Beloved baseball broadcaster and actor Bob Uecker, who parlayed an unremarkable playing career into a decadeslong stint behind the mic and in front of the camera, died Thursday, officials said.
The man known as "Ueck" and "Mr. Baseball" was 90.
"Today we take on the heaviest of burdens. Today we say goodbye to our beloved friend, Bob Uecker," the Milwaukee Brewers, his employer since 1971, announced. "Ueck was the light of the Brewers, the soundtrack of our summers, the laughter in our hearts, and his passing is a profound loss."
He was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer in early 2023, his loved ones said.
"Even in the face of this challenge, his enthusiasm for life was always present, never allowing his spirit to falter," his family said in a statement.
Uecker was a fixture behind the mic in Milwaukee for more than 50 years, though he'd cut back from a full-time 162-game schedule in recent years.
“Even with his considerable success in Hollywood, Bob remained fiercely loyal to baseball and to Milwaukee,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “He loved the game and used his platform to help numerous charitable causes in his hometown and beyond.
Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich posted video of himself with Uecker celebrating in 2021 when Milwaukee won the National League Central.
"I remember you saying that no matter how much time you have it still never feels like enough and that seems pretty true today," Yelich wrote Thursday.
"You’d always thank me for my friendship but the truth of it is the pleasure was all mine. I’ll miss you my friend."
In addition to his half-century in baseball press boxes, Uecker also left a mark on comedy with his memorable acting roles on the 1989 movie "Major League" and later the sitcom "Mr. Belvedere."
From 1985 to 1990, Uecker played sportswriter George Owens in six seasons of the ABC sitcom about a suburban Pittsburgh family of five and their British butler, who tries to make sense of American absurdities.
Uecker appeared in all three films in the "Major League" franchise, stealing scenes as Cleveland broadcaster Harry Doyle. His deadpan call in the first movie, of a pitch thrown wildly off the plate by Charlie Sheen’s character, Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn — “Juuuust a bit outside” — remains a favorite one-line joke to baseball fans.
Uecker's wry, self-effacing wit was on full display in a famed Miller Lite beer commercial in 1984 as he took a seat downstairs at a baseball stadium.
When an usher told him, "You're in the wrong seat buddy, come on," Uecker famously replied, “I must be in the front row” — before he ended up in the far reaches of the upper deck.
Uecker's other forays into TV, entertainment and pop culture included:
- Multiple WrestleMania appearances, leading him to the WWE Hall of Fame.
- He donned a revealing swimsuit for a Sports Illustrated shoot that appeared May 19, 2008.
- He hosted "Saturday Night Live" on Oct. 13, 1984, with musical guest Peter Wolf.
- He appeared more than 100 times on the "Tonight Show" stage of legendary host Johnny Carson.
Uecker met Carson through their common friends, comedian Don Rickles and jazz musician Al Hirt. After his first "Tonight" appearance, Uecker recalled Carson’s doubting his baseball credentials.
"As we said good night, I heard Johnny ask Ed McMahon, 'Did this guy really play baseball?'" he said on the "Dan Patrick Show" in 2018.
Uecker's desire to pursue a life on screen came from playing in his era of baseball, when run-of-the-mill performers had to work 12 months a year because between-the-lines salaries didn't pay all the bills.
"You had to have it because there wasn't enough money unless you were one of the big guys," Uecker told Patrick.
Uecker's greatest mark was in the baseball press box, where he was one of the game's most popular broadcasters.
In 2003, he was presented with the Ford C. Frick Award, the sport's highest broadcast honor.
In his Baseball Hall of Fame acceptance speech, which turned into a nonstop laugh track, Uecker reveled in mocking his own MLB career.
In six big league seasons, Uecker batted .200 with 14 home runs in 297 games.
A modern baseball metric, wins above replacement (WAR), measures how many more victories a player brought his team as opposed to a minor leaguer in his place. Uecker's lifetime WAR was negative-1.
"I'd be sitting there and [Philadelphia Phillies manager Gene Mauch would] say, 'Grab a bat and stop this rally,'" Uecker told a laughing audience. "[He'd] send me up there without a bat and tell me to try for a walk. [I'd] look down at the third base coach for a sign and have him turn his back on you."
What Uecker lacked in on-the-field talent, he made up for with clubhouse humor that made him a well-liked teammate who boosted morale at all times.
During his days as a catcher in the big leagues, Uecker was a member of the 1964 world champion St. Louis Cardinals.
"From Day 1, he came in and was screamingly funny. I mean screamingly funny," Uecker's 1964 teammate Tim McCarver once said. "To say that Bob Uecker was invaluable was understating things."
Uecker and his teammates grasped the value of laughter even if his own children didn't.
"To make people laugh is a good thing," Uecker once said. "I used to get questions from my kids about 'Why do you do that? Why do you talk about yourself the way you do?' I said because it's funny and it makes people laugh."
