After a 36-year tenure defined by creative home run calls, a signature victory call and unbridled enthusiasm, the New York Yankees’ radio voice, John Sterling, has stepped away from the microphone.
It was reported last week that Sterling would immediately retire from his play-by-play duties. He became the Yankees’ radio announcer in 1989 and had called 5,060 consecutive games at one time until health forced him to take a break in 2019.
The 85-year-old was honored before the Yankees hosted the Tampa Bay Rays this past Saturday.
“What I really want to do is to thank you, and I’ll tell you why,” Sterling said in front of a large Yankee Stadium crowd. “I’ve been here with the Yankees 36 years, and in that time, person after person — group after group — have come to me with kindness, respect and love. How lucky can you be for people to celebrate what you do for a living?”
Sterling called the last five Yankees World Series victories and 5,361 total contests.
“He’s synonymous with those five championships (1996, ’98, ’99, 2000, ’09),” Sterling’s former radio partner and current TV voice Michael Kay told MLB.com. “If you’re coming into people’s homes, at the beach, the pool or their car, and you’re constantly telling them good news — it made him part of the Yankee firmament. He became a part of forever, because those championships are never going to go away.”
Known for his many personalized home run calls (“Bern Baby Bern!”) and victory cry (“Yankees win … theeeeee Yankees win!”), Sterling brought his personality to the ballpark each and every broadcast. His passion for baseball and performance made him the perfect showman to describe the Big Apple’s most historic team.
While he did spend the early part of his career calling games for other teams like the Atlanta Braves and New York Islanders, Sterling’s legacy was cemented on East 161st Street.
“Nothing will ever be the same. It can’t be,” Suzyn Waldman, his longtime radio partner, told MLB.com. “Life goes on, and we all go on, but nothing will ever be the same… Everything about him is unique. He’s one of a kind.”
It is not known who will take over for the legend long-term, but whoever does will have large shoes to fill.
“You’ve been so fabulous to me. I’m a very, very fortunate individual,” Sterling said of the fans to MLB.com. “You know, when he was about mid-career, Bing Crosby wrote a book and he called it, ‘Call Me Lucky.’ That’s me.”
Well John, we thank you. For everything.
