NEW YORK — John Sterling, the legendary radio play-by-play voice of the Yankees, steps away from his microphone.
The team announced Monday that Sterling, who has been a fixture at Bronx Bombers games for more than three decades, has decided to retire, effective immediately.
Sterling, who turns 86 on July 4, will be honored Saturday in a pregame ceremony before the Yankees play the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.
“I’m a very blessed person. I’ve been able to do what I wanted to do, broadcast for 64 years. As a little boy growing up in New York as a Yankees fan, I’ve been able to broadcast the Yankees for 36 years. It’s all in my favor , and I leave very, very happy. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday,” Sterling said in a statement.
Since joining the club during the 1989 season, Sterling’s voice has become synonymous with the Yankees. He called 5,420 games in the regular season and 211 games in the postseason, uttering a signature home run call: “It’s high! It’s far! It’s gone!” — and victory call from the Yankees — “Ball game over! The Yankees win! Theeeee Yankees win!”
Sterling played 5,060 consecutive games between September 1989 and July 2019. His last game this season was the Bombers’ 8-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
It has impressed generations of fans of the pinstripes.
“Fans find a certain solace in the daily rhythm of baseball. Day in and day out, season after season, and city after city, John Sterling used his seat in the broadcast booth to give Yankees fans the pulse of the game, using an orotund voice and colorful personality that were clearly and 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 reflected his passion for baseball, broadcasting and the New York. York Yankees team said in a statement.
“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 giant of the sports broadcasting world is how sacredly he fulfilled his role as the voice of the Yankees. Performing virtually every day since 1989, he has been a mainstay for Yankees fans who trusted the comfort and familiarity of his voice to be the soundtrack to their spring, summer and fall “Because of his on-air performance, it’s not hard to believe our fans live and die with every throw because John Sterling did the same,” the team added. “We congratulate John on a remarkable and illustrious career. His contributions to this great game and to the Yankees franchise will resonate long into the future.”
Before working for the Yankees, Sterling wore many hats in the radio world, including hosting a talk show on WMCA and calling Nets and Islanders games on various New York stations, both radio and television, throughout the 1970s, before he did the same for the Atlanta Hawks and Braves in the 1980s.
Sterling was also the host of the series “Yankeeography,” which airs on the Yes Network, and has received numerous accolades, including 12 Emmy Awards.
In 2016, he was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
CBS New York team
