‘Voice of the Royals,’ Denny Matthews, to call 8,000th game Friday

Longtime broadcaster Denny Matthews is scheduled to call his 8,000th game for the Kansas City Royals on Friday at Kauffman Stadium. The 83-year-old broadcaster has been with the franchise since its inaugural 1969 season, having called his 7,999th game on Thursday. Matthews is one of four announcers in Major League Baseball history to broadcast for the same team for at least 50 seasons.

Throughout his tenure, Matthews has broadcast 86.6 percent of all Royals games, covering seven division titles, four American League pennants, and World Series championships in 1985 and 2015. A recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, Matthews confirmed he plans to return to the broadcast booth for his 59th season next year.