Pat Hughes Receives Multi-Year Extension as Voice of Cubs

Chicago Cubs baseball is on the air!

Pat Hughes will continue to open radio broadcasts with that familiar phrase for the next several years after a contract extension was announced Thursday afternoon. The 2019 season will be Hughes’ 24th with the Cubs, which is a little hard to believe. And by that I mean he’s become such an institution that it seems as though he’s been in the booth at Wrigley far longer.

Here’s the official press release from the Cubs:

The Chicago Cubs and Entercom today announced radio play-by-play announcer Pat Hughes will receive a multiyear contract extension to continue his award-winning coverage of the team alongside radio color analyst Ron Coomer on 670 The Score (WSCR-AM) in Chicago.

Hughes, who joined the Cubs radio broadcast in 1996, will enter his 24th season as the radio play-by-play voice of the Cubs.

“Pat is the iconic voice of the Chicago Cubs. We are both proud and honored to have him on our team at 670 The Score and Entercom Chicago,” said Jimmy de Castro, senior vice president and market manager, Entercom Chicago. “Pat is the eyes and ears for so many Cubs fans both in Chicago and worldwide. We are thrilled he will continue as the radio voice for multiple years to come.”

Hughes began his baseball play-by-play career in the minor leagues, calling action for the San Jose Missions (1978-1981) and the Columbus Clippers (1982). Hughes continued his career calling baseball games with Bob Uecker on the Milwaukee Brewers Radio Network before his long-standing role as the Cubs radio play-by-play announcer.

Hughes has been named the Illinois Sportscaster of the Year eight times, capturing the award in 1996, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2017, and is a finalist for the award again in 2018.

“For more than two decades, Pat has brought Cubs games to life for our fans as the radio voice of the Cubs. He has delivered countless monumental play-by-play calls from walk-off victories to no-hitters and of course, our 2016 World Series win,” said Crane Kenney, Cubs president of business operations. “We look forward to Pat continuing to make history with our team and deliver many more memorable moments for our fans.”

Ron Coomer will be back as well, so the familiar duo will be together for eight innings each game as Zach Zaidman laughs audibly off-mic at all of Pat’s jokes. Then Zaidman jumps to the forefront for the 5th inning as the star rests his vocal cords and goes about his other business for a few minutes. Perhaps that’s the key to his longevity.

Congrats to Pat Hughes on the contract extension and here’s to many more years of excellence.

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