Tom Hamilton (sportscaster)

Tom Hamilton (born August 19, 1954[1]) is an American sportscaster, primarily known as the chief radio play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Guardians Major League Baseball team.

Tom Hamilton
Hamilton in 2014
Born (1954-08-19) August 19, 1954
Sports commentary career
Team(s)Cleveland Indians/Guardians (1990–present)
Genre(s)Play-by-play
SportsMajor League Baseball
College basketball

Hamilton joined the then- Indians Radio Network for the 1990 season, after spending three years in the booth for the then AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees, the Columbus Clippers. He was paired with Indians legend Herb Score until 1997, when Score retired after 30 seasons. Hamilton became chief play by play announcer in the 1998 season, a position he still holds today. Because of his longevity and popularity, he is now considered to be the "voice of the Tribe". After the Indians were renamed to the Guardians, he has also been referred to as the "voice of the Guardians".

Until recently, Hamilton called college basketball games in the offseason (usually Ohio State games) for ESPN Plus, and Big Ten Network.

Broadcasting associates with the Indians/Guardians

(*) - Nelson, and later Underwood joined Hamilton and Hegan in a three-man booth from 1998 to 2007, when the Indians then went to a two-man booth. Rosenhaus, Hamilton and Hegan formed a three-man team for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Broadcasting credits

(all pre-Indians/Guardians)[3]

Signature calls
  • "And we're underway at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario!" - after the first pitch of a Guardians home game (during away games, Hamilton will usually say "And we're underway at [opposing team's ballpark or city]")
  • "STRIKE THREE CALLED!" - after a Guardians pitcher strikes out an opposing batter looking
  • "Swing and a drive, waaaay back, and gone!!" or "Swung on and belted, to deep ______ (left/center/right), awaaaay back, and outta here!!" - for a Guardians home run
  • "Swiiiing and a miss, he tried to hit that one to Euclid / into Lake Erie." - when a batter swings really hard but misses (for away games, Hamilton will use the name of a nearby suburb or neighborhood in the home city)
  • "A SWING and a miss!" - for a swinging strikeout by a Guardians pitcher
  • "Ballgame!" - after the final out of a Guardians win[4][5]
  • "DOWN GOES ANDERSON! DOWN GOES ANDERSON!" - during an August 5, 2023 brawl between the Guardians and Chicago White Sox when Cleveland’s José Ramírez knocked Chicago's Tim Anderson down with a right hook.[6][7][8]

Personal life

Hamilton resides in Avon Lake, Ohio, with his wife and four children.[3] One son (Nick) was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 35th round in the 2012 MLB Draft out of Kent State University.[9]

Another son - Brad - works as a reporter for Cleveland Fox affiliate WJW-TV 8.[10]

Books
  • Glory Days in Tribe Town: The Cleveland Indians and Jacobs Field 1994–1997, (Co-Written with Terry Pluto), 2014 ISBN 978-1-938441-35-6

Awards and honors
  • Seven-time NSSA Ohio Sportscaster of the Year (1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2017) [3][11]
  • 2009 inductee - Cleveland Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame[12]
  • 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award - Greater Cleveland Sports Awards[13]
  • Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame (class of 2022)[10]

References
  1. Loede, Matt. "Happy Birthday to Indians Radio Voice Tom Hamilton!". Sports Illustrated Cleveland Guardians News, Analysis and More. The Arena Group. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  2. All-Time Broadcasters - Cleveland Guardians
  3. Broadcasters - Cleveland Guardians
  4. Tom Hamilton - SABR.org
  5. For Tom Hamilton, the voice of the Cleveland Indians, 'the impossible dream came true' - Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer)
  6. Tom Hamilton's call of the Jose Ramirez-Tim Anderson fight on Cleveland radio is the stuff of legend. - Awful Announcing on Twitter
  7. "DOWN GOES ANDERSON LIMITED EDITION T SHIRT". GV ART AND DESIGN. GV ART AND DESIGN. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  8. Traina, Jimmy. "Guardians' Tom Hamilton Takes Us Through the Viral Call of the Wild MLB Fight". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  9. Hamilton's son drafted - Cleveland.com
  10. Browns legend, Olympic gold medalist, champion volleyball coach and longtime broadcaster inducted into Hall of Fame - Fox 8.com (WJW-TV)
  11. Hamilton Ohio Sportscaster of the Year - NSSA.com
  12. Hamilton inducted into Cleveland Broadcasters HOF - CAB Cleveland.com
  13. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Greater Cleveland Sports Awards
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