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A Kansas City voice hits a stunning milestone: Denny Matthews to call his 8,000th Royals game
Matthews is one of four major league broadcasters to stay with one team for 50 seasons or more, with 8,000 games on his resume.
On Friday night, Kansas City Royals broadcaster Denny Matthews will reach a historic milestone, calling his 8,000th game as the Royals face the Cleveland Guardians.
Starting 57 years ago at Municipal Stadium, Matthews described the action alongside the late Buddy Blattner as the Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins in 12 innings.
The 83-year-old Matthews has called nearly 87% of all Royals games ever played, including 1,058 different players and World Series titles in 1985 and 2015, placing him alongside broadcasters Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin.
Longtime Royals owner Ewing Kauffman once told a young Matthews, "We like the way you do games, and you can stay as long as you want," cementing his loyalty to the franchise.
Despite occasionally considering retirement, Matthews plans to return for season 59 next year, continuing his partnership with co-broadcaster Ryan Lefebvre to remain the voice of Kansas City baseball.