One of the most recognizable voices in Spanish-language broadcasting and one of the greatest Spanish-language broadcasters in Major League history, Jaime Jarrín, has agreed to continue his Hall of Fame career with the Dodgers for three more years..
Jarrín, 79, in the stretch drive of his 57th season with the Dodgers on KTNQ (1020 AM), and another Hall of Famer, Vin Scully, who has agreed to return in 2016 for his 67th, make up Major League Baseball’s best broadcasting combination.
“The Dodgers and our fans are so fortunate to have these two broadcasting icons describe our games,” said Dodgers’ President and CEO Stan Kasten. “Jaime is one of the most popular Dodgers among our fan base and they look forward to his description of each and every game.”
“I’ve been so blessed,” said Jarrín of his tenure with the Dodgers and his broadcasting career. “It has been such a special time sharing the broadcasts with our fans and having my son, Jorge, join me in the booth.
“ I started thinking about the number 60 in my mind this season. I sat down with the Dodgers and agreed on three more years to get to my 60th year and then we’ll see about the future at that time. I’m still having a great time and I love what I am doing. And the Dodgers and our fans have been very supportive.”
Jarrín came to the United States in 1955 at the age of 19 from his native Ecuador. He began attending minor league games in Los Angeles by visiting both Gilmore Field and Wrigley Field from 1955 until the Dodgers moved west to Los Angeles in 1958 to learn the game. He was given a year to prepare to become a baseball broadcaster by the station manager at KWKW and his Dodger career began.
Jarrín called nearly 4,000 games spanning 22 seasons without missing a contest in a stretch from 1962 to 1984. The string was broken only when Jarrín took charge of all the Spanish-language radio coverage and production of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Jarrín has called three perfect games, 21 no-hitters, 28 World Series, 28 All-Star games and 31 postseason series. Two of his favorite memories are working with Fernando Valenzuela during “Fernandomania” and calling the action during Orel Hershiser’s record-breaking scoreless inning streak. Jarrín was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame on July 26, 1998 as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Awa
Reader Comments(0)