A bombshell dropped on the first MASN broadcast from Nats Park for the 2025 season: Bob Carpenter announced at top of Monday’s coverage that this will be his final season as the full-time lead TV play-by-play voice of the Nationals.
“I've got a new deal working for next year as a full-time husband, dad and grandpa,” Carpenter announced at the top of the broadcast of the scheduled Nats-Orioles exhibition game in DC. “It’s been pretty cool to have the kids around for the last couple months since they moved home from Seattle. So, my objective is to, all season long, thank you Nats fans for the way you've been to my wife, Debbie, and I, and our family, over these 19 years previously. Let's make No. 20 a lot of fun.”
Carpenter joined MASN for the 2006 season after Mel Proctor served as the play-by-play announcer for the Nationals’ inaugural season in DC in 2005. Now 72, Carpenter has been calling MLB games since 1984, and the decision to make his 41st season overall and 20th in DC is one he foreshadowed recently in an interview, but made official to the masses Monday.
“I’m sure this time next year, I’ll be a little bit sad with Opening Day approaching, but I feel like I’m doing the right thing for my family, and that’s good enough for all of us,” Carpenter said.
“You’ve brought so much energy and passion to the Nationals fans, it’s going to be a tough one,” color analyst Kevin Frandsen said as he slid in next to Carpenter. “But, we are going to provide as much energy as we can to celebrate you, because that is the most important thing.”
Carpenter began his career in 1976 calling Triple-A games on the radio, and has worked for the Cardinals, Rangers, Mets and Twins over his career. He has also called college sports – spending 15 years as the voice of Oklahoma basketball – among other assignments.
He was inducted into the Oklahoma Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2017, and was named D.C. Sportscaster of the Year in 2014 – and hopes to remain involved somehow, even if not full-time.
“It’s my hope that I can stay involved with the ballclub and with the telecast to a certain extent in the future,” Carpenter said. “How that will look, nobody knows at this point… The way the fans have treated me, and the way they’ve wrapped their arms around me, has just been so gratifying. I can really say that these 20 years in D.C. have totally been the highlight of my career.”
“You’ve become the voice of summer for fans in the DC area now for 20 years, and formed close ties with so many of these Nationals fans,” Dan Kolko, who may be in line to take over Carpenter’s gig, said as he joined the broadcast. “For me personally, working with you for 11 years, it’s been a joy having you around and learning so much for you. We’re not saying goodbye yet, we have plenty of time to celebrate you over the course of the season, but just want you to know how much you mean to so many people here in the area.”
Whomever replaces Carpenter could be doing it on a new outlet, as the Nationals are being televised by MASN on a one-year contract for 2025, but the team is free to look for a different TV home for 2026 and beyond.