Chicago White Sox games are going to be sounding a lot different next season.
The White Sox have decided not to bring back John Schriffen as their television play-by-play announcer, Lamond Pope of The Chicago Tribune reported on Monday. Schriffen was in the final season of his contract with the team, and Chicago has reportedly informed him that his contract will not be extended.
Still only 42 years old, Schriffen became the lead announcer for the White Sox in 2024. He had been calling games for the team on Chicago Sports Network for the last three seasons now.
But Schriffen had also become a source of some local controversy. Earlier this season, Schriffen got himself into trouble with the highers-up in the White Sox organization over a nickname that he used for fan-favorite slugger Munetaka Murakami on the air.
Schriffen, who also formerly worked for ESPN, CBS Sports, and NFL Network, had become known for a number of slip-ups in the booth as well. Most notably, he made a regrettable mistake just last month while calling a Jose Altuve at-bat.
The White Sox are coming off their most successful season in quite some time, winning 84 games and also earning their first playoff series victory since 2005. As Chicago looks to build on their success next year and beyond, they will officially have a new voice calling their games on television amid Schriffen’s exit.