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Pirates Hire New Play-By-Play Announcer

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates will welcome a new play-by-play announcer this season.

Joe Block will join play-by-play announcer Gregor Brown and color analysts Steve Blass, Bob Walk and John Wehner on the Pirates broadcast team. The departure of former play-by-play announcer Tim Neverett was announced in late December.

Block, 37, has been the radio play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers since 2012. Block, a Michigan native, and his wife, a South Park native whose family is still in Pittsburgh, were married in Scott Township and recently had their first child.

"I want to thank the Milwaukee Brewers for allowing me to pursue this opportunity. They are a top-notch organization with hardy, loyal fans," Block said in a release from the Pirates. "Wisconsin was a truly great place to live, but now that I'm a parent, it was impossible to ignore a chance for our children to grow up around family and make Pittsburgh our home."

Block joined Chris Mueller on 93.7 The Fan Saturday afternoon and talked about his connection to Pittsburgh.

"You couldn't get Red Wings tickets, and I was a big hockey fan growing up too, and so my best friend and I decided we're going to be Pens fans," he said. He said the two of them would come to Pittsburgh on their spring break as teenagers for Penguins games, which is when he started to feel a connection to the city.

In a post on his website, he went on to say, "I didn't grow up in Pittsburgh, but a part of me always wished I had."

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Prior to his job with the Brewers, Block hosted a Los Angeles Dodgers radio postgame show, was an announcer for Minor League Baseball and did play-by-play for major Division I college football and basketball games on various networks.

"Joe's hiring is a result of an extensive search that involved more than 225 qualified applicants and a group of final candidates all of whom are Major League caliber broadcasters," Pirates President, Frank Coonelly said. "Joe's play-by-play ability, diverse experience, strong work ethic and genuine desire to become a permanent part of the Pirates family and Pittsburgh community, made him our top choice."

Block joined Chris Mueller on 93.7 The Fan Saturday afternoon to talk about his connection to Pittsburgh and his career so far. Listen to the interview below:

 

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