Minor Leagues mourn broadcasting great Klauke

The Minor League Baseball community is in mourning. Steve Klauke, the longtime voice of the Salt Lake Bees, has died at the age of 69 after being struck by a car on Monday night.

The Bees, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, were established in 1994. Klauke was there from the beginning, calling 4,181 games for the Pacific Coast League franchise until retiring at the conclusion of the 2023 season. A three-time Utah Sportscaster of the Year Award winner, Klauke continued to serve as the radio voice of Weber State University football and men’s basketball after retiring from the Bees. He is survived by his wife, Sue, and their children, Adam and Lisa.

“Steve was one of the best voices in sports, and he was a dear friend,” said former Bees president Marc Amicone. “I will cherish the countless hours we spent together at the ballpark where I got to watch and listen to him do what he loved so much.”

“Steve was a friend, a fan and an incredible sportscaster. He leaves a strong legacy for not only the Bees but for our entire community,” said Steve Starks, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Company, which owns the Bees. “He became the voice of baseball in Utah. We express our condolences to his family and offer our ongoing support.”

Klauke, a Chicago native, moved to Salt Lake City in 1991 after being hired as a commentator on the Utah Jazz’s pregame, halftime and postgame shows. In 1993, when he learned that the PCL’s Portland Beavers would be relocating to Salt Lake City, he saw an opportunity.

“The last weekend of the 1993 season I came up with the idea, and management liked it, to go up to Portland and broadcast the last two games of the regular season," said Klauke, speaking during a 2017 MiLB.com interview. "That way, the fans here could get a feel for the team and we could show the ownership that we were serious about wanting the broadcast rights. And it worked."

Klauke went on to become one of Minor League Baseball’s longest tenured and most respected broadcasters, serving as a mentor to innumerable younger colleagues throughout the PCL and beyond. In addition to his long tenure with the Bees, he enjoyed stints in the Majors with the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays.

Klauke celebrated every Bees home run with his signature call of “It’s up there, it’s out there, it’s gone!” After a Bees victory – he witnessed 2,081 of them – it was time for “handshakes and high fives all around.” He was also known for his vast baseball knowledge (as illustrated by the shelves of books that decorated his Smith’s Ballpark broadcast booth), a propensity for one-liners and a love of regional American food. For years he maintained a blog, titled “Triple-D in Triple-A,” that chronicled his quest to visit every restaurant in a PCL city that had been featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

“Steve will forever be remembered as ‘the voice of the Bees’ and holds a special place in our hearts,” said Gail Miller, co-founder and owner of the Larry Miller Company. “We will always treasure the immeasurable impact he had on the sports community in Utah and beyond.”