It started innocently enough. In the bottom of the eleventh inning of Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, Minnesota Twins icon Kirby Puckett hit a Charlie Leibrandt curveball into the seats in left center field to force a Game 7. The legendary Jack Buck made the call: “We will see you…tomorrow night.”
Fast forward 13 years, and Jack’s kid, Joe, is calling the 2004 American League Championship Series. The Red Sox scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning off Mariano Rivera to tie the game at four. In the bottom of the 12th, well after midnight, soon-to-become post-season legend David Ortiz hammered a walk-off homer into the bullpen, and Buck, channeling his father, proclaimed: “We’ll see you later tonight.”
Seven years later, Buck fils one-upped himself. In arguably the greatest World Series game of all time, the Cardinals and Rangers were knotted at nine in the bottom of the 11th inning when David Freese crushed a ball to dead center. As it landed in the grass berm beyond the wall, Buck went with: “We will see you…tomorrow night.” This time, he nailed his dad’s cadence.
Joe Davis took over calling Dodgers games in 2017 after the inimitable Vin Scully retired; and he took over calling the World Series on Fox in 2022 when Buck went to ESPN.
Scully had too many great calls to count, but he may be most famous for Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers trailed the Athletics 4-3. There was a runner on for the barely-able-to-walk Kirk Gibson. After a protracted battle with future Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, Gibson flung his bat at a backdoor slider. Scully’s call: “A high fly ball into right field…she is gone!”
In 2024, after just two seasons in the national booth, Davis made his mark. On the mic for Game 1 of the World Series, the Dodgers trailed the Yankees 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning. The bases were loaded when Freddie Freeman came to the plate. After Davis set the stage to build the tension (not that it needed building), Freeman unleashed a massive swing on a Nestor Cortes fastball. “Freeman hits a ball, right field…she is gone!” It was pure magic. Davis punctuated the moment with “Gibby, meet Freddie!”
This week, Davis had yet another opportunity to tip his cap to his predecessor. In Game 4 of the World Series the Rays were down to their last three outs, trailing 3-0 in the series and 3-2 in the game. They rallied to tie the score. With the bases loaded, pinch hitter Ben Williamson smacked a Baltimore chop over first baseman Jake Bauers’ head to score the winning run. Davis elected to combine 2004 and 2011, telling the audience: “We’ll see you later tonight.”
And yet, for a certain section of the country, considering the eventual winner of the World Series, and the “who” and the “how long,” Jeff Levering may topped them all. As most people know, Bob Uecker, the stalwart baseball man, who was as much part of Brewers culture as Bernie and pinstripes and Harvey’s Wall Bangers and Robin Yount, passed away last year after broadcasting the team’s games for 54 years. The man was such an institution that Manager Pat Murphy often reads missives to the club supposedly sent by Uecker from the great beyond.
Many people recognize “Ueck” from his life outside of Milwaukee, as a spokesman for Miller Lite Beer (“I must be in the front row”), his role in the sitcom “Mr. Belvedere,” or his guest hosting “The Tonight Show.” In 1989, Ueck starred as “Harry Doyle,” the play-by-play announcer for the hapless Cleveland Indians in the film “Major League” (coincidentally, the movie was filmed in Milwaukee’s County Stadium). If you haven’t seen “Major League,” well (1) shame on you, go watch it right now, and (2) I am going to spoil the ending. After a remarkable run, this team of has-beens and never-will-bes faced off against the Yankees is a one-game playoff for the American League East title. When the winning run (Willie Mayes Hayes) crossed the plate, Uecker, as Doyle, lost his mind, shouting: “The Indians win it, the Indians win it, oh my god, the Indians win it!”
Jeff Levering was six years old when that movie came out. He joined the Brewers radio team in 2015, working alongside Uecker. Now he, Lane Grindle, and Josh Maurer share the post. The Brewers, returning the favor after being swept in the NLCS by the Dodgers last season, were up three games to none, and up 6-4 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 this year. Kiké Hernández hit a line shot into left field. Levering was on the call: “The Brewers win the pennant! Oh my god, the Brewers win the pennant!” He nailed it.
After this incredible (re)call, Levering told MLB.com that he had not planned it. “I never said to myself, ‘I’m going to say what Bob said in Major League.’ It’s just that I had seen it so many times, I think. When I went, ‘Oh my god!’ that was authentic. And I’ve heard the Russ Hodges call so many times and have that moment autographed in my office, and it was against the Dodgers, I kind of mixed the two of them without even trying to mix the two of them. I just wanted to feel in the moment.”
Announcers can make their careers calling the biggest games. Sometimes they come up with something wholly original (“Go crazy folks!” or “Touch ‘em all Joe”) and sometimes they allow imitation to be the best form of flattery. Ironically enough, Levering recalls the best advice he ever received about broadcasting: “Make sure you’re yourself. Don’t be anybody else.” Bob Uecker told him that. And yet, I am sure that Bob Uecker and Vin Scully and Jack Buck are sitting in a booth in heaven smiling down on their literal and figurative progeny, smiling at who they are and the calls they made.
PLAY BALL!!