For baseball fans, Opening Day is always special – but this year, it felt a little more nostalgic.
Joe Buck, one of the most iconic voices in sports broadcasting, returned to the MLB booth, proving once again that he hasn’t lost a step.
Buck, who spent more than two decades as the lead baseball announcer for FOX Sports, called 23 World Series and 21 All-Star Games before shifting to ESPN’s Monday Night Football in 2022.
While he briefly reunited with Chip Caray for a game on Bally Sports Midwest in 2024, his presence in MLB broadcasts had become a rarity.
That changed Thursday, when he took the mic for ESPN’s coverage of the New York Yankees’ Opening Day matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Paired with Brewers broadcaster Bill Schroeder and Yankees analyst Joe Girardi, Buck delivered a performance that reminded fans why he’s one of the best in the business.
Before the game, he set the tone with a heartfelt tribute to legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker, reading a moving piece as ESPN played a commemorative video honoring the late Milwaukee icon.
But once the game was underway, it was Buck at his finest.
When Yankees catcher Austin Wells launched a deep shot in the bottom of the first inning, Buck effortlessly dropped his signature home run call – “Back at the wall!” – while slipping in a “See ya!” as a nod to longtime Yankees announcer Michael Kay.
The moment was vintage Buck: smooth, sharp, and in tune with the broadcast’s history.
By the time the Yankees sealed a 4-2 victory, social media was buzzing with praise for Buck.
Fans and media personalities alike celebrated Buck’s return to baseball, proving that while he may have been away from the MLB booth, his ability to capture the magic of the game remains as strong as ever.
As many of you remember, Buck took a lot of crap for the majority of his MLB broadcasting career.
However, with his time away from the sport, many of those critics have come to realize that maybe he wasn’t so bad at this thing after all.
While there are no plans for him to return to calling baseball games on a regular basis, some fans are hoping that will somehow become the case. (Too bad ESPN is giving up MLB rights!)
What are your thoughts on Buck’s performance? … Though it will probably never happen, would you be in favor of Buck returning to baseball duty full-time???
