Phillies announcer Kalas dies after collapsing in booth

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Harry Kalas, who began his Hall of Fame broadcasting career with the Astros in 1965 before becoming the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies for 38 seasons, was remembered Monday as one of the game’s distinctive voices and a civic treasure who was beloved by even the game’s most fractious fans.

Kalas, 73, collapsed in the press box at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on Monday and was pronounced dead at George Washington Hospital.

His deep, resounding voice was a fixture of baseball games, Westwood One’s NFL broadcasts, NFL Films highlight films and, in recent years, Campbell’s soup commercials.

“His voice proves that God was a baseball fan,” said Curt Smith, author of several books about baseball announcers. “It was a voice that was riveting, a voice that reached out and grabbed you, a voice that consumed, a voice that really became the show. When Harry did a show, Harry’s voice was the show.”

A recipient of the Ford Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002, Kalas had broadcast Phillies games since 1971, capped off by World Series championships in 1980 and 2008.

“People in Philadelphia feel a personal sense of loss right now,” NBC and MLB Network announcer Bob Costas said. “This was a voice that took them from childhood to adulthood through all stages of life. Things change … but Harry Kalas is always calling the games. This is a civic loss.”

Kalas’ first big league job was with the Astros from 1965 through 1970, working alongside Gene Elston and Loel Passe. He is one of four Frick Award winners to have worked for the team along with Elston, Bob Prince and Milo Hamilton.

But his career blossomed in Philadelphia, where he worked alongside former Phillies star Richie Ashburn for 27 seasons until Ashburn’s death in 1997. Even the notoriously hard-to-please Philly fans grew to appreciate and admire the distinctive timbre of Kalas’ voice and his “outta here” home run call.

Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas was presented with the 2002 Ford C. Frick Award, which honors the broadcaster who has made major contributions to baseball. Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas was presented with the 2002 Ford C. Frick Award, which honors the broadcaster who has made major contributions to baseball. Photo: RUSTY KENNEDY, AP Photo: RUSTY KENNEDY, AP Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Phillies announcer Kalas dies after collapsing in booth 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Kalas attended college in Iowa, and Hamilton said Kalas would greet him by saying, “Hello, Hawkeye,” whenever the two met.

“We always had a nice visit before every game we were together over the years, and that was a lot of games,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said he considered Kalas as perhaps his closest friend in the broadcasting business and said the two were in frequent contact as both experienced health problems in recent years.

“He handled himself as a gentlemen all the time,” Hamilton said. “He knew the game was the thing, and that’s the way he treated it.”

Astros general manager Ed Wade, who was a Phillies public relations intern when he met Kalas in 1977, said Kalas was consistent in his kindness and in his love of baseball.

"He was nothing but kind to me when I was an intern and treated me the same way when I was the (Phillies) general manager," Wade said. "I think that really is the way Harry treated people all the time. He was kind and gracious to everybody and a tremendous broadcaster and loved the game.

"The game meant everything to Harry. You bump into Harry at any point in time in the hotel lobby or on the bus, and the subject he wanted to talk about was baseball. He'll be missed tremendously."

Kalas' move to the Philliles enabled him to work closely with Ed and Steve Sabol at NFL Films in suburban Philadelphia. He narrated highlights for Inside the NFL from 1977 through 2008 and also hosted or provided narration for other NFL Films projects.

"We have worked with two of the greatest voiceover talents in television history," Steve Sabol said. "John Facenda was the ‘voice of God,’ and Harry Kalas was the ‘voice of the people.’ His substance was his style. There was no shtick, just a steady blend of crisp articulation and resonance. ...His voice lives on not only on film, but inside the heads of everyone who has watched and listened to NFL Films.”

Chronicle reporter Brian McTaggart contributed to this report.

david.barron@chron.com