ATLANTA — If you've been around Braves baseball in the last decade or more, then you know the iconic voice of longtime radio broadcaster Jim Powell.
Unfortunately for loyal Braves radio listeners, Powell penned a letter to fans on social media Thursday announcing that he had called his last game in Atlanta.
In the letter, Powell said that it had "been an honor to broadcast so many great games in my own hometown." Powell is a University of Georgia graduate and a Roswell native. He went on to talk about the relationships that he had made with his peers and the fans.
"I have zero regrets. On the contrary, I am so very grateful to have made so many great friends at Turner Field and Truist Park. I feel like I have benefitted from knowing so many great professionals through this experience. I literally have friends from the basement of the stadium to the rafters. I'll miss seeing you all every day."
Powell did not say what led up to his departure -- but said in short: "I won't speculate about why this happened: it's professional sports and we all serve at the pleasure of our employer."
Powell has been a staple of the Braves Radio Network since coming over to Atlanta in 2009 after spending 13 years as a play-by-play voice of the Milwaukee Brewers from 1996-2008. When he joined the Braves for the '09 season, he did so following the death of legendary broadcaster Skip Caray and the retirement of the beloved Pete Van Wieren.
Despite winning Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year in 1998, it's safe to say Powell had big shoes to fill. But he did just that and became a fan-favorite on the radio side in Atlanta. He served as the team's primary radio voice for more than 10 years, calling games alongside the late great Don Sutton and former Braves infielder Mark Lemke.
After the death of Sutton in 2021, the Braves named Ben Ingram and Joe Simpson their primary radio team. Powell called a select number of games on a part-time basis.
Powell was inducted into the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2020.
One of Powell's most memorable calls came when Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off home run against the Miami Marlins to send the Braves to the postseason in 2012. You can listen to that call here.
Even one Braves fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to remember his favorite calls by Powell during his time in Atlanta:
