Legendary San Francisco Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow will retire after the 2026 season, ending a 36-year stint in the booth.
Krukow has been battling a degenerative muscle disease called body myositis for the past two decades. It appears this battle is what ultimately forced Krukow to make his retirement decision.
“I don’t want to quit. Unfortunately the rules change, first from year to year and then month to month and now it’s day to day. It’s becoming unsafe. My home in Reno is much safer, and it really is the determining factor in how I can’t do games anymore,” Krukow told NBC Sports Bay Area.
Krukow released an official statement on Thursday that read, “[His wife] 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.”
It is good to hear that Krukow still feels grateful for his time in the Giants’ booth, even if he is not fully ready to call it a career quite yet.
Krukow has become a legend in baseball largely because of his broadcasting partnership with Duane Kuiper. “Kruk and Kuip” are immortal among Giants fans, as their close-knit friendship has sparked countless hilarious moments and camaraderie that is usually found in MLB clubhouses, not broadcast booths.
San Francisco fans now have a great reason to tune in to games in what has otherwise been a disappointing season.
