NBC Sports Bay Area and KNBR broadcaster Duane Kuiper is one of 10 finalists for the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award, given annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Criteria considered by the Hall of Fame is: “commitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans, and recognition by peers.”
Kuiper, 72, has been broadcasting Giants games since before he even retired from playing in the early 1980s. The former second baseman is known for his boisterous home run calls — It…Is…OUTTA HERE — and for his banter with broadcast partner Mike Krukow.
Kuiper was also nominated for the honor in 2013 and 2017. Krukow has also been nominated but hasn’t won.
Kuiper missed most of the 2021 season after a cancer diagnosis that required chemotherapy. But even then, he rejoined the booth for a game and made the iconic “Ruf is on the move!” call.
This past offseason, Kuiper’s wife, Michelle, died unexpectedly. Despite all the personal tragedy, Kuiper and Krukow called a majority of San Francisco’s games; Dave Flemming, Jon Miller, Shawn Estes, Javier Lopez and Hunter Pence also chipped in.
Kuiper joings Dave Campbell, Joe Castiglione, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Jerry Howarth, Pat Hughes, Ernie Johnson Sr. and Steve Stone as Ford C. Frick finalists.
A committee comprised of 12 former Frick winners and three baseball columnists or historians will determine the 2023 winner. Miller, who won it in 2010, is included in that electorate.
The 2023 Ford C. Frick Award will be announced on Dec. 7 during the winter meetings in San Diego and presented during Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown.