Meet the Funniest Baseball Player of the '90s 

Thank you all for the love on this video! I hope you all enjoyed!

John Kruk starred in an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force... need I say more 😂

My favorite Kruk moment - and I doubt anybody else remembers because it was just so random - was when they had a bunch of new food selections at the park and brought them to the booth. Kruk barely talked the entire inning becuase he was eating. This is in the middle of the game and Kruk is FEASTING. He cleaned every single sample brought to him. Full blown sandwiches, specialty hot dogs, sides, desserts, etc. Then looks directly at Jimmy Rollins who was making a guest appearances in the booth and goes "are you gonna finish that? Dont mind if i do" Pointing to some dessert. I lost it. Kruk had about 3 meals worth of food in that half inning and pulled the classic fat kid at the lunch table maneuver. Something you will probably never see on air st the MLB level again.

Kruk is a national treasure and we're lucky to have him

I grew up idolizing Kruk. I played ball in the early 90s and looked just like him, mullet and all. I had all his cards, plaques, posters, you name it. He gave me my love of baseball and of the Phillies and I've been here ever since. I remember in that extra inning walkoff game he had in 93 they asked him how he was able to do it, and he said, and I quote, "I wanted to get the game over with and make it back to the hotel before room service was over". You guys should read his autobiography. He's a legend.

The Krukker is one in a million. It was hilarious back in the day when John, who looked like a beer league softball player that walked into the wrong ball field, was making baseball look easy. It had to really piss off a lot of people. But I agree that John has really found his niche as the color in the booth. Sometimes I laugh so hard I don't' even pay attention to what's going on down on the diamond. And I think that's why Kruk and Philly get along so well. He's a blue-collar, no-nonsense, beer-and-cheesesteak-and-waistline-to-prove-it guy who could punch your lights out or buy you a Yuengling and a pretzel, depending on which you needed at the time. He's like the guy on the corner who gets to sit in the booth, but still be himself. We love him!

If you didn't know anything about Philly sports and tuned into a game, you'd think Kruk was some random guy they pulled out of the 400's to fill in on the mic and told to try and keep it PG. He's about as endearing to Philly fans as a man can get.

The John Daly of baseball 😂

ahhh the Krukker, his '93 Phils began 50-20...in a time when players would pay a million dollars for their uniform number on a team, Kruk let Mitch Williams have his for two cases of beer. As John says, the tragedy is that Mitch then changed his # to 99 but the 2 cases of beer were already gone. When I went to a signing to get his autograph, he asked if the hoagie in my hand was for him. Sorry John, it wasn't.

I feel truly blessed to have this man for an announcer for the Phillies

Never forget Kruk at the plate against Randy Johnson in All Star game. Pure gold.

I love John Kruk. As a baseball player and as a human being. Such a great dude. He is the single biggest factor of me becoming a baseball fan. Here’s why.. I was a seventh grade kid in Philly when he played for the Phillies in that 93 season with Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton, Mitch Williams, Curt Schilling, Dave Hollins, Mariano Duncan, Pete Incaviglia, etc. They sucked for the 10 years before that season. They sucked for the 10 years after that season. It was like an oasis in the desert that was Phillies baseball for 25 years. It was SUCH a fun season. During the season we found out my mom had cancer. So having that incredible season helped the mood a bit. Following the season, Kruk found out he had testicular cancer. So one day my dad and I were sitting in the hospital waiting room/lounge area and who do I see come walking down the hallway in the hospital? John Kruk! My jaw hit the floor. I made eye contact with him. But my dad patted my leg telling me to calm down and not make a fuss because its inappropriate at that point bc he was there for what turned out to be treatment/testing too. John saw the interaction and walked over and introduced himself. It was incredible. One of those moments I’ll never forget.

Remember the 1980 World Series reunion in 2022?! That was hysterical!! A bunch of old drunk ballplayers allowed to talk live in air was a complete disaster 😭 Not having Kruk in the booth & having to listen to RAJ (I switch to radio) makes me appreciate him even more!

As a White Sox fan, I found it crazy he retired mid game when he was playing for the sox

You missed the story of the 1990 game vs the Dodgers when they scored 9 runs in the 9th. Kruk realized they were going to miss room service at the hotel and all the other restaurants would be closed, so they just decided they might as well just "win" that game. I remember watching it, turning the channel to Tales from the Crypt during the 8th, and then being shocked that the game was tied. I ended up seeing them take the lead and then close it out. A great night.

Absolutely blessed to hear this man cal Phils games regularly. From his wild stories to the “YEAH”’s when we get a big hit he always keeps things interesting

Went to a Colorado Rockies/Philadelphia Phillies game back in the early 90's in Denver during the Rockies first season. Every time Kruk hit a home run in mile high stadium he had to go sit on the bench and put on an oxygen mask . If I remember it right he hit 4 HRs that game. Phillies won the world series later that year.

My dad and I were big Kruk fans, watching him come up through the Padres. My favorite quip from him was when he talked about his rookie year, when a coach pulled him aside and told him "Listen John, you wanna be great, you stick close to this guy right here." And introduced him to Tony Gwynn, and as John said, "So I followed Tony Gwynn. I followed him to KFC, to Church's Chicken, to Popeyes...."

i love fat baseball players

I love John Kruk I’m a fan of players not necessarily teams or a team I used to be a team fan but the older I have gotten I have learned to appreciate guys like kruk no matter what team they play for because who cares who they play for they make baseball more fun

Life-long devoted Giants fan here since '89, and yet, I LOVED Kruk. Loved his game and his humor. His Letterman appearances were classic and always hilarious. I'm so glad that he's in the booth in Philadelphia. He's a perfect fit there. Thanks for this great video!

That quote about "cancer" and "hemorrhoids" was hilarious.

Loved listing to the Phillies games as a kid with Kruk, Dykstra, Samuel, Von Hayes, and Schmidt. Always a Phillies Phan for life.

For every awesome Kruk game, we have to sit through a game with Reuben Amaro Jr.

I can still remember the press conference after his testicular surgery. He wore a shirt that said, "If you don't let me play, I'm taking my ball and going home." I was laughing hysterically. Classic John Kruk.

Reminds me of Ron Santo. There’s a “best of Ron and Pat Hughes” where he gets fed up with Pat being wishy-washy and not being able to commit to what his favorite kind of cake is. He was a lovely man, and a lot of tears were shed when he passed.

He is our city's spirit animal and our prophet, Krukstradamus

The best part about these guys is that they can laugh at themselves... it makes them human... he was fun to watch when I was a kid, but that allstar game against the big unit... I'll never forget him just bowing, tossing the helmet and Randy just cracking up

As a kid growing up in the 80’s & 90’s I always liked Kruk and all baseball players, fans, lovers felt for him when we found out about his cancer diagnosis. Obviously he’s probably one of the most fun commentators ever and I hope he’s around for many more years to gift us with his gems of wisdom with laughter😂👍

John Kruk was my favorite player as a kid, and makes Phillies broadcasts so much better. Hope he sticks around for a long time in the booth.

His stint on Sunday Night Baseball was amazing. The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long.

I was in my early 20's during that '91 - '94 Phillies team and I luved all these guys...Inky, Eisenriech, Dutch, the Dude, and the Krucker was absolutely a fan fav....thanks for bringing back some GREAT memories my friend.

Those early 90’s PP teams must have been a riot! Kirk, Dykstra, Daulton. Mitch Williams. They’re all funny crazy guys.

My favorite John Kruk line was when he was struggling after surgery that removed one of his testicles due to cancer. He said, if they don't like the way I'm playing, I'll take my ball and go home.

'I aint an athlete i'm a baseball player " truer words were never spoken !!!

10:14 "Jimmy Key? What's he, like forty-five? I could hit Jimmy Key."

4 views in 1 minute, bro is on the come up

Im jealous of Philly fans for being able to listen to Kruk.

Lets also not forget Carl from aqua teen hunger force hit Kruk in the head with a battery at the meadowlands

Any Phillies game I watch where Kruk isn’t the announcer it just isn’t the same. Watching a game with Kruk in the booth is just like if you’re watching the game with one of your drunk buddies or your uncle that has no filter. It’s special and it’s a perfect embodiment a perfect representation of Philadelphia and our fanbase

Krukie... A true legend of the game... Rest in peace Dutch Daulton

I can't believe Kruky only had 100 dingers. I would have guessed closer to 300.

I'm sitting here with headphones and the wife comes in the room smiling and says "you're watching a comedy, I love comedies, let's watch it together" then she looked at the screen and said "switch it back" I said "to what?" she starts to leave the room and says "you're watching baseball, if you didn't want me in here you could have just said so" _ what I'm saying is thanks and I owe you now, loved the vid if that's not already clear, good job man. Long live Kruky

Babe Ruth wasn't an athlete either he was a baseball player.

Good to see newer generations enjoying the "older" days of baseball. Kruk was always fun to watch play. Now you've turned on someone a "few" years older onto him as an announcer. Thank you for that. You gotta have humor in the booth. Thank you Bob Uecker!!!! I grew up listening to Skip Carey tell crazy stories on Braves games... with Pete Van Wieren working in the play by play when he could. Well done.

yeah no, that first 30 seconds pretty much sums up Kruk in all his glory... and we love him for it. I'm blessed to have been a kid in the 90's that got to grow up an hour away from the ball park watching him play

I enjoyed watching him play games and now I appreciate him in my ear during games. Thanks for the video, Stark.

San Diego boy here - thanks for highlighting the Krukster. Baseball was blessed to have him on the field and the announcer's booth. His presence greatly improved the plight of a Padre's fan.

That 93' Phillies team was literally nothing BUT characters lol Glad Kruk is our announcer and I am extra glad they just let him do his thing

Baseball needs more David Wells and John Kruks.

Hey, those blue hats were cursed

A member of the best damn sports show period crew. GOOD SHOW

I remember the beginning of last season and Kruk’s ongoing quest with his pens: where they were, how many he had, what color they were, accusing people of taking them. Listening to away games (or national broadcast games) is always rough without him on them.

Ah, yes. As someone whose home baseball team is the Phillies, I remember when Kruk was part of the "Whiz Kids" of '93, a group that included players such as Daulton, Dykstra, Morandini, and Incaviglia. I also recall my parents having a copy of his book "I Ain't an Athlete, Lady", and these days, I can always count on him making my parents laugh when he's in the broadcast booth.

Another dude in the booth Mark "Mud" Grant with San Diego 😁

kruk isn’t just one of the funniest mlb players but one of the best announcers in baseball

I'm from PA and I tell you these men are still very present and gold every time. They're just a whole lot of IDGAF and us younger guys love them for it. Just happy, good times, and don't forget to pick up a sixer before you come over men from a by gone era.

I think the best part about Kruk is that he's just a guy. He's like someone you jaw with while watching a game at a barbecue and it's great. Baseball is a great sport to watch with other people and have a good time and Kruk just feels like he's another guy you're just having a good time with. Him and Larry Anderson on the radio carry Phillies broadcasts honestly.

Thanks for this. I watched Kruk come into The Show and leave it. He was something special, in ability and temperament. "Lady, I'm not a 'professional athlete', I'm a baseball player!" Marvelous.

Kruk is the best!! SO glad we still have him in Phliiy, calling games

Kruk on The Best Damn Sports Show was gold too.

John Kruk and Mitch Williams rocked the mullet for the 90’s Phils

Probably my favorite Kruk story was when Mitch Williams came over from the Cubs and Williams wanted the #28 jersey Kruk was then sporting and was willing to compensate him for it. He explained, "Rickey Henderson paid a guy $25,000. I got two cases of beer."

I love when Kruker is in the booth with Tom. Wish he would be in there full time. He just makes the broadcast comical with his sayings and stories.

I heard Kruk’s story about the winter ball inmate during the game live. I laughed out loud. Shit was great. TMac did start to lose it and was laughing. By the way, Kirk did actually go to the arches, but coincidentally it was closed for some unanticipated reason. At that point he said he’d never go back. Lol

God that Phillies turf looked so painful. It’s better suited as a parking lot than as a playing field.

Kruk was one of my favorite players and I’m so glad he is part of the Phillies booth. My kids are even disappointed when it’s Ben or Ruben instead.

After hearing his “I’m a ball player” quote, Kruk became one of my favorite players along with Ken Griffey after his retire before Yankees!!

My introduction to him was him being on baseball tonight on ESPN during the mid 2000’s and thought he was quite a character then

I remember watching him play back in the day. Even though I wasn't a fan of the teams he played on, it was fun to watch him play as he was a great player. Good Vid my friend!

He was a great ball player. He gave his best every time he stepped on the field. And I love to hear him call games because he loves the game as us fans do and he knows sometimes the games can get boring and he lives up the game.

It's Kruk's dry sarcastic wit that I love. "... those wings were free John. F. R. E. E" - TMac "Is that how you spell that?" - Kruk.

I love listening to TMac and kruk. They make a great duo. Kruk is like that uncle that just has the craziest stories he loves telling

Watching this while watching Kruk call the phils game today ; and I have to say , your video is catching my attention more than the game (very rare this season!) as we’re like 47W 23L ? Yeah. Best in NL …yknow. Just playing as a great TEAM , defense, and not leaving men on base every fking inning, and then so many great pitchers, we had to decide on who to put In Rotation. As I type? Zach Wheeler just got 1500th strikeout. So . He always cracks me up and it shows that he is now basically on the VO crew 4/5 games a week. And even Mike Schmidt and chase it let and others have come into the booth multiple times recently. Yea Larry Anderson was a good reliever for sure , kruk though you reminded me how really consistent of a hitter he was! So. Here we are - I’m rambling. This was a great video and I’m happy to say I was 2, dad propped me up on the couch to watch the Phils in 93 World Series . But when we won in 2008 he said “Jordan; remember this with me; it probably will be the only time you ever see this in your life”. But this season and today happening to be fathers’ day, well, I’m buying my dad and I a pair of tickets just because . Love these players that actually engage so much with the fans, instead of expressionless basketball baseball players who go wherever the most money is , and especially when they come back to somewhere like KRUK- where he wasn’t even born, to work for longer in the booth than he did as a MLB player.

As a DIEHARD Braves fan, it literally hurts my heart to say anything good about the Phillies, but John Kruk is the exception. That guy is awesome! I'm in my forties, so I remember him more for his playing days and I always thought he'd have looked better in a Braves uniform.

Krukker is a character. Loved watching him on the field and hearing him when he's in the booth.

Thanks for posting. Kruk is the man! Appreciate you.

John Kruk is the epitome of baseball and why true baseball fans love the game. They are grown men playing a kids game (and getting paid very well for it), there is not a team out there that would not take a career .397 on base average (2 for 5). You grow up with a team that becomes family at times and I think the old Brooklyn Dodger fans had it right when after they lost the last game of the season, wait until next year!! And there is always a next year. Them Bums, you best be a dodger fan when you say that or you ain’t getting out alive!! It might not be the most popular sport in America but what other game can you see a human throw a ball over 100mph or one hit that 100mph fastball, which by the way takes .477 seconds to leave the pitchers hand to the catchers glove and every human being has a blind spot from about 3 feet before the ball crosses the plate until contacting the ball with the bat it’s a guess (although you have already started your swing and at that point are about to break you wrists through the swing. Hardest thing to do in any sport!! Fell in love with baseball in 2nd grade summer camp (first time I got to play) and 50 years later the passion is exactly the same.

One of my childhood friends is related to him. My dad and I loved watching Kruk and those early 90s Phillies teams

It's weird, you would think this guy would have been a major power hitter but he was by far a bigger contact guy.

Can we talk about the pine tar buildup on his batting helmet. I remember those early 90s seasons. Some of the best summers

I’m glad young fans have these personalities to grow up with. It’s one of the great things about baseball.

This guy spent the first half of his career being the real life Kenny Powers and the second half as Pepper Brooks in Dodgeball

I'm a braves fan but I lived in Philly when kruk was playing there. We was definitely a character. He used to drive a Lotus Esprit around town and everybody said he really just acted like a regular guy. I never met him but I saw him around a few times.

McCarthy and Kruk are a match made in not heaven, but the fourth dimension of vaudeville comedy routines.

Kruk was the John Daly of baseball. The notion that you have to be a perfect physical specimen in order to be an elite athlete is so insanely wrong. Larry Bird didn't look like he was physically perfect, but he was the greatest player to ever play the game. I think what made these guys so beloved is the fact that what made them so good was how much heart they put into it.

'Who let the beer vendor on the field?' Referring to Kruk. Wish I could remember the announcer.

It is pure joy to listen to Kruk announce the game for my Phillies. We are so blessed

That at bat against Randy Johnson was the greatest at bat in the history of baseball.

Kruk was born to be associated with the City of Philadelphia. He may call West Virginia his home state, but we adopted him a long time ago. The man exemplifies everything great about baseball. He wasn’t just part of the 83 Phillies, he was the heart, body, & soul of the team. This man is a national treasure. I just wish he could still travel for away games because 81 games a year (give or take) is not enough time with Kruky.

dont ever worry about videos being too lengthy, were here because were interested and i prefer longer videos while i work/play runescape

I was on the floor after this interaction, earlier this year. “Malachi with the call; he don't miss those,” said Kruk. “I love that name.” “It's a good name,” added McCarthy. Without missing a beat, Kruk turned to his broadcast partner and told McCarthy when they have a child together, they should name him Malachi.

Kruk was one of those guys that made watching baseball fun.

John Kruk, Harry Carey, Hawk Harrelson, Joe Garagiola.... modern MLB wants robots. MLB should think about what separates them from the NFL and what the fans want. Even today, if you put the best NFL player, the best NBA player, the best NHL player, against the finest MLB athlete....? It would only end up in tears.

"that's a good shot there" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Top notch player Kruk’s numbers were off the charts 🚀

Kruk and the shooter Rod Beck were the most unhealthy looking baseball players since the Babe and I love them for it!😂

One of the best and most random aqua teen hunger Force cameos of all time...

Thank you! loved watching him play and listening to him in the booth, the best

John Kruk is the original Jason Kelce type of guy in Philly. Beloved 30 years after his last season with the Phillies.