Mike Krukow (left) and Duane Kuiper, baseball's best broadcasting duo.
Accomplished pitcher at the Major League level. Five-time Emmy award winning broadcaster. But I’ll bet that you didn’t know that Mike Krukow also is a Cal Poly Mustang.
Mike “Kruk” Krukow, if you aren’t familiar with him, is an ex-MLB pitcher and the much beloved TV color commentator for San Francisco Giants baseball games.
Krukow was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and left for the big leagues after his junior year at Cal Poly. Krukow still holds Cal Poly’s career ERA record with a 1.94 ERA and is tied for the single season shutout record with five.
Mike Krukow holds a Cal Poly record with a career ERA of 1.94 career.
Krukow played for the Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants from 1976-1989 and finished up with a career record of 124-117 and an ERA of 3.90.
Kruk’s best season was 1986, when he went 20-9 with a 3.05 ERA, made the National League All-Star team and finished third in Cy Young Award voting.
Kruk had a solid professional baseball career, but he will be remembered more for his time in the broadcasting booth than on the playing field. Krukow pairs up with Duane Kuiper to form ”Kruk and Kuip,” the Giants broadcast team. Krukow has won five Emmy awards for his broadcasting and “Kruk and Kuip” are also the TV commentators in three editions of the MVP Baseball video games.
While on air, Kruk is known for his extensive knowledge of Major League pitchers and his sense of humor. Kruk is known for exclaiming “Grab some pine, meat” after a player on an opposing team strikes out and for “eliminating” people with the telestrator.