TORONTO — Often imitated but never duplicated, John Sterling left his mark as the “voice of the Yankees” for more than three decades. He has often said that he loves teams with home run hitters because his performance allows him to perform his own.
“It was a home run call that he came up with,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said. “Whenever we trade for a new player or somebody's first game, we're always sitting on the bus and we're always going back and forth — 'Hey,' what will John come up with this time? What will he come up with? Is he going to go by his last name?”
Personalized home run calls are a staple at Sterling, which built a brand created by a select few star players during the Yankees' dynasty of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
At the time of Sterling's retirement announcement on Monday, Sterling was making outlandish glee at every batter on the roster, such as when he debuted for Juan Soto in Houston (“Soto's Photos”). “He's amazing!” In true Stirling fashion, Soto's call referenced a 1927 composition by George Gershwin.
“He always outdoes us and comes up with great things that the fans love and that we as players love to hear,” Judge said. “John is an important part of this family and we will all miss him.”
Imagine a deep drive rattling around in the bleachers of old Yankee Stadium or near the judge's chambers in a new park. It is high and far away and disappears. Here are some of Sterling's most iconic home run calls.
Judge Aaron: “Everyone stand up! The judge is here!” There's no shortage of judicial puns to try with a player like Judge, and Sterling has been making the most of them since Judge's debut in 2016. Other parts of the call refer to “Judgment Day” and “judge and jury.”
Giancarlo Stanton: “Giancarlo, don't stop!'' Mr. Sterling called a friend at the Berlitz Academy of Foreign Languages for help with this problem. Roughly translated from Italian, this call means “Nothing can stop you!”
Gleyber Torres: “It's Gleyber's Day! And like any good Gleyber, Torres will be there too!” Sterling, an avid television viewer who enjoys sports on one screen and classic movies on another, knows where this is. But I've had plenty of chances to hear a certain State Farm insurance jingle.
Bernie Williams: “Bernie goes boom! Bern, baby, Bern!” One of the first calls that started it all, Williams hit 287 home runs with the Yankees from 1991 to 2006. Here, Sterling quotes lyrics from The Tramps' 1976 hit “Disco Inferno.”
Jason Giambi: “Giambino!'' Sterling's call-up to Giambi is a cousin of his previous call-up to Tino Martinez, whom he dubbed “Bam Tino''. Both are homages to Babe Ruth, who counted Bambino as one of his many nicknames.
Jorge Posada: “Jorgie drank a bottle of juice!'' Posada hit 275 home runs with the Yankees from 1995 to 2011, ranking him eighth in franchise history. He also did well for Sterling, who was able to call that one.
Alex Rodriguez: “It's an atomic bomb! From A-Rod!” No one was happier than Sterling when the Yankees acquired Rodriguez in 2004. Sterling supported the slugger on the microphone as he chased career milestone numbers.
Robinson Cano: “Robbie Cano, don't you know?!” Rhyme and alliteration were standbys for Sterling, who hit 204 home runs with the Yankees from 2005 to 2013.
Hideki Matsui: “It's thrilling! By Godzilla!'' Sterling respected Matsui as a consummate professional. Matsui played for the Yankees from 2003 to 2009 and hit 140 home runs.
Mark Teixeira: “Mark sends a Tex message!” You're spot on, Teixeira! '' Sterling famously owns a flip phone and doesn't return text messages and doesn't have an email account, but after Teixeira joined the club in 2009, he mentioned the world of technology.