Longtime Marlins broadcaster Tommy Hutton is retiring after nearly three decades in South Florida, according to a Miami New Times profile published Oct. 21. Hutton, 80, was known around the ballpark for arriving early, walking the field during batting practice and pressing manager Clayton McCullough with follow-up questions after team press sessions.
Former broadcast partners Rich Waltz and Paul Severino, along with longtime producer John Selser, said the thing Hutton will miss most is the people. Hutton said he would miss talking with people at the ballpark about more than baseball.
Hutton’s career spans six decades, beginning with a 1966 debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He turned to broadcasting after his playing days, sending letters to all 26 Major League teams. The Montreal Expos gave him his first booth job in September 1981, and he joined the Marlins broadcast in 1997. The team won the World Series that first season.
Fans remember his work through the franchise’s leaner years, including his pairing with Waltz, his signature “His name is Dan Uggla!” call and his willingness to call out poor play. The profile also describes the broadcast’s playful side, from Tuesday email segments to the “Late Night with the Fish” bit, while noting that the crew never let humor override serious analysis.
The article says Kyle Sielaff now works in the Marlins television booth Hutton called home for so long. For South Florida fans, the departure marks the end of a familiar presence at the ballpark, though the profile suggests Hutton may still turn up in the booth from time to time.
