Cole Hamels returns to the Phillies booth this weekend; NBC Sports Philadelphia’s surprising TV ratings
A well-known face is returning to NBC Sports Philadelphia for Sunday’s Phillies sport.
World Series MVP Cole Hamels, “Hollywood” to those that performed with him, is again for his second season calling a handful of video games for the community, starting Sunday towards the Texas Rangers (1:35 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia).
Hamels is predicted to name six to eight Phillies video games this season. Sunday, he’ll be again alongside John Kruk and play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy, whom Hamels credited with serving to him be taught the lingo, the quiet faucets, and the remainder of the behind-the-scenes motion throughout his “crash course” in broadcasting final 12 months.
“From the start of the season to the end, I felt like I got a bit more comfortable,” Hamels mentioned. “But I know I have so much to learn.”
There are loads of Sundays obtainable this season, since Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt decided to hang up his headset after 12 years with NBC Sports Philadelphia. Hamels could be taken with selecting up extra video games, however is prioritizing his time together with his three daughters.
“No one can replace Mike Schmidt. It would be unfair to even ask, and they’re both phenomenal in their own ways,” mentioned Alexandra Matcham, the vp of content material for NBC Sports Philadelphia, who praised Hamels’ fast growth in the booth.
“Certainly, we would love to have him every weekend,” Matcham mentioned.
It might sound counter intuitive, however Hamels excelled final 12 months by not oversharing. In a three-person booth, there’s usually an inclination to over discuss, particularly with somebody like Kruk prepared to go off on tangents to tell wild stories.
Instead, Hamels picked his spots and provided evaluation the place he felt it was applicable, however in any other case tried to soak up what the video games had been providing.
“I think it’s just naturally who I am,” Hamels mentioned. “I’ve always been really good at reading people and reading a room… It felt natural, and I think that’s what I really enjoyed.”
“And I love listening to Kruk’s stories like everyone else,” Hamels added. “I just have to remember to hit the mute button when I’m laughing.”
One such second got here throughout a July sport towards the Cincinnati Reds, when Kruk identified an off-color quirk of the time period “analogy” and rapidly blamed Hamels for the comment.
“I’m going to get in trouble,” Hamels dryly responded.
While Hamels did not name any spring coaching video games, he did spend extra time over the previous 12 months watching different baseball broadcasts. That allowed him to choose up on what he loved, what he did not like, and incorporate that into his broadcasts this 12 months.
And a one-time Phillies outfielder is amongst his favorites.
“I love listening to Jeff Francoeur,” Hamels mentioned of the TNT analyst. “I love it when it’s Chipper Jones, Francoeur, and either John Smoltz or Tom Glavine. When they do that booth, it’s really cool.”
One new wrinkle Hamels and different broadcasters are contending with is the automated ball-strike system, the so-called “robot umpires“that allow pitches to be challenged. As part of the system, MLB has banned broadcasts from showing balls and strikes in their strike zone boxes out of fear of tipping off players.
Hamels said it would be an interesting adjustment for announcers, but it could be much worse. Last year, I have traveled to South Korea with Hall of Famer Adrian Beltrewhere the Korean Baseball Organization has had robot umpires calling every pitch for three seasons.
“They actually have a computer that calls the balls and strikes, and the umpires are just there to tell everybody what it is. It’s wild,” Hamels said. “I hope MLB doesn’t ever go there.”
Announcing isn’t the only role Hamels has with the Phillies. He’s also continuing his work as a special adviser, which means spending time with the team and helping in various ways, whether it’s having dinner with sponsors or doing meet-and-greets in the suites at Citizens Bank Park.
That places Hamels, certainly one of the finest pitchers in Phillies historical past, in place to help in the growth of the workforce’s younger expertise, together with rookie Andrew Painter. But Hamels mentioned he does not push his expertise on the gamers and usually works via the coaches to present his perception.
“They want me to watch pitchers more,” Hamels said. “They want me to see what I can notice with minor league guys, what they might need to work on in order to get to the next level.”
While Hamels is enjoying his on-ramp into broadcasting, he never dreamed of becoming an announcer. But he did have the fortune of hearing the iconic voice of Harry Kalas call his games, an experience now coming full circle.
“I admired Harry, and it’s just surreal that I’ve been lucky enough to be in the same booth in a similar fashion,” Hamels said. “Just not at his level.”
» READ MORE: Taryn Hatcher has a surprising new gig as Phillies season begins
Phillies drew extra native viewers final season than the Dodgers and Yankees
The Phillies didn’t go far in the playoffs last season, but plenty of fans tuned in every night.
Phillies broadcasts on NBC10 and NBC Sports Philadelphia were the most-watched in all of MLB last season, averaging 324,000 viewers per game, according to Nielsen numbers obtained by The Inquirer.
Even considering the Phillies’ success last season, it’s an impressive achievement. Philadelphia is the fifth-largest television market in the country, and teams in larger markets also enjoyed success last year, including Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
What’s extra spectacular is viewership numbers had been barely down from 2024, when NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC10 averaged 369,000 viewers per sport. Both are manner up in contrast to 2023, when the Phillies averaged 279,000 viewers per sport.
