Phillies announcer Larry Andersen to call fewer games: ‘This was not an easy decision’

Phillies fans will hear Larry Andersen’s voice a lot less this season.

The longtime Phillies radio announcer is reducing his role further, calling just 40 home weekend games at Citizens Bank Park alongside play-by-play announcer Scott Franzke. The Phillies will turn to four former players — Michael Bourn, Chad Durbin, Erik Kratz, and Kevin Stocker — to call the remaining 122 games during the regular season alongside Franzke.

During an interview on 94.1 WIP Wednesday afternoon, Andersen said he made the decision to pare back in part to spend more time with his family. But the Phillies voice also made it clear it wasn’t an easy choice, and that he didn’t want to be a distraction for a team he has a lot of optimism about heading into the season.

“Trust me, there’s been tears,” Andersen said. “It was hard to make the decision to do it. But I just felt like it was time. A lot of heartbreak, a lot of emotion when into this. It’s not something I took lightly.”

Andersen said most weeks, he’ll call the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games that take place at Citizens Bank Park. While the longtime broadcaster will get some well-earned free time, the new arrangement will keep him around the team and the game he’s been a part of for more than a half century.

“I want to be around the game. I didn’t want to cut ties with the ballclub — I’m still a huge fan,” Andersen said. “I’m still going to broadcast the same way. If I’m disappointed or the team’s not playing well, I’m going to call people out.”

Andersen joined the Phillies as a color commentator in 1998, replacing the late Richie Ashburn following his death in 1997. But Andersen’s relationship with the team dates back to 1983, his first of two stints pitching for the team during his 17-year MLB career.

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“After 50 years in the game, Larry has decided that he would like to have more personal time to enjoy life outside of baseball,” Phillies executive vice president David Buck said in a statement, reiterating it was “a tough, emotional decision for Larry.”

Andersen called Phillies games on both radio and television during his first eight seasons with the team before moving exclusively to the radio in 2007. Over the years, he’s developed a well-earned reputation for telling fans what’s on his mind, and he’s unafraid to offer negative opinions about the team or its players. Last season, he even called out slugger Bryce Harper for not running hard out of the batter’s box on an RBI double.

“That’s just really bad base running. I’m sorry,” Andersen said during the team’s radio broadcast. “He might be the MVP, but he is certainly not setting a very good example for young players. That’s just terrible. I’m sorry. Lucky he was safe.”

Andersen reduced his role with the Phillies ahead of the 2018 season, where he eliminated the need to travel all summer by only calling games at Citizens Bank Park.

“I want to be able to do some things in the summer with my wife, with my kids, out west and I guess it was just time,” Andersen said at the time on Comcast SportsNet, the predecessor of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I found myself getting a little grumpier on the road when things weren’t going well and even with stuff not necessarily pertaining to the game.”

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On Thursday, Andersen joked about taking another small step toward his eventual retirement, comparing himself to NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre, who walked away from football at least three times.

“Now I’m getting it from people, ‘Like, how many times you going to retire? You’re going to break Favre’s record!’ ” Andersen said.