Mike Krukow, the Giants’ color analyst of more than 30 years and former All-Star pitcher for the team, announced this season will be his last. He has been half of the Giants’ beloved “Kruk & Kuip” broadcast team alongside Duane Kuiper since 1994.
“I just want to let everyone know that I will be retiring at the end of the season,” Krukow said in a statement released by the Giants on Thursday morning. “I want to take this time to thank you for your incredible support.”
Krukow, 74, acknowledged 12 years ago that he suffers from degenerative muscle disease inclusion-body myositis. He was diagnosed eight years before that, but kept it private. Inclusion-body myositis (IBM) causes progressive weakness in muscles in the wrist, fingers, thigh and foot. That is why Krukow uses a motorized wheelchair.
Krukow’s catchphrases such as “Grab some pine, meat,” and “ownage” endeared him to generations of Giants fans.
The longtime color commentator told NBC Sports Bay Area he wants to remain involved with the team in some capacity, but his physical limitations have become too much to continue broadcasting. The former pitcher has been calling road games remotely from NBC’s studio in recent years due to his condition.
“Jennifer and I have been so blessed to be able to stay in the game for as long as we have and it’s really made it impossible to feel sorry for myself that my career is coming to an end,” Krukow said, noting the support of his wife of a half-century.
(LiPo Ching/Bay Area News Group Archives)
Former pitcher and current TV commentator for the San Francisco Giants Mike Krukow, center, congratulates former San Francisco 49er wide receiver Dwight Clark, right, on his chip-off shot on the 18th hole at the $100,000 charity shoot-out golf match between members of the San Francisco 49ers and the San Francisco Giants at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy is at left. (LiPo Ching/Staff)
“We are bracing for the emotional hits we know we are going to feel in the next few weeks. Jennifer and I are wondering if it is even possible to let everyone know how deeply we love and respect our Giants family.”
Krukow, a Long Beach native and Cal Poly alum, retired following the 1989 season and began working as a color commentator on a part-time basis a year later. Starting with 14 games that first season, his workload increased each season until he had a full-time gig in 1993. Kruk & Kuip officially became a full-time duo a year later (Kuiper had been calling Rockies games in 1993) and have been calling games together for three decades.
“Mike has been the best color announcer for a baseball team in the last 30 years,” Kuiper told this news organization of Krukow in 2024. “You’re going to get arguments from people in Atlanta. You’re going to get an argument from people in Houston. They could argue all they want, but I know for a fact that he’s been the best.”
Krukow first connected with Kuiper in 1983 when he was traded to the Giants in a deal that sent Joe Morgan to Philadelphia. He played the last seven years of his career for San Francisco, earning All-Star honors in 1986. One of Krukow’s most memorable performances with the Giants came in the summer of 1984 when he and Mets 19-year-old phenom Dwight Gooden both pitched nine scoreless innings at Candlestick Park. Krukow went out for the 10th inning but ended up with the loss after he allowed a one-out, two-run home run to Wally Backman.
“We often talk about what it means to be a Forever Giant. No one embodies that more completely than Kruk,” Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said in a club statement. “His impact extends far beyond the broadcast booth. He’s been one of the great ambassadors for this franchise, and his passion, spirit, character and love for the Giants have shaped this organization for generations.”
Krukow has been nominated multiple times for the Ford C. Frick Award, given annually to a broadcaster for “major contributions to baseball,” most recently in 2024 as a finalist alongside Kuiper.
The Giants have not shared any plans for what will come next in their broadcast booth, which also features legendary radio man Jon Miller. Former players Javier Lopez and Hunter Pence have provided color on games in recent years.
In relaying the news of his retirement, Krukow expressed a sentiment many Giants fans share: “Our time together has been a gift.”
Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 8: Giants longtime broadcasters Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper arrive to throw out the first pitch before Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)