John Kruk will be forced back into a suit by NBC as Phillies go national this weekend

The Phillies have lost two straight series, but fans will have at least one thing to look forward to this weekend — John Kruk in a suit.

The former Phillies first baseman turned TV analyst will be back in the booth for NBC to cover the series finale against the New York Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball. That means Kruk will once again ditch his polo shirt and ball cap to meet NBC’s rigorous broadcast standards.

“We’re a coat-and-tie shop, so somebody does forcibly make him wear the suit,” said Jason Benetti, the voice of NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball, who will be calling the game alongside Kruk and former Phillies manager Joe Girardi.

If the past is any indicator, expect social media to have fun with Kruk’s attire. This is the third Phillies game he’s called for NBC this season (though the first was a Peacock exclusive), and each time fans have cracked jokes.

One thought Kruk looked like “a clean-shaven Benjamin Franklin.” Others joked he “legit looks like a Mafia hit man” or like a “washed-up hockey coach who tries to make a comeback after years of heavy drinking.”

“Some local place should give him a suit deal, and they should let him gift it to charity,” Benetti said.

Even Tom McCarthy’s gotten in on the fun. Following June’s NBC game, McCarthy suggested they send Kruk’s suit to Cooperstown, N.Y., to be part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Earlier this week, Kruk mentioned he might need to borrow a tie for Sunday, so McCarthy brought in a bunch of his own for his broadcast partner to pick from.

“I believe he is going with one of the ones I brought him,” McCarthy said. “The whole exchange has been great.”

Kruk didn’t have a specific color in mind — he just wanted “something that pops” that went well with his dark blue suit.

“I mean, I look good in everything,” Kruk said on the broadcast Sunday during the Phillies’ loss to the New York Mets, though he questioned why he needs to wear a suit in the first place.

This is NBC’s first season broadcasting Sunday Night Baseball, which it took over from ESPN as part of a three-year TV deal with MLB that reportedly runs about $200 million a season. While Benetti is the play-by-play voice, he is joined each week by two different analysts linked to the teams playing.

Benetti has called two games with Kruk this season, describing him as “the perfect improv partner.” But the depth of Kruk’s baseball knowledge took Benetti a bit by surprise.

“I went in with this notion he’ll say anything, and it’ll be interesting, intriguing, weird — the whole range of creativity,” Benetti. said. “But he’s an absolutely astute, perceptive, issue-spotting baseball analyst.”

Before we get to see Kruk back in his suit, fans will have to log onto Apple TV to watch the Phillies-Yankees series opener on Friday Night Baseball.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, with Jesus Luzardo on the mound facing Yankees ace Cam Schlittler. Calling the game is Wayne Randazzo alongside one-time Phillies pitcher Dontrelle Willis. Heidi Watney will report live from Citizens Bank Park.

Despite the annoyances that come with being forced to stream a Phillies game, Apple TV has the best feature of any sports streamer — the ability to switch to an audio feed of your team’s radio announcing crew. So Phillies fans can listen to Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen, no synching required.

It’s the fifth season of Apple TV’s seven-year, $595 million deal with MLB, which runs through the 2028 season. Over that time, the cost has nearly doubled from $6.99 to $12.99 a month, though Apple TV is offering a free one-month trial and this is the last Phillies game scheduled to stream on the tech giant’s platform.

Saturday’s game will be back on NBC Sports Philadelphia, with McCarthy calling the action alongside former Phillies general manager Rubén Amaro Jr.

In addition to being the voice of Sunday Night Baseball, Benetti calls Detroit Tigers games for Detroit SportsNet. Prior to that, he spent eight seasons as the TV voice of the Chicago White Sox.

There isn’t a stadium in the majors Benetti hasn’t called a game from. And Citizens Bank Park, where he’ll be Sunday night, is near the top of his lists of the best ballparks.

“It’s top three in the league,” Benetti said. “It’s absolutely wired. When it’s close and late, you can’t hear yourself... The ballpark itself plays loud.”

Benetti is also a fan of the food served to media folks. He described the ice cream dished out by “Frankie Two Scoops” as “the best in the league,” and is still angry he only recently learned about the terrific cheesesteaks the team serves inside the visiting team clubhouse.

“It was an 11 out of 10,” Benetti said. “It was nonsense how good it was.”