Chip Caray (Photo courtesy of MLB.com)
ST. LOUIS — Chip Caray, a St. Louis native and grandson of former Cardinals announcer and Hall of Famer Harry Caray, is returning home to be the lead play-by-play broadcaster for Bally Sports Midwest, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The club has not confirmed the move.
Caray, 57, is leaving Bally Sports South, where he has worked on telecasts for the Atlanta Braves for the past 18 seasons. Caray’s appointment at Bally Sports Midwest is expected to become official by either Tuesday or Wednesday, per the source. Caray, the son of former St. Louis-KMOX broadcaster Skip Caray, was born in St. Louis and graduated from Parkway West High School after briefly living in Atlanta and moving back to Missouri.
The Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat reported on Saturday that current Mariners broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith — also a St. Louis native — was a finalist for the lead play-by-play duties for Cardinals games. When asked recently by MLB.com during the Cardinals’ Winter Warm Up festivities if hiring an announcer with strong ties to St. Louis and/or the Cards was important, Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. said: “I think that’s a positive aspect of someone’s resume. I would say that’s part of the mix.”
Caray’s legendary grandfather Harry broadcast games in St. Louis alongside fellow Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck from 1945-69. Harry and Chip were scheduled to broadcast Cubs games together on WGN in Chicago during the 1998 season, but Harry died just two months before the start of that season. Caray’s late father, Skip, was once the radio voice for the St. Louis Hawks of the ABA, and he moved with the franchise to Atlanta in 1968. Chip and Skip broadcast Braves games together in Atlanta for three seasons prior to Skip’s death in 2008.
Caray will be moving into a void created by the resignation of Dan McLaughlin, who left his position with Bally Sports Midwest last month following a third arrest for suspicion of driving while intoxicated in suburban St. Louis in early December. McLaughlin was the play-by-play voice of Cardinals baseball for 24 seasons.
Caray’s appointment will give the Cardinals a link to their storied past both on the field and in the broadcasting booth. Buck, who has a bust of his likeness outside of Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis and is a member of both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Cards Hall of Fame, broadcast Cardinals games from 1954-2001, and worked alongside Harry Caray for 15 seasons. St. Louis native Mike Shannon, a player for the Cardinals from 1962-70, broadcast Cardinals games on the radio for 50 consecutive seasons prior to his retirement after the 2021 season.
Chip Caray got his start in broadcasting professional sports in 1989, when he was hired by the expansion Orlando Magic. Following 10 seasons of calling NBA games, Caray returned to his family’s MLB roots by broadcasting games for the Braves (1991-92, 2005-09, 2010-22), Mariners (1993-95) and Cubs (1998-04). He also worked on national MLB studio shows and broadcasts for FOX (1996-2000) and TBS (2007-09).
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