Kansas City Royals broadcasters planning special ‘3-3-3’ coverage of games in Toronto

Although it may seem something is amiss, there will be no need to adjust the television or radio for Royals fans who tune to this weekend’s games in Toronto.

Because Hall of Fame broadcaster Denny Matthews has been calling just home games this season and Steve Stewart is out with an illness for Friday’s game and perhaps longer, the Bally Sports Kansas City and Royals Radio Network will share broadcasters.

There will be a special “3-3-3” broadcast plan.

Ryan Lefebvre will call the first three innings of the games against the Blue Jays with Rex Hudler on Bally Sports KC, while Steve Physioc will be the lone voice on radio.

For the middle three innings of the games, Physioc will switch to TV and join Hudler, while Lefebvre will be on the radio call. Lefebvre will return to the TV booth at the start of the seventh inning and Physioc will be back on the radio.

That’s how it will stay for the final three innings of each game.

Lefebvre said he hasn’t called a game this way since 1998, his last year working with the Twins before coming to the Royals. In fact, he called Yankees pitcher David Wells’ perfect game against the Twins using that “3-3-3” format.

“I enjoyed it when we did it in Minnesota, but we didn’t do it every game,” Lefebvre said. “We just did it as an as-needed basis.”

The broadcast teams are not on the road, so Physioc and Lefebvre will pass each other in the hall at Kauffman Stadium when switching formats.

“You get to broadcast to both audiences in the games,” Lefebvre said. “This is actually my first COVID road radio game.”

Next week, Lefebvre will call his first road series from a stadium this season.

Lefebvre said he is planning to drive to St. Louis with Matthews, Stewart and engineer Eric Guthrie for the three-game Royals-Cardinals series that is Aug. 6-9.

Those games will be on radio.