SAN FRANCISCO — Duane Kuiper looked out at McCovey Cove as Mike Krukow read the names off a screen to his left. There were two “ball dudes” to introduce, and nobody does it better.Over 36 years they have read through thousands of names, and if a ball goes through a pair of legs or a lack of coordination leads to a spill, Kruk and Kuip will make sure everybody knows about it. For the ball dudes themselves, that perk might be even more appealing than spending nine innings on a Major League Baseball field.
As Krukow went through the routine and the two settled into the broadcast, Kuiper turned to his partner and longtime best friend.
“I’m not going to yell as much today,” he said quietly.
Less than a minute later, Adrian Houser threw a diving changeup that fooled Houston Astros leadoff hitter Jeremy Peña.
“Swiiiing and a miss!” Kuiper shouted before glancing at Krukow.
“Sorry,” he said. “I yelled.”
“Keep yelling, partner,” Krukow replied, a wide grin on his face.
It was a perfect Wednesday afternoon at...