Steve Berthiaume has been the voice of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the desert for more than a decade.
That will no longer be the case after a noteworthy decision by the Diamondbacks on Monday.
In a breaking news story from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, it’s been shared that the Diamondbacks won’t be bringing back Berthiaume for another season.
Berthiaume has been the television play-by-play voice of the Diamondbacks for the last 14 seasons.
Why Are Diamondbacks Parting With Steve Berthiaume?
The Diamondbacks appear to be using the fact that Berthiaume’s contract was up at the end of the season to consider a new direction.
“His contract is up and we felt it was a good time to take a step back and re-evaluate our broadcasts,” Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said, via Piecoro’s story in the Arizona Republic. “He was here 14 years and was a great DBack.”
This news about Berthiaume is the first such news out of Arizona since the season ended. Whether or not there are more changes to the broadcast crew could be telling about the direction the Diamondbacks are really going here.
The Diamondbacks, which began play in MLB in 1998, have never had a longer-tenured play-by-play man than Berthiaume.
Piecoro wrote: “Known for his hard-working pregame prep work, his broadcasts maintained a focus on the action on the field while also highlighting his strong rapport with analyst Bob Brenly, his partner during his entire tenure.”
Berthiaume’s first season with the Diamondbacks was 2013. He had previously been at ESPN both as a host of Baseball Tonight and an anchor on SportsCenter.
The Diamondbacks have been through multiple regional sports networks hosting their broadcasts in the last decade, but Berthiaume had been the constant alongside Brenly.
Steve Berthiaume Says Goodbye
Piercoro’s story in the Arizona Republic also featured a heartfelt quote saying goodbye to the fans that had listened to him for so long.
“I’m obviously surprised and disappointed,” Berthiaume told Piecoro. “As I told the Diamondbacks, I’m very appreciative to have had the opportunity to connect with our fan base these past 14 years. I’ve always tried to put the club first. I enjoyed my Arizona experience and I’m grateful to all my friends and colleagues in our broadcast group. I’m quite proud of how hard our group worked to raise the production level on our shows. MLB Local Media is an outstanding partner and I’m sure will continue to be. I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
This season’s Diamondbacks were in contention for the playoffs until the final day of the regular season.
Berthiaume has been there through good times and bad. That includes the 2023 run to a World Series appearance, and while local broadcasters don’t call those big playoff games, Berthiaume had voiced the soundtrack for that whole season in Arizona.
His next steps are unclear, and the same can be said for the future of Diamondbacks baseball broadcasts in general after this decision.
Why Diamondbacks Are Parting Ways With Play-By-Play Announcer Steve Berthiaume