(1998) Chicago Cubs Announcer Harry Caray’s Passing @ 83
Despite various health issues, sportscaster Harry Caray was still the primary play-by-play radio commentator for the Chicago Cubs through the end of the 1997 season. In fact, he was scheduled to broadcast alongside his grandson Chip Caray for the following year.
However, on February 18th, 1998, Harry passed away, just six months shy of the new baseball season. This would be a unique season for baseball, because the Chicago Cubs welcomed a new divisional foe – their neighbors from up north, the Milwaukee Brewers, who wrapped up their final year as an American League team in 1997, and joined the National League Central Division for 1998.
The National League is a huge part of this narrative, as you will see. The Chicago Cubs (White Stockings) are just one of two remaining franchises from the original National League season in 1876, with the other being the Atlanta Braves. For 33 years, the Braves’ play-by-play duties were carried out by Harry’s son Skip Caray. The Braves had moved to Atlanta from Milwaukee after the 1965 season, and the Brewers moved to Milwaukee from Seattle five years later.
Over the last decade, the Cubs and Brewers have developed one of the biggest rivalries in the sport, recently culminating in their first-ever playoff meeting in October of 2025. With both teams enjoying a successful 2026 campaign, it’s quite possible they meet there again this year.
That initial playoff series happened less than a year after the death of longtime Brewers announcer Bob Uecker, who, like Harry Caray, was one of the most popular and well-recognized baseball commentators of all-time. In 1964, Uecker even won a World Series with St. Louis – the same city Caray was born in. In 1989, Uecker starred in the film Major League, where he played a character named Harry Doyle.
This post will explore the immense sets of numerical connections both Caray and Uecker share with one another, pertaining to not only the dates of their birth and death, but also for their first and last games as the broadcasters for their respective teams.
EDITING NOTE: In the graphics below, the date depicted as Harry’s last game as a Cubs broadcaster is September 28th, 1997. While this is technically true, his poor health caused him to miss road games, meaning the last game he actually called was a week earlier on the 21st. However, the date listed is the one that appears to be relevant.
Bob Uecker was on a similar restrictive schedule in his last season in 2024 – however, since the Brewers ended the year at home, he was indeed in the booth for that game, a playoff loss to the Mets. The date of his first game on the radio was September 4th, 1971 per this source.
88 and “Bob”
457 is the 88th Prime number
His catchphrase was ‘Holy cow!’
The number 808 resembles the letters BOB
The Milwaukee-Chicago rivalry exists along the 88th western meridian:
Chicago Bears founder George Halas lived to be 88 years of age. 88 was an important number in my post on the death of Bears linebacker Dick Butkus at the age of Eighty.
8 + 8 = 16
Harry Caray spent 16 years as the voice of the Cubs, who ultimately won their historic World Series in ’16. They clinched the series with 8 runs driven in by 8 different players. You may recall how famous Chicago DJ Herb Kent died just after turning 88 only three days before Game 1.
Bob Uecker was born on a date with 16 numerology, and departed on the 16th day of the year:
Bob Uecker only called one World Series in his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers. That happened in ’82 – the same year Harry began with the Cubs.
9/11 Code
On September 11th, 2001, Buildings 1, 2, and 7 of the World Trade Center all collapsed.
127 is the 31st Prime number
Notice how he was born on March 1st, or 3/1:
The Cubs won the World Series in 2016
On 11/9/01, a total of 2996 people died during the infamous terror attacks:
The U.S. President during the 9/11 attacks is a member of the Skull and Bones secret society.
In 2005, The Milwaukee Brewers were purchased by Mark L. Attanasio for $223 million.
The 223rd Prime number is 1409
Uecker’s final game was 1409 weeks after Caray’s final game and 149 days before his birthday:
The National League
Harry Caray died on a date with Primary numerology of 137 and Standard numerology of 118:
Uecker’s first game as the Brewers’ radio announcer was on the date leaving 118 days in the year:
The word Death also has gematria of 38, 97, and 218.
After his last season in ’97, his Death occurred on February 18th, or 2/18:
The 218th Prime number is 1361
The National League has matching 289 gematria with Bob Uecker.
Harry Caray’s final season in 1997 ended on the 28th of September, or 28/9.
Uecker’s last game as a broadcaster was on the 277th day of a leap year:
277 is the 59th Prime number
The first-ever Cubs-Brewers playoff series began on a date with Primary numerology of 59:
The 59th Prime number is 17
367 is the 73rd Prime number
Other Important Notes
The Brewers began play in 1970
197 is the 45th Prime number
Harry Caray’s first Cubs game was on 4/5
Organic Matrix
By pure ‘coincidence,’ (whatever that words means), I made this post about Harry Caray on the same day as the 468th all-time meeting (including playoffs) between the Brewers and Cubs:
1421 is the 1197th Composite number
At Wrigley in tonight’s Brewers-Cubs game, Milwaukee got whooped 17-3.
173 is the 40th Prime number. Mr. Baseball = 40.
My full name is Derek Michael J. Tikkuri.
The 203rd Prime number is 1237
