this year, with 22 of them being from the NBC Sports Bay Area studios.
In 2017, Krukow lightened his work schedule because of battles with a muscle disease called myositis which he announced a few years prior. Krukow will continue to call all 81 home games alongside play-by-play voice Duane Kuiper from Oracle Park, but their newly announced “SplitKast” now also allows him to call a schedule of road games. With Krukow back at the NBC Sports Bay Area studios, Kuiper will be live from the stadium’s broadcast booth.
“We are thrilled to have our iconic broadcast team of Kruk and Kuip together as we enter this new decade of Giants baseball,” said Giants president and CEO Larry Baer in the press release. “We also commend our broadcast partner, NBC Sports Bay Area, for their creativity and use of technology that will keep this tandem together, when one is on the road and the other back at home, which is the ultimate benefit for our fans.”
2020 marks Krukow’s 30th season as a broadcaster for the Giants, having been with his former teammate and current partner in the booth Duane Kuiper for a majority of the tenure.
“Kruk and Kuip are Bay Area treasures, and it is important that these two beloved broadcasters continue to call games together for Giants fans to enjoy,” said NBC Sports California SVP and general manager Matt Murphy. “The innovative integration of Kruk and Kuip’s commentary from separate locations into a seamless broadcast is an example of how NBC Sports Bay Area uses technology to deliver memorable experiences to fans.”
In terms of adjusting to calling a game from different locations, Krukow and Kuiper don’t seem to be concerned. Krukow noted he usually watches the game from the broadcast booth’s TV monitor anyway.
“It’s something that hasn’t been done before, but we’re really looking forward to being able to do 22 more games together,” Krukow said. “I’m only losing six games from what I did last year, and that to me is enormous. I don’t want to have to quit. To me, this was a gift. I’m ecstatic about it.”
“I think it’ll take two or three innings to get used to the dynamics of him not being there, but we’ve done so many games for so long that I think it’s going to be an easy transition, I really do,” Kuiper added.
“SplitKast” will debut in the Giants season opener, Thursday, Mar. 26 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here