San Jose’s Pat Hughes, the radio voice of the Chicago Cubs since 1996, has gone from the San Jose Missions to the MLB Hall of Fame.
Hughes, 67, graduated from San Jose’s Branham High and San Jose State University, on Wednesday morning was named the 2023 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Hughes, who got his broadcasting start with the Missions in 1978 after graduating from SJSU, will be honored during the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation as part of Hall of Fame Weekend, July 21-24 in Cooperstown, New York.
Longtime Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper was a finalist as the 15-member committee considered candidates from the Wild Card Era, along with Dave Campbell, Joe Castiglione, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Jerry Howarth, Ernie Johnson Sr., and Steve Stone.
Kuiper, who will enter his 37th season behind the microphone in San Francisco this spring, was also a finalist in 2014. Mike Krukow, his former teammate and longtime partner in the booth, was a finalist in 2017. The Giants’ Jon Miller was honored in 2010.
Congratulations to Pat Hughes, the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award winner! https://t.co/iVOCeL7DC9 pic.twitter.com/26VRgPoHUF
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) December 7, 2022
Hughes’s MLB career began in 1983 as a TV play-by-play man for the Minnesota Twins and then spent more than a decade with the Milwaukee Brewers. He moved WGN Radio to become the “Voice of the Cubs” in 1996, where he teamed with Hall of Famer Ron Santo for nearly 25 seasons. He also worked regularly with Harry Caray, Bob Uecker, and Al McGuire.
He was behind the mic to call history in 2016 when the Cubs won their first World Series in 109 years, saying, “The Cubs have done it! The longest drought in the history of American sports is over, and the celebration begins!”
Hughes is the 47th winner of the Frick Award.
“Known throughout the Midwest for his easy delivery and unparalleled knowledge, Pat Hughes has called some of the biggest moments in Cubs history and has provided the narrative for one of the most successful eras in the history of the franchise,” Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum said in a release. “Since arriving at Wrigley Field in 1996, Pat has served as the radio voice for nine postseason teams – matching an ardent fan base with his own passion in every broadcast. His reverence for baseball history and gift for storytelling have made him one of the game’s broadcast treasures.”
Hughes has called more than 6,000 MLB games, including eight no-hitters, the 25-inning White Sox vs. Brewers contest from 1984 that was the longest game in American League history, and during the 1998 season was behind the mic for Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game in 1998 and Mark McGwire’s then-record 62nd home run of the season.
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