Kalas' Opening Day tradition hits all the high notes

PHILADELPHIA -- The best part might be the stories.

Before and after Kane Kalas sings the national anthem on Thursday for the ninth consecutive Phillies home opener at Citizens Bank Park, Kalas, the son of legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas, will stand next to his father’s statue in the left-field corner on Ashburn Alley. There, fans will talk to him about his dad.

They will share stories about how much Harry Kalas, who died in 2009, meant to them. It might be how “Harry the K” interacted with them for a second or two, posing for a photo or signing an autograph or just saying hello in his rich baritone voice. It might be how he used his famous “Outta here!” home run call to record a voicemail greeting or wish somebody congratulations for their wedding or graduation.

Harry Kalas did these things all the time.

“It’s often about how my dad touched them, how this person and their dad used to watch and listen to baseball games together and how my dad brought them closer together,” Kalas said recently. “I love that part of it.”

It makes every trip home worth it. Kalas, 34, is an investor and professional poker player who lives in Puerto Rico. But he sings, too. He recorded a jazz album “High Hopes” in 2023, which he dedicated to his dad. Every spring, the Phillies invite him to sing the national anthem at their home opener. He sings it in a distinct operatic style, which he said comes from good genes and years of classical training.

Kalas first sang the national anthem at a Phillies game when he was 15.

“My father got me the gig,” Kalas said.

It went well.

“My dad was so nervous,” he said. “He never really got nervous for anything -- voiceovers or broadcasts or anything like that. But he was so nervous for me. I remember a video I watched afterward and my dad looking on with anticipation and perhaps some anxiety. After I hit that final note, he’s just applauding and tears are running down his cheeks. That just meant so much to me. After the game, he said, ‘Son, I’m so proud of you.’ And that meant so much to me, too.”

Kalas sang the anthem at the Phillies’ first home game after his dad died in April 2009. Eventually, it led to an invite to home openers. The first year he sang it, he was on the field. Then, the Phillies asked him if he would be interested in singing next to his father’s statue.

Absolutely, he said.

“The fans got together after my dad’s passing and started a fund to hire somebody to build a statue of my dad,” Kalas said. “So that’s super special to us because of the connection that my dad had with the fans. It’s unique and different from other statues at the stadium. This was a grassroots movement from the fans. To stand in the outfield on Ashburn Alley and sing the anthem every Opening Day, it’s so cool.”

It must be emotional standing on Ashburn Alley, surrounded by Phillies fans and singing a few feet from a statue of his father.

“I feel that emotion,” Kalas said. “After I sing the anthem, I always look over and give a nod to my dad and look up to him as I always have.”

Then the game starts. If everything goes well, there will be a few more tributes to Harry the K during and after the game. Harry Kalas’ “Outta Here!” call is still played every time the Phillies hit a homer. After every win, they still play a recording of Harry singing “High Hopes.”

“It’s amazing how many ways they still honor and remember and pay tribute to my father,” Kalas said. “Every game I attend, I have extra incentive to root for a win because I can hear and see my dad signing ‘High Hopes’ up on that screen. That’s actually a video from a family trip to Hawaii, so it brings back fond memories.”