One Rex Hudler call reignited the fan debate about him calling Royals games
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A year ago a fan made a video of Hudler’s noises after big hits.
- A fan-shared clip of Caglianone’s ninth-inning play helped reignite discussion.
- Social media responses split between praise for his enthusiasm and criticism of his style.
A year ago, a Royals fan made a video with all the times Royals broadcaster Rex Hudler made a noise following a big hit.
That enthusiasm is one reason why a good portion of Royals fans love when he’s in the booth. Such was the case this weekend when the Royals swept the Mariners in Seattle.
One particular play had fans talking.
The Royals were trailing in the ninth inning of Saturday’s game when Jac Caglianone’s single scored Lane Thomas. Caglianone made it all the way to third when Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez let the ball get past him.
“Oh yeah,” Hudler said when Caglianone ripped the single.
When Rodriguez made he error, Hudler simply exclaimed: “Go!”
When Caglianone pulled into third base, Hudler clapped and said: “Yeah! That ball was blistered.”
A fan shared a clip of the play on X and wrote: “How can you watch this vid and say Hud is bad in the booth.”
That video and a couple other social-media posts reignited the discussion about Hudler in the Royals’ booth.
The responses were mostly positive, but some did say they were not a fan of Hudler.
“(P)eople hate having fun I’ll never understand it,” one fan wrote.
Another had this response: “I absolutely love him! The royals need to keep him at all costs! This is an amazing call! ‘That ball was BLISTERED!’”
“Are there actually people who think he’s bad in the booth?? If there are then I have missed it,” a third wrote. “Can’t say I’ve ever seen anybody say they think he’s bad in the booth.”
Some of the negative talk included this: “LOL that clip epitomizes everything terrible about him. Just a bunch of mindless yelling. Thank goodness the team has seen fit to lessen his role. I just can’t with that guy.”
And: “Because the game is longer than one at bat. And he is horrible to listen to 90% of the time”
More of the positive: “Nothing against the other guys, but Hud is certainly the best in the #Royals booth.”
Another wrote: “Took me half his first season to warm up to him but I’m a Hud fan. The guy just loves life & loves baseball. He’s an old school baseball junkie. Think many of the people who don’t like him is because he’s so positive in a world that’s so negative.”
“Ok, I thought I hated HUD. But he’s been a refreshing dose of fun,” a fan wrote.
Here is a bit more of what was being said about Hudler.
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 9:50 AM with the headline "One Rex Hudler call reignited the fan debate about him calling Royals games."
