16 year radio play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants, Hank Greenwald died Monday afternoon at the age of 83. Greenwald was taken to the hospital over the weekend after suffering from heart and kidney complications.
Greenwald will be remembered for his sense of humor and ability to paint a picture for Giants fans over the course of two stints with the organization. Greenwald called games for the Giants from 1979 – 1986 and 1989 – 1996.
“Hank was a broadcasting legend throughout the Bay Area and was a huge part of the Giants throughout his 16 seasons as our play-by-play announcer,” Giants President and CEO Larry Baer said in a statement released by the team. “He was the key link to our fans listening at home and brought our game to life through the radio.
“Hank and his family continued to stay connected with the Giants following his retirement and he often could be found talking baseball or taking in a game on the broadcast level of AT&T Park. He will be deeply missed.”
During Greenwald’s mid-80’s break from the Giants radio booth, he spent two seasons calling games for the Yankees, but didn’t get along with team owner George Steinbrenner, leading to his Bay Area return. After retiring in 1996, Greenwald returned to broadcasting part-time, joining the Oakland A’s telecast in 2004 and 2005. Athletics broadcaster Ken Korach noted Greenwald’s ability to excel in the booth throughout his career even when the team is in the midst of a disappointing season.
“He may have been the greatest ‘bad team’ broadcaster of all-time,” said Korach. “He once told me, ‘If you get swept up in how bad the team is on the field, you’re going to sound just as flat as the team that’s playing. You can’t let that happen.’”
Greenwald’s 44-year old son, Doug followed in his footsteps, building a broadcasting career of his own. Doug Greenwald is the longtime radio voice of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies and previously filled in on San Francisco Giants broadcasts.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.