Harry Kalas, the longtime announcer for the Philadelphia Phillies, died Monday at age 73. He was taken to a Washington hospital after passing out in the broadcast booth during the Phillies game against the Washington Nationals on Monday.
Kalas was pronounced dead hours later. The official cause of death was not announced as of 3pm on Monday.
Kalas, best known for his distinctive "Outta here!" call on home runs, was found by the Phillies director of broadcasting at about 12:30 p.m., according to team president David Montgomery.
"We've lost our voice," said Montgomery as he announced Kalas' death in a press conference. "He has loved our game and made just a tremendous contribution to our sport and certainly to our organization."
Kalas had surgery earlier this year for an undisclosed ailment that the team characterized as minor.
Kalas became the Phillies broadcaster in 1971, the year the team moved into their former stadium, Veterans Stadium. He replaced Bill Campbell, who was a Phillies fan favorite. Kalas later filled the voiceover role for NFL Films in 1975. He held both positions until his death.
Before that, Kalas was a member of the original broadcasting team for the Houston Astros from 1965-1970 and also broadcasted NFL games for Westwood One Radio Network.
While he served as the Phillies broadcaster, he was teamed with Richie Ashburn, a former Phillies player, in the booth. The pair became a long-standing team until Ashburn's death in 2002, the year Kalas was inducted into the broadcaster's wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The two became beloved sports figures in the Philadelphia area for years.
Entering his 43rd year as a broadcaster, Kalas witnessed several historic feats in his career, such as the Phillies' first games at Veteran Stadium and Citizen Bank Park; Mike Schmidt's 500th home run; Pete Rose's record-setting 3,631st hit; and every start in Steve Carlton's career from 1972-86.
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