Hall of Fame broadcaster and the 'Voice of the Houston Astros' Milo Hamilton died at the age of 88.The cause of death was not released.Hamilton spent 60 years broadcasting major league baseball games -- second only to Vin Scully's 66. He called games for six different clubs -- St. Louis Browns (1953), St. Louis Cardinals (1954), Chicago Cubs (1955-57, 1980-84), Chicago White Sox (1961-65), Atlanta Braves (1966-74) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1975-79) -- before joining the Astros in 1985. He retired nearly three years ago today after calling the Astros' final home game in 2012.
“During his 60 years covering our game, Milo became one of the National Pastime’s most distinguished announcers, serving seven different Major League Clubs," commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "He chronicled some of our game’s most historic moments during the era of Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Ernie Banks. As ‘The Voice of the Astros’ since 1985, he ushered into the homes of fans Houston’s first World Series appearance, the Hall of Fame careers of Nolan Ryan and Craig Biggio, and countless other memories."In 1992, Hamilton was bestowed with the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award from the Hall of Fame, given annually by the Baseball Writers' Association of America for excellence in broadcasting."His knowledge and history of the game was second to none, and it’s a tough day," Hall of Famer Craig Biggio told MLB.com.The highlight of Hamilton's career came on April 8, 1974 when he worked for WSB Radio in Atlanta and delivered Hank Aaron's historic 715th home run."Here's the pitch by Downing. Swinging. There's a drive into left-center field. That ball is going to be ... out of here! It's gone! It's 715! There's a new home run champion of all-time! And it's Henry Aaron!""He was a wonderful man who gave his life to baseball," said former Astros Jeff Bagwell. "It’s a sad day for baseball.”USA TODAY Sports
"Milo Hamilton was the voice of the Astros for many generations of baseball fans in Houston," Astros president Reid Ryan said in a statement. "He's an icon in our industry, he's a Hall of Famer and he's one of the longest tenured broadcasters in the history of the game. He was a personal friend and wonderful human being who cared about our community, cared about game of baseball and he loved the people and fans that worked the game and came out to ballpark on a nightly basis. He was truly larger than life. It's a sad day for baseball, the Astros and the city of Houston. Milo Hamilton will truly be missed."
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