New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling, whose mellifluous nicknames and iconic victory call (“theeeee Yankees win!”) became iconic in the Bronx and beyond, suddenly retired Monday.
Sterling has called 5,420 regular-season Yankees games and 211 postseason Yankees games, according to the team’s official website, in a career that began in 1989. He will be recognized in a pregame ceremony on Saturday at Yankee Stadium and will visit the WFAN booth during the game.
“I am a very blessed human being,” Sterling said in a statement. “I have been able to do what I wanted, broadcasting for 64 years. As a little boy growing up in New York as a Yankees fan, I was able to broadcast the Yankees for 36 years. It’s all to my benefit, and I leave very, very happy. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday.”
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Sterling is perhaps most famous for calling 5,060 consecutive games from Sept. 1989 to July 2019. His final game this season was the Yankees’ 8-3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
The Athletic, which first reported Monday that Sterling was planning on a press conference to address his future, cited health concerns as the reason for the surprise announcement.
Sterling, 85, has never been listed as a finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award, given annually to a Hall of Fame-worthy broadcaster. Sterling’s practice of giving each Yankee hitter a unique home run call invited affection from some and derision from others, but was a signature truly his own.
The Yankees released this statement on Monday:
“Fans find a certain comfort in the daily rhythms of baseball. Day in and day out, season after season, and city after city, John Sterling used his seat in the broadcast booth to bring Yankees fans the heartbeat of the game, employing an orotund voice and colorful personality that were distinctly, unmistakably his own. John informed and entertained, and he exemplified what it means to be a New Yorker with an unapologetic and boisterous style that exuded his passion for baseball, broadcasting and the New York Yankees.
“There is no shortage of adjectives to describe John and what he means to this organization and our millions of fans around the world. But what makes John a goliath of the sports broadcasting world was how sacred he held his role as voice of the Yankees. Showing up to perform virtually every single day since 1989, he was a pillar for Yankees fans who relied on the comfort and familiarity of his voice to be the soundtrack of their spring, summer and fall. Given the tremendous care he had for the team and his performance on the air, it’s not a stretch to believe that our fans live and die with every pitch because John Sterling did the same.
“We congratulate John on a remarkable and illustrious career. His contributions to this great game and to the Yankees franchise will echo long into the future.”
WFAN also released a statement Monday:
“Yankees radio will never quite sound the same without the signature voice, wit and humor of John Sterling. To generations of Bronx Bombers fans, he was a beloved companion that when you heard John, you knew it was time for baseball. Though he never wore the pinstripes, except of course for his fine tailored suits, he was one of the most colorful personalities in Yankees history and in all of New York City radio. All of us at WFAN tip our cap and salute our colleague and friend.”
Sterling’s broadcasting resume includes New York Nets basketball, New York Islanders hockey, Atlanta Braves baseball and Atlanta Hawks basketball.
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