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The Phillies broadcast took an interesting turn Wednesday night.
During the Phillies’ win over the Blue Jays, broadcaster John Kruk, known for his humorous storytelling, shared the tale of being left in Mexico City on the way to Venezuela for the 1986 Caribbean Series for not having a passport.
“Some kid came up to me… had to be like 19 and didn’t speak English, he asked me to come with him and I’m like ‘What the hell?” Kruk said on Wednesday night’s NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast. “I got in the car with him and I’m like ‘I’m probably going to die, but it’s been a good run.’”
“We flew to Mexico City and they (the team) left me there. The team flew to Venezuela from Mexico City; they just left me in the airport.”
Kruk played in the bigs from 1986-1995 for the Phillies, Padres and White Sox, hitting 100 career home runs and making three straight All-Star appearances from 1991-93 with Philadelphia.
In 1986, he was playing for the Águilas de Mexicali of the Mexican Pacific League, forcing him to make the strenuous trip to Venezuela.
John Kruk #29 of the Philadelphia Phillies at-bat in the 1993 All-Star Game. MLB Photos via Getty Images“I went to the US Consulate, they said no (to going to Venezuela); this is still when I was being looked at from the FBI, so I’m sure they had a no-fly zone for me,” Kruk said. “He took me to the Mexican consulate, they said no.”
“That next morning I went back to the US Consulate, and they gave me a six-day work visa.”
As he was displaying on Wednesday night’s broadcast, Kruk has always been known for his zany personality and unhinged stories, including one he shared in 2024 about playing against a prison team in the Mexican League.
While Kruk didn’t talk about the prison team Wednesday, he shared details on how chaotic things were when he arrived in Venezuela.
“I flew to Venezuela, got there that evening and they picked me up at the airport; someone else picked me up, I had no idea who they were,” Kruk said. “They had my equipment bag, but the problem was that them trying to get me on the flight to Mexico City with the team; they gave away all my crap – my glove, my uniform.”
After Kruk was picked up at the airport, he went directly to the ballpark for Game 1 of the Caribbean Series, where he had to wear a left handed pitcher’s glove, a different uniform and running shoes.
Despite the strenuous trip, Kruk and his team won the Caribbean Series title.
English (US)