Dennis Eckersley invented the term “walkoff.”
It was not meant to be a compliment.
In Eck-speak, a “walkoff piece” is when a player hits a game-ending home run and the visiting pitcher walks off the mound. This story from July 30, 1988, is likely the first reference of a “walkoff” or “walkoff piece” in print.
Nowadays, a “walkoff” is a positive thing, when the home team wins a game in their final at-bat and celebrates on the field.
“Crafting the Call” returned this week with an episode dedicated to the challenge for a broadcaster in calling a “walkoff” victory, especially when it’s a chaotic final sequence.
Here’s a breakdown of the episode:
00:00 - Intro
05:56 - Kuip and Kruk call Heliot's Little League HR
11:28 - Bill King calls Hernández's squeeze
21:43 - Michael Kay calls Castillo's drop
24:34 - Joe Buck and Tim McCarver calls Webster's PB
27:47 - Vin Scully calls Taylor's bad day
33:44 - A parade of Ken Korach calls
44:23 - Absurdity in Appleton, Wisc.
58:00 - We're not done yet!
59:29 - The Reno Crash-Off
Here’s the full episode:
Crafting the Call is a YouTube series that I developed along with Jesse Goldberg-Strassler. We examine different aspects of baseball play-by-play announcing, offering our perspective as working professionals for fans, and advice for fellow broadcasters. To help support our work, subscribe, like, comment, or send us a suggestion for a future episode.
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