I was so energized being back at the ballpark," he said. (Reading, PA) - The Reading Fightin Phils are pleased to host 'Fightin Cancer' Night at FirstEnergy Stadium on Wednesday, May 25th. Press the red button and his recognizable voice blares throughout the ballpark. "They let me know, whenever Im ready, and for however many games I think Im capable of announcing, theyd be glad to have me. He has served as a public address announcer for five World Series, two Major League Baseball All-Star games, and three NFC . He is a graduate of Syracuse University and Central Bucks High School West. "I don't intend to walk away before we win a couple more World Series," Baker said. Hes also been known to cheer (again, off-mike). If you noticed, I threw in an apology, said Baker, who is in strong contention for most polite man in Philadelphia sports, all-time. Bats: Right Throws: Right. Broadcasting, I love with all my heart, Baker said. PA Announcer Dan Baker Set to Celebrate 50 Years as Voice of Philadelphia Phillies During 2022 MLB Season - Sports Illustrated Inside The Phillies Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Dan. He printed the letter Baker sent to Lehigh Valley on Choates behalf. In addition to announcing, Baker also operated the game-in-progress scoreboard of balls, strikes, outs, runs, hits and errors. "Its baseball, you know? He is a master of precision in following scripts. Hes been known to blow off steam in the control room (off-mike, naturally). "Id like to go for the record [60 seasons]! 12, second baseman, Mickey Morandini!, Now batting for the Phillies, No. Get box score updates on the New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies baseball game. T Pauses again. The Phillies will honor Baker before Friday night's game. Final Veterans Stadium 7th Inning Stretch, "Summer Nights at the Ballpark with Dan Baker", "Eagles to replace public address announcer Dan Baker", "Phillies' Dan Baker battling for his return to Citizens Bank Park public address booth", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dan_Baker_(PA_announcer)&oldid=1120581505, People from West Deptford Township, New Jersey, Major League Baseball public address announcers, National Football League public address announcers, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 November 2022, at 19:23. I love being at the games," he said. Proud, Baker said. Baker worked as a spotter and statistician for out-of-town broadcasters. And he, of course, moved with the club to Citizens Bank Park where hes continued to bring his crystal clear, energetic delivery to millions of fans since 2004. For instance, Monday night when rain forced Game 3s postponement. No. One time Rob Ducey, a really nice person, approached me. His pace is a bit slower as one might expect for a 75-year-old. On Friday, the Phillies host the Oakland Athletics in interleague baseball in their home opener. To verify player enunciations, hell ask the public relations staffs or visiting radio-TV announcers or even the player himself. We also had some fun and had Dan announce our "walk-ups" as if we were on the Phillies. However, after treatment, including radiation therapy and surgery, he returned the following year.[8]. Between that and daily antibiotics that hes getting in an IV in his right arm, the hope is that the infection will be eliminated altogether. Does Baker, now 76, see himself shooting for tops on the all-time list. Most of them are younger than me, obviously, Baker said with a hearty laugh. Make no mistake about it, Dan Baker is grateful for his amazing career. Dan Baker, longest tenured PA announcer in Major League Baseball, on the field at Citizens Bank Park before Game 3 of the World Series. The stadium voice of the Phillies and . 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB . Baker, who has battled cancer and seen and heard almost everything during his tenure as the Phillies' PA announcer, is working his sixth World Series. Baker was absent due to health issues. The cardinal sin for a PA announcer is to mispronounce a name, he cautions. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. It energizes me to be here.". He missed the last homestand at Citizens Bank Park because he had to have the infected bone drilled down and replaced with skin from his left arm. Dan Baker is a Philadelphia broadcasting legend best known as the voice of Veterans Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park. Bob Sheppard was the voice of Yankee Stadium for 56 years. The voice was a new one to Phillies fans. Dan Baker couldnt have hand-picked a better year to celebrate his 50th season as the in-stadium voice of the Philadelphia Phillies. The voice of Citizens Bank Park! Youre there to provide a service. I've always felt that way about coming here. He began a teaching career with fifth and sixth grades at Landreth Elementary School in Philadelphia. Choates parents had a Sunday ticket plan at Veterans Stadium when he was a kid growing up in Delaware County. Bryce Harpers legend grows as he homers on first World Series pitch he sees at Citizens Bank Park, Kyle Schwarber is the perfect leadoff hitter for this magical Phillies team, Phillies won 7-0 to take a 2-1 series lead, California residents do not sell my data request. Salaries posted anonymously by Baker Hughes employees in St. Louis, MO. It feels like, Choate said, theres something missing.. Somebody that I heard speaking my entire life.. This is almost like a fairytale existence. About 25 minutes prior to game time, hes on the field with a script in hand special awards, introductions, ceremonial first-ball tossers, national anthem singers, starting lineups and umpires. The Philadelphia Phillies honored Baker for 50 years of service as the franchise's PA announcer Friday in a ceremony where he to no surprise of anyone that has ever met him talked as much about his love for his family and the team as he did about himself. "Joy," Baker said. He spoke with NBC10's Frances Wang about his legendary career. Current Public Address announcer for the Philadelphia Phillies going into my 45th season! 10, catcher J.T. Depending upon the length of the elevator ride, hes miss one or two batters. Bob Sheppard was 97 years old when he retired Im a kid! "Oh my gosh, this is life," Baker proudly tells Jeff Skversky. In the same way that many people of a certain age grew up saying the names of Phillies stars in a Harry Kalas-esque voice, if youve watched the team over the last half century, its impossible not to think of how Baker introduced them as they walked to the plate. Of course, Ive lost nothing of the enthusiasm, the knowledge of when to emote, when not to emote, when to talk, when not to talk, Baker said. While the Mets, Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels all have payrolls that exceed $200 million, nine teams hold payrolls . Ephraim, N.J., with my family at the age of 7 in 1954. 20 . Baker's voice spans multiple sports and stadiums in South Philadelphia. As the world inches toward normalcy in 2021, Phillies games are being played in front of fans again. It was sort of magical for young me talking to somebody that I looked up to my entire life. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. I feel a great sense of gratitude for all the wonderful things that have happened.. More importantly, Dan Baker is a Philadelphia treasure. A double, a single, then a throwing error on a stolen base. Hes continued to perform at a high level into his mid-70s, even as hes dealt with some significant health challenges. Yankees legend Bob Sheppard was next with 57 seasons, from 1951-2007. Ephraim is where I really developed my love of baseball and the Phillies, he explained. Along the way, the Phillies celebrated Bakers remarkable longevity with the franchise, which also marks the third-longest public address announcing career in Major League Baseball history. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. The Phillies felt it was important that he was visible, just not a voice that was heard out of stadium speakers. Despite all the health obstacles that hes faced, Baker sounds like someone who thinks he has turned the corner and is excited about the future, one of he believes will include quite a bit of time spent at Citizens Bank Park. He is thankful for the doctors and nurses at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Wills Eye Hospital who he says have amazing in helping him get back to the ballpark. Get notification with the latest net worth updates for free. I met my wife here. Two children had worked at the ballpark during college both born in World Series years.. He served the same role for the Eagles for 29 years and now announces the games at Xfinity Live. Baker had a script, taking fans inside the stadium and out on the sidewalk through the procedures in place. Baker co-hosts a radio show on WBCB (AM) 1490 called "Bull Session" with former Philadelphia Phillies slugger Greg Luzinski, for whom the show is named. In a race against the clock, hed dash off the field, head up a runway and hop on the press elevator hoping it is an express to the Hall of Fame Club level. All rights reserved. All Rights Reserved. The 2022 Major League Baseball season saw the Phillies capture the National League pennant and appear in the eighth World Series in franchise history. Baker had his right cheekbone removed in August of 2020 during a procedure where a cancerous tumor was taken out of his sinus. It was just unbelievable to me. But Baker has done it for 50 years with his pronounced style. [2][3] He has served as a PA voice for six World Series (1980, 1983, 1993, 2008, 2009 and 2022), two Major League Baseball All Star Games (1976 and 1996), and three NFC Championship Games (2002, 2003, and 2004). Didnt see this coming, Baker said. When Choate was 18 and headed for college, he wrote his idol a letter. If theres an uncertain name thats part of the pregame festivities, hell seek the proper pronunciation when he arrives on the field. They sat in right field. How lucky have I been to find a home with the Philadelphia Phillies more than 50 years ago?. Dan Baker. I cant describe it, Choate said. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. And that was like, Thats what I want to do. I want to be able to put that feeling to somebody else. For the first time in his life, Choate was sitting in the stands at a home Phillies game and Dan Bakers voice did not fill the ballpark. With a blue felt-tip pen, he makes note of names that need checking on the 5x7 index cards he numbers in sequence. Dan Baker couldn't have hand-picked a better year to celebrate his 50th season as the in-stadium voice of the Philadelphia Phillies. Baker, 75, has since received some 30 radiation treatments. He does this with aspiring broadcasters who show interest in the craft. Next season will be Baker's 50th behind the mic at the ballpark. "As long as I can talk well, as long as god blesses me with good health, as long as the Phillies will have me, I would like to continue doing the PA announcing.". 55, catcher Russell Martin. Martin doubles into the left-field corner, driving in one run. After you have 24 surgeries and 30 radiation treatments, after a tumor is found in your right maxillary sinus, after you miss the 2020 season from all that, Baker will confirm, you feel especially blessed to still be at this. Baker told CBS3 he has no plans to retire any time soon. Many thanks to him. Andrew Painter punches out one, teeters on triple digits in spring debut, Tim McCarver, former Phillie and longtime broadcaster, passes away, Phillies Nation Podcast: Impressions from a lively Clearwater with Destiny Lugardo, Kevin Stocker receives multi-year deal to work in radio booth with Scott Franzke. That voice belongs to Dan Baker. The Philadelphia Phillies welcome you to Citizens Bank Park," Baker says before every home game. Four years earlier, Baker graduated from Glassboro State College with a degree in Junior High School education. We appreciate the loyalty of the fans., Hes heard people say these postseason Phillies crowds, including Tuesdays when the Phillies won 7-0 to take a 2-1 series lead, have been the loudest ever. $700k for pre-arbitration, $2.3M for 1st-year arb, $4.17M for 2nd-year-arb, $5.98M for 3rd-year-arb, $7.36M for 4th-year-arb. Data shown reflects actual gross pay for 2021, except where noted otherwise. He bought one ticket in the first row of Section 214. He checks every name in the starting lineups. His thing is always an understated part of a Phillies show, that voice providing a familiar, carefully-enunciated in-person soundtrack since long before any current players were born. In conversation, put it at 97%. (Courtesy of Justin Choate). With the move to Citizens Bank Park, the scoreboard and public address jobs became separate roles. According to the latest Twitter stat on 2023-02-23, Dan Baker (PA announcer) has a total favourites count of 1582 on the Twitter account and Dan Baker (PA announcer) has 12.1 Thousand followers on the same Twitter account. With all these recent Phillies years in the wilderness, surely Dan Baker wondered: Would his voice ever be heard at a World Series again? [6] At these appearances, Baker announces the game over the sports bar's PA system in exactly the same fashion as he would if he was announcing an actual Phillies home game. 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