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Padres Broadcaster is a Frick Finalist

Jim McIsaac

In 2005, Jerry Coleman received the Ford C. Frick Award after more than 30 years of broadcasting Padres baseball. This year, another Padres broadcaster is being considered for the award.

Spanish language broadcaster Eduardo Ortega is one of ten finalists for this year's Frick Award, chosen by online ballot on the Baseball Hall of Fame's Faceook page and by a Hall of Fame research committee. Ortega was also one of the 183 nominees at the end of 2005, after Coleman received the award. Final voting will be done by a group of men including the 16 former Frick Award honorees and a panel of five broadcast historians and columnists.

The 2013 season was Ortega's 27th as the Spanish voice of Padres baseball and his 33rd season overall as a broadcaster. He has called many San Diego milestones throughout his career, including:

  • Tony Gwynn's 3000th hit in 1999
  • Rickey Henderson's 3000th hit in 2001
  • Trevor Hoffman breaking the all-time saves record in 2006 and recording his 500th career save in 2007
  • four of the Padres' five division titles.

Aside from his work with the Padres, Ortega has called 12 MLB All Star games, 17 World Series, and 2 World Baseball Classics for various sports media outlets. He has also provided play-by-play for the San Francisco Giants, Tijuana Potros, Cotton Growers of Torreon, and Mexicali Eagles.