Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton dies at age 88
The man who called Hank Aaron's 715th home run among so many other plays in his storied career has passed away.
By
Matt Snyder
•
2 min read
Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton has died at age 88, according to the Houston Astros. He broadcasted in Major League Baseball for 60 years.
Hamilton suffered a heart attack back in 2007, but underwent a successful angioplasty at the time and was able to continue his broadcasting full-time with the Astros through 2012.
Hamilton began his career with short stints in Chicago and St. Louis before settling in with the Braves.
Hamilton covered the Braves from 1966-75, during which time he'd have his signature broadcasting moment, calling Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th career home run:
Hamilton moved on to the Pirates in 1976, where he'd stay until going back to the Cubs for the 1980 season. After the 1984 season, Hamilton was replaced by the Cubs and moved onto the Astros.
With Houston, Hamilton would spend the rest of his career. He was the top play-by-play broadcaster for the Astros from 1987-2012.
"Today, the entire Astros family and many throughout the baseball world are mourning the loss of our friend, Milo Hamilton," Astros president Reid Ryan said in a statement. "For decades, Milo had a special connection with the Houston community, bringing Astros baseball to the cars and homes of fans throughout the great state of Texas and beyond. During his legendary career, we enjoyed the privilege of Milo calling some of the greatest moments in Astros history. In addition to his great work in the booth, Milo was also an outstanding ambassador for Astros baseball, a mantle he carried with a great deal of pride. While we mourn his sad passing, we should also celebrate Milo’s long, wonderful career. He was one of the all-time greats and a true icon whose contributions to the game and beyond will be remembered always."
The Astros announced that they plan to honor Hamilton at some point in the future.
“We were extremely fortunate to have Milo as a part of our organization,” said owner Jim Crane. “An entire generation of Astros fans grew up listening to Milo. He truly is an icon and was synonymous with Astros baseball for many years. Milo was a great asset not only for the Astros, but also for the City of Houston as well.”
Hamilton was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as the Ford C. Frick winner in 1992. He called 11 no-hitters, Nolan Ryan's 4,000th strikeout and Craig Biggi's 3,000th hit.
