Longtime Nationals TV Broadcaster Bob Carpenter Left His Mark

Carpenter's baseball journey began after college when he began calling games for the then Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tulsa Oilers.

"I did not get that job on my own merit," he explained.

His sister Judy Barada, who had worked for the Cardinals and even reached chief executive assistant, put in a good word for her little brother, according the The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli (subscription required).

It wasn't a glamorous job. In his tryouts with the team, a storm soaked all of the equipment, so he and his partner had to call into the radio station and pass the phone back and forth for seven hours in order to call a double header.

"Humble beginnings, but I thought I had the best job in the world," he continued.

He improved his fortunes. In 1984, he started calling games in the big leagues. He spent 16 years with MLB on ESPN and 10 with the Cardinals, his hometown team. In 2006, he joined the Nationals, where he has been through the ups-and-downs of the franchise along with the fans.

"I know who some of the people are who spoke up for me, but there are others I don't. And I feel indebted to the fans, I really do," Carpenter stated.

The 72-year-old has been there since basically the beginning, with 2006 being the team's second year in Washington. That season, he saw Alfonso Soriano go 40/40 and Ryan Zimmerman finish second in National League rookie of the year voting. He will end his career with a James Wood 30 homer season and one of the most exciting rookies in recent Nationals memory in outfielder Daylen Lile.

He is most known for his signature home run call, "See. You. Later!" which has become synonymous with the team. On Saturday, Washington will host "See You Later Day," and put his name under the broadcast booth, according to Ghiroli.

"I'm really trying to savor every day -- kind of stop and smell the roses. Year number 42 in the big leagues and I still feel as excited about coming to the ballpark as I did 10, 20, 30 years ago, maybe 40 years ago," he said to Dave Preston of WTOP News.

It's going to be a new look team in DC, with no change quite as noticeable as the voice behind the game. The Nationals are doing right by a franchise legend and sending him off with his flowers.