KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Denny Matthews is about to hit a number that says just about everything about his place in Royals history: 8,000 games.
The longtime “Voice of the Royals” is set to call his 8,000th Kansas City game on Friday, a milestone that lands more than five decades after he joined the franchise in 1969. At 83, Matthews is one of only four announcers in Major League history to spend at least 50 seasons with the same team.
He was already at work Thursday morning, taking notes as he prepared for game No. 7,999. The next night will push him into another rare club, and Matthews knows exactly what the ride has meant.
“The Kansas City Royals, to me, has been family, comfortable, relaxed,” Matthews said. “The worst part of my job, the drive out here, I-435.”
Matthews arrived in Kansas City at 26 years old, and an early piece of guidance from mentor Buddy Blattner still guides how he approaches the job. He’s carried that message forward to the next generation, too.
“Be yourself. I think that’s the best advice,” Matthews said, “and do it the way you want to do it. If it goes over well, great, if it doesn’t then you might want to change a little something.”
When he first got to Kansas City, Matthews figured the Royals would be a stopover. His plan was to spend about five years with the club and then hope for a call from Chicago or St. Louis, closer to where he grew up.
Instead, he stayed. And stayed. And stayed.
The Royals said his broadcasting run has stretched across seven decades and ten presidencies. In that span, Matthews has been behind the mic for all seven division-winning teams, all four pennant winners and both World Series titles in franchise history, in 1985 and 2015.
For Matthews, the reason he kept coming back was simple.
“I loved the city, I loved the organization and everybody in it,” Matthews said. “If you’re unhappy in your job, you’re probably looking to move, I’ve never been unhappy in my job.”
Friday night’s game will be the 9,235th in Royals history, postseason included. By the Royals’ count, Matthews will have called 86.6% of them over the franchise’s 58-year history.
He also was the voice behind a piece of team history nobody else can claim: he was the first to say “Royals win” after the club’s first game.
That memory still means a lot to him.
“It’s like a pitcher winning his first big league game, or a hitter hits his first big league hit. You always remember the first,” Matthews said. “I remember the first game, it like it was six days ago.”
And he’s not ready to stop. Matthews said he plans to return next year for his 59th season.
“I remember my dad told me that if I did a decent job, hung around long enough and bought a tux, maybe one day I’d get an award of some kind,” Matthews said. “Well, I’ve hung around long enough, I know that. I think I’ve done a decent job, but I’ve never bought a tux.”
The Royals said Matthews won the Ford C. Frick Award and was honored during the Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies in 2007, meaning he has been broadcasting as a Hall of Famer for more than 19 years. He was also inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 2004, along with the Central Catholic High School hall in 2001, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2026.
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