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A Philadelphia Phillies fan won a contest to call a game on the radio Wednesday, and his surprising performance quickly went viral.
The fan joined regular announcers Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen in the third inning of Wednesday’s game between the Phillies and the Washington Nationals.
Identified as Lewis Kalb from Medford Lakes, New Jersey, the fan was given the unique opportunity after winning an auction.
He wasted no time getting into the swing of things.
“Thank you, Scott,” he said after being introduced. “It’s a thrill to be here. It’s a lifelong dream to be here in the Phillies broadcast booth, so here we go. Painter with the first pitch to Ortiz. It’s in there for strike one called. Phils with two in the bottom of the second to take the lead, as we start the top of the third now. Painter delivers. It’s bounced foul.”
Listeners of the broadcast would not have been at fault for mistaking Kalb as a longtime broadcaster himself, as he appeared to seamlessly fit in the booth.
The YouTube channel JaguarGator9, for example, said there was “no freaking way that was this guy’s first time doing this.”
The clip also got the attention of comedian Roy Wood, who joked that he would’ve unplugged Kalb’s microphone if he shared a booth with him to avoid getting his job taken.
“Dude is too nice with it,” Wood said in a tweet. “Them other boys in the booth better than me. He is coming for their job. A real hater would have unplugged his mic.”
Dude is too nice with it. Them other boys in the booth better than me. He is coming for their job. A real hater would have unplugged his mic.
https://t.co/mmsUG14veQ
— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) August 6, 2026
Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey called the clip “incredible.”
Others in the industry agreed.
This dude has the voice AND the play by play chops! Very impressive. He said "Painter from the belt…" and I lost it
— Mike Meech (@meechone) August 6, 2026
In his bagggg. This is awesome https://t.co/BlyXCBVYGH
— Jack Smith
(@JackSmithPxP) August 6, 2026
According to Crossing Broad writer Nick Piccone, Kalb actually did enter the booth with some experience. He wrote:
Word on the street is that this wasn’t Big Lew’s first rodeo. He has experience calling youth sporting events in Medford Lakes for a long time. They’re also saying he did some work with the Mets back in the day.
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The post Phillies Fan Who Won Chance to Call Game on the Radio Receives Widespread Praise Online: ‘He Is Coming for Their Job’ first appeared on Mediaite.
