Gareth Kwok: Bringing the B's into Your Living Room
The Oakland B’s Broadcaster on the Road, the Ebb and Flow of Baseball, and Helping Fans Feel ‘A Part of It’
By Chris Drue, B’s Beat Writer
Long before the first pitch is thrown, Oakland Ballers broadcaster Gareth Kwok is already thinking of his listeners.
His game day routine starts with hours of tracking storylines, trends, and compiling digital notebooks packed with player profiles as soon as he gets up—he’s then quickly off to the yard to check in on the team.
“I’ll hit the field around 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. and use the time during batting practice to check in with the players,” Kwok says of his preparation. “If there was an interesting play or inning the night before, I can ask them what they were thinking on that pitch to clarify things… just trying to gather information and stories.”
When the B’s are on the road, Kwok can also be found arriving extra early to walk around the empty stadium, mapping its quirks and chatting with the opposing broadcast team for local insight. “I like to talk to the other team’s broadcast to see if they have some good nuggets and see what the pulse is on their team,” Kwok explains, mentioning his recent favorite was learning about the “peanut inning” in Missoula.
All of that legwork serves a purpose. For Kwok, it isn’t just about calling a great game and bringing baseball into the homes of B’s fans—it’s also about connecting with the fans back home, including with the friends and family of players who can’t be there in person.
“It’s personally fulfilling to know who is tuning in while we’re on the road… you never know the comments that you will get on the broadcast,” Kwok says. “[And] for parents who can’t make it out to see their son in person, the broadcast is their only way to follow along. It’s been very meaningful to know I’m doing something for them—to be able to document the journey of their sons as they work, grind, and try to succeed to the next level.”
After his prep is done and he climbs into the booth with a pocket full of emergency cough drops, Kwok sees the stadium slowly begin to come to life and is often reminded of the special third space that baseball creates. “You see the place fill up—it’s their place away from home,” Kwok reflects. “It’s fun to see all of these towns come together and unite over baseball.”
Seeing that passion in other cities makes him appreciate what the team continues to build back home in West Oakland. “You [look around] and you say to yourself, Wow, we’re really lucky to be in Oakland. It has such a supportive fanbase that shows up day in and day out.”
A Part of the Action
The understanding of how a great broadcast can make a fan feel was a formative experience for Kwok as a San Francisco Giants fan growing up. The Lafayette native remembers how it felt listening to the “voices of his childhood”: Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow, Jon Miller, and Dave Flemming. “The one thing they do so well is making you feel like you're in the living room just hanging out with them and watching the game. You feel like a part of it.”
Kwok tried to watch every single San Francisco Giants game that he could, “much to my mom’s dismay,” he laughs. Absorbing the work of the Giants’ broadcasting team—as well as Oakland A’s broadcaster Ken Korach—left an impression on the young Gareth.
“I always had an interest in doing this, but it didn’t really become serious until high school,” Kwok says. “I was the public address announcer for any of their sports—baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, football. I had so much fun... and I thought, I could do this as a potential career.”
He chased that interest to Arizona State University, earning his sports journalism degree from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. After a few baseball broadcasting internships in college, his path to the pros became clear: “I realized that I could actually broadcast professional baseball... it’s possible to go to the minors, work my way up, and see what happens.”
That pursuit led to a four-year journey through the minor leagues, calling games for and traveling with the Chesapeake Baysox (Double-A, Baltimore Orioles), New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Double-A, Toronto Blue Jays), and Frederick Keys (High-A, Baltimore Orioles), before landing with Oakland. “It’s fun being on the road with the guys, it’s a true bonding experience…You get to really see the guys for who they are.”
Taking inspiration from the voices of his childhood, Kwok tries to make sure his listeners feel like they are right there with him, too. “They’re educating you, having fun… they don’t make it too serious. They find a great blend of educating and entertaining the audience, and for the big moments, they really nail the calls that get stuck in your head.”
Just a Pitch or Two Away
As the first half of the season draws to a close, the Ballers find themselves in unfamiliar territory with a record of 17-25. Despite the record, after spending weeks traveling and embedded closely with the team, Kwok reports that the clubhouse mood remains optimistic as they look to chase a playoff berth in the second half of the season.
“The guys are optimistic. It obviously hasn’t been the start that they expected,” Kwok says. “But you look at some of the losses and how they have happened—they aren't your ordinary losses. On that road trip in Glacier and Great Falls, if three or four of those close losses turn into wins, suddenly you’re on the doorstep of chasing for a first-half playoff spot. They’re just a pitch or two away—a couple of outings away—from really turning the corner for the season.”
According to Kwok, that attitude comes from the underlying drive that defines independent ball and brings its level of competition closer to the Big Leagues (a feeling also shared by Coach Aaron Miles). In this environment, you play to win.
“They’re hungry to get better every day. They’re hungry to hopefully make that next step to affiliated ball, but at the same time, they are very focused on putting a winning product on the field,” he says. “Whether it's at batting practice or in the locker room, they are all determined and very happy to be here. They know they are better than what has translated onto the field.”
“This is how baseball goes… there are ebbs and flows, ups and downs.”
Beyond the Basepaths
While the summer months have him covering the action with Oakland, Kwok is working with teams year round. Outside of baseball, he also serves as the TV play-by-play announcer for the Rip City Remix, the Portland Trail Blazers' NBA G League affiliate.
As a professional broadcaster across different leagues, pockets of free time back home in the East Bay are rare. Kwok can usually be found seeking out his favorite local spots for a bite when he’s home and off the clock—his favorites at the moment being Andaman and Pizza Antica in Walnut Creek and Sliver in Lafayette and Berkeley.
For Kwok and the team, knowing that Raimondi Park is waiting at the end of any long (grueling) stretch away from home provides an essential jolt of energy. “Having a great home crowd waiting at the end of a long road trip makes the travel a lot easier to handle,” Kwok notes. “Knowing you’re going to come home to that definitely lifts the grind of the sport.”
For all his preparation that goes into his game day routine, he holds his broadcast to such high standards because he can also personally relate to a fan following from across the country—he was that very listener before joining the organization. “I followed along with the Ballers as a distant fan from afar, from Maryland. It felt like I was part of the championship run, even though I was never there in person,” Kwok shares. “Just tuning in, it felt like I was a part of it.”
Now that he is sharing the booth for the Ballers with Assistant General Manager Tyler Petersen—though Kwok handles the road trips entirely solo—the opportunity has been personal. By serving as that lifeline for fans from wherever they may be, the Bay Area native has come full circle. “To have the opportunity now to call games for Oakland has been very meaningful,” Kwok reflects. “Meaningful to meet the fan base…to be a part of this organization has been incredible.”
All images used with permission from the Oakland Ballers and Gareth Kwok.
Chris Drue is an East Bay native who has loved baseball since visiting the Coliseum with his dad as a kid. His favorite combo at Raimondi Park is a Fieldwork Day Money and a veggie dog (in a helmet!). His favorite pitch is the eephus, with a Barry Zito 12-6 curveball (circa 2002) a very close second. Find him on Instagram.
