SAN FRANCISCO -- Mike Krukow admitted that he felt a bit of melancholy when he arrived at Oracle Park to call the final game of his iconic 36-year broadcasting career with the Giants on Sunday.
But it didn’t take long for his best friend and longtime broadcasting partner Duane Kuiper to boost his mood.
Before the Giants’ 5-1 loss to the Dodgers in their regular-season finale, Kuiper went out to the warning track in right field and taped a pot-bellied stick figure of himself next to the “Atta Babe, Kruk!” sign on the outfield wall -- a nod to one of Krukow’s signature catchphrases.
The crude art project -- which was labeled “KUIP” -- drew an instant laugh from Krukow, encapsulating the playful humor that has been a defining trait of their legendary partnership.
“I’ve got to tell you, it kind of took the edge off,” Krukow said on the NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast. “I was coming here feeling a little melancholy today and that made me laugh hard. So, thank you, partner.”
It ended up being a day filled with gratitude for the 74-year-old Krukow, who received an outpouring of love from the sellout crowd as he signed off for the final time at Oracle Park on Sunday.
“Kruk and Kuip have a way of making Giants fans feel they’re part of something bigger than a baseball game,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said during an emotional postgame ceremony. “You’re one of the greatest and most important Giants of all time.”
Neither Krukow nor Kuiper ever expected their decades-long run in the Giants’ booth to come to an end, but health challenges have made it increasingly difficult for the two to carry on with their broadcasting duties. Krukow has inclusion-body myositis, a degenerative muscle disease that made it unsafe for him to continue to travel to the ballpark from his home in Reno, Nev.
Kuiper, 76, plans to keep calling Giants games next year, but he announced earlier this month that he’s undergoing treatment for throat cancer, which added some extra poignancy to Sunday’s sendoff.
Krukow and Kuiper were serenaded with ovations between virtually every inning on Sunday, with the Giants revealing that they’ve renamed their upper-level broadcast booth “Kruk and Kuip Broadcast Booth” in their honor. The duo was also presented with the keys to the city by San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie after the game.
“We’re hitting the streets tonight,” Krukow cracked. “This means we can park anywhere we want.”
Posey, Kuiper, Bob Brenly and Will Clark were among the former Giants who gave speeches to celebrate Krukow, who drew chants of “Krukow! Krukow! Krukow!” from fans when he zoomed onto the field in his motorized wheelchair after the game.
“He makes me laugh, he makes me cry, he makes me think,” Kuiper said. “And now today, he really does make me cry. I love you, brother.”
“Giants fans, this is as close to a disaster as an earthquake -- losing Mike Krukow on Giants broadcasts,” said Brenly, the former Giants catcher who now serves as a color commentator for the D-backs. “I envy Duane Kuiper for getting to work with Mike Krukow all these years. You’ve had the treat of nearly four decades of listening to the best broadcast booth in all of baseball.”
Brenly also used his time at the podium to stump for Krukow and Kuiper to go into the Hall of Fame together. Krukow and Kuiper have both been finalists for the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence multiple times, though neither has been elected thus far.
“If you believe in the baseball gods like we do, you’ve got to believe that they’re going to do everything in their power to make sure these two guys go into the Hall of Fame together,” Brenly said.
When it came time for him to take the mic, Krukow replayed decades of Giants history for fans, making references to the club’s three World Series runs in 2010, ‘12 and ‘14 and thanking a long list of people who have supported him throughout his 54 seasons in professional baseball.
Once he concluded his remarks, three of his children -- Tessa, Wes and Chase -- gathered around him and invited the crowd to sing along to “The Parting Glass,” a traditional farewell tune.
"It is a privilege for all of us who ever played here to represent the city on the field, in the front office and in the broadcast booth," Krukow said. "As I sit here before you today, we can say one more time, 'We are the Giants! We are San Francisco! And we will never forget you!' Thank you!"