After more than 40 years in the broadcast booth, Jim Kaat has retired from broadcasting.
The 25-year MLB veteran announced last night’s Blue Jays/Yankees game would be his final announcing assignment.
Kaat announced games for the Twins and Yankees regional broadcasts while also working for CBS, NBC, ESPN, and MLB Network during his 40 year announcing career. Kaat, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a player in July, won seven Emmy Awards for his work with the Yankees broadcasts.
Kaat, 83, told MLB Tonight “I just felt like the last game I did, maybe three weeks ago, I’m not as in touch with the game as I was years ago. I walk in the clubhouse — and this is not a criticism of today’s players or coaches — but I don’t know anybody. I can talk to Dusty Baker all day, but there’s only one Dusty Baker. I haven’t seen Tito Francona. And I just thought, Tony Kuback told me ‘You’ll know when it’s time’. And I just thought…I think it’s time to step away.”
