John Kruk
NJ, US
ESPN Baseball Tonight Analyst; Former Major League All-Star
Former major league baseball All-Star John Kruk joined Fox Sports Net in July 2001, on the BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD. The BDSSP was the first sports/entertainment television show combining the sports and comedy worlds in a unique "guy talk" format. In 2003 Kruk left the BDSSP to become a game analyst for his former team, the Philadelphia Phillies. The former three-time All-Star outfielder/first baseman retired in 1995 after a 10-year major league career with the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox, in which he hit for a .300 average, with 100 home runs and 592 runs batted in. In one of the most bizarre retirements in the sport, Kruk simply walked off the field after singling in the top of the first inning off Scott Erickson on July 30, 1995 in Baltimore. After the portly ballplayer stroked the single, he simply said goodbye to his teammates in the dugout and left Camden Yards with his family. After his first career came to an end, Kruk appeared as a baseball teammate of Wesley Snipes in The Fan with Robert DeNiro. A year later, he predictably opened up a bar in West Virginia. When asked why he called the bar "Third Base," Kruk replied: "Third base is the last stop before you go home." It was his contagious personality as much as his statistics that helped turn the club around from last place in 1992 to first place in 1993. Teamed with other tobacco-chewing, hard-nosed players like Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton and Dave Hollins, Kruk led the "Fighting Phils" to the 1993 World Series. The team ultimately lost in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays, but Kruk batted .348 with four RBIs in the cause. Born on February 9, 1961 in Charleston, W. Va., Kruk currently resides in New Jersey with his wife Melissa and son Kyle.
Former major league baseball All-Star John Kruk joined Fox Sports Net in July 2001, on the BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD. The BDSSP was the first sports/entertainment television show combining the sports and comedy worlds in a unique "guy talk" format. In 2003 Kruk left the BDSSP to become a game analyst for his former team, the Philadelphia Phillies. The former three-time All-Star outfielder/first baseman retired in 1995 after a 10-year major league career with the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox, in which he hit for a .300 average, with 100 home runs and 592 runs batted in. In one of the most bizarre retirements in the sport, Kruk simply walked off the field after singling in the top of the first inning off Scott Erickson on July 30, 1995 in Baltimore. After the portly ballplayer stroked the single, he simply said goodbye to his teammates in the dugout and left Camden Yards with his family. After his first career came to an end, Kruk appeared as a baseball teammate of Wesley Snipes in The Fan with Robert DeNiro. A year later, he predictably opened up a bar in West Virginia. When asked why he called the bar "Third Base," Kruk replied: "Third base is the last stop before you go home." It was his contagious personality as much as his statistics that helped turn the club around from last place in 1992 to first place in 1993. Teamed with other tobacco-chewing, hard-nosed players like Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton and Dave Hollins, Kruk led the "Fighting Phils" to the 1993 World Series. The team ultimately lost in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays, but Kruk batted .348 with four RBIs in the cause. Born on February 9, 1961 in Charleston, W. Va., Kruk currently resides in New Jersey with his wife Melissa and son Kyle.
2010