Phillies analyst John Kruk asks the questions about clocks you never knew you had

The Phillies had already built a six-run lead by the time Alec Bohm fouled off a pitch in the fourth inning Monday, so John Kruk, the former Philadelphia star and now a broadcast analyst, decided to go on a tangent between pitches.

And this one involved some deep thoughts about the history of clocks.

Kruk gave broadcast partner Tom McCarthy a warning, at least, asking the NBC sports play-by-play announcer, “So you know when I think of things when I have free time and I shouldn’t?”

After McCarthy acknowledged that, yes, he does know of those instances, Kruk then asked how the first person to ever invent the clock knew “What time it was?”

“That’s a really good question,” McCarthy replied, before later adding, “There is that sundial they might have used.”

“Is that accurate, though?” Kruk then asked.

“I guess it’s as accurate as it can be,” McCarthy replied after shifting his attention back to the sequence unfolding on the field, when Bohm reached on a throwing error by Mariners second baseman Cole Young.

It continued an eventful inning for Kruk, who in the top of the frame — during a segment depicting a sandwich — asked McCarthy, “If I ever become a vegan, would you just punch me in the face as hard as you can?”

Around Kruk’s tangents, the broadcast pairing called the Phillies’ 12-7 win over the Mariners, which increased Philadelphia’s lead in the National League East to 5 ½ games with the Mets off Monday.

The Phillies jumped out to a 6-0 lead after just two innings against Seattle starter Logan Gilbert, and shortstop Trea Turner and first baseman Bryce Harper combined for eight RBIs to power the Philadelphia offense.

Kruk, who spent six seasons of his career with the Phillies and retired to end his 10-year career following his lone season with the White Sox in 1995, has worked for the team’s broadcasts since 2017.

The Phillies and Mariners continue their series Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.