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Chris Caray hired as TV broadcaster for Oakland A's games

SAN FRANCISCO -- Chris Caray has been hired as a play-by-play announcer for Oakland Athletics games on NBC Sports California, becoming the fourth generation of his family to work as an MLB broadcaster.

Caray's father, Chip, is the TV play-by-play voice for the St. Louis Cardinals. Chris Caray's grandfather, Skip, called games for the Atlanta Braves for 32 years. Harry Caray, Chris' great-grandfather, was a winner of the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting.

"Ever since I was a 12-year-old kid, I dreamed of becoming a major league broadcaster," Chris Caray said Tuesday in a release announcing the hire. "Now, I'm thrilled that that dream has come true."

Caray joins Jenny Cavnar and former big league pitcher Dallas Braden in Oakland's TV booth. Cavnar was hired this month, becoming the first woman to handle primary play-by-play duties in major league history.

Caray, along with his twin brother, Stefan, most recently handled play-by-play duties for Double-A Amarillo in the Arizona Diamondbacks' system, and the Arizona Fall League. Chris Caray has a journalism degree from the University of Georgia.

"Chris has tremendous skill as an announcer and a true passion for his craft, which is why he's a rising talent in broadcasting," said Matt Murphy, the president and general manager of NBC Sports California and NBC Sports Bay Area.