Broadcaster Hamilton dies at 88

Milo Hamilton, a Hall of Fame broadcaster and the beloved voice of the Houston Astros, has died.

In 1992, Hamilton was awarded the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award from the Hall of Fame, given annually by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for excellence in broadcasting.

Hamilton had his most memorable broadcasting moment during his time with the Braves when he had the opportunity to call Hank Aaron’s historic 715 home run in 1974, which at the time passed Babe Ruth for first all-time.

Hamilton was the voice of the St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and the Astros.

Milo Hamilton at a Houston Astros event.

The Iowa native called baseball games on radio – the only real way to follow a baseball game – for 60 years, most recently as the Houston Astros announcer. Hamilton later said it was the highlight of his career.

Milo Hamilton and Mike Krukow in 1981. He served as the Voice of the Houston Astros from 1987 until his retirement from the booth in 2012.

Hamilton’s illustrious legacy will certainly live on through his distinguished words following his unfortunate passing. “He was a great ringmaster and he loved painting the prose of baseball”, former Astros player and manager Phil Garner said. Astros president Reid Ryan called Hamilton an “outstanding ambassador for Astros baseball” in a statement Thursday.

Hamilton retired from the Astros in 2012 after calling the team’s final home game of the season but had continued to be a presence around the ballfield the past few years until dealing with deteriorating health in recent months. Later that year, Hamilton was named “King of Baseball” by Minor League Baseball at the Annual MLB Winter Meetings.

The Astros are planning on wearing a patch starting on Friday to honor Milo, according to Brian McTaggart.

2015 has been a year where we’ve lost many in the sports media, from Stuart Scott’s death in January to the passing of iconic San Francisco broadcaster Lon Simmons in April.