TORONTO — Summer doesn't sound the same without the Yankees' legendary radio voice, John Sterling. His unique, booming baritone provided the backdrop for more than 30 years of Bronx baseball victories.
The Yankees announced Sterling's retirement on Monday. Sterling, 85, will be honored at a pregame ceremony Saturday at Yankee Stadium. He is scheduled to visit the WFAN radio booth during that afternoon's game against the Rays.
“I am a very blessed person,” Sterling said in a statement. “For 64 years, I've been able to do what I love to do, which is broadcast. As a kid who grew up in New York as a Yankees fan, I've been able to be in charge of Yankees broadcasting for 36 years. It's all been to my benefit and my I'm leaving very satisfied and looking forward to seeing you all again on Saturday.
Sterling was called up for 5,420 Yankees regular season games and an additional 211 postseason games, and provided commentary on broadcasts for multiple generations of fans since joining the club during the 1989 season.
“Nothing will ever be the same. That can't happen,” said his longtime radio partner Sujin Waldman. “Life goes on, and so do we all, but nothing is ever the same. …Everything about him is unique. He is one of a kind.
“I don't think anyone else has that much love for the team and that much love for the fan base. I hope everyone can show that for him on Saturday. I hope people understand that he was living a dream that none of us will ever be able to fulfill.”
The whirling “Sterling Shake” winning call (“The Yankees won…the Yankees won!”), the humorous phrases attached to the action during the game (“Back to back and belly to belly!”), and the quirky He is known for his home runs. Sterling called 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 to July 2019 (“Burn, baby, burn!''), every at-bat of Derek Jeter's career, every inning of Mariano Rivera, and more.
Yankees captain Aaron Judge said Monday he was saddened to learn of Sterling's retirement, noting that the radio broadcast was a must-hear nightly program for his parents, Patty and Wayne.
“My parents listen to the radio and love seeing Soo-jin and Jeong go back and forth,” the judge said. “When you listen back to historic home runs and big moments in Yankees history and you hear John's voice there, you're going to miss him.”
In the dugout of the Rogers Center during a visit, Yankees manager Aaron Boone talked about Sterling's mannerisms with a big smile on his face, and excitedly imitated the first half of a home run call, saying, “That's where it went, to deep left!''
“I'm disappointed about that. It's a shame,” Boone said. “But I want him to be in good shape and healthy moving forward. I know this is the right time and what's best for John. He will be with the Yankees forever.” In my own way, I emulate him in some way every day. I will miss him, and I will celebrate him properly this weekend. I’m looking forward to it.”
Travel has become difficult for Sterling in recent years, but he was scheduled to play a number of home games this season, along with some road trips. Sterling was feeling tired after the Yankees' season-opening trips to Houston and Arizona. His last game was on April 7, an 8-3 win over the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.
“The biggest way to go out is to make your own decisions and be really happy with them,” Waldman said. “He knows what he's done in this industry, and he knows that most people love him, because there's never going to be another industry.”
A native New Yorker who grew up on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Sterling joined the Yankees broadcast team in 1989 from TBS and WSB radio in Atlanta, where he broadcast Hawks basketball (1981-89) and Braves games (1982-89). I made a call in 1987). This marked a return to the town where he first found success, hosting a talk show on WMCA from 1971 to 1978 and playing for the Nets (1975-1980) and Islanders (1975-1978). ) on WMCA, WVNJ, WWOR-TV, and Sports Channel. .
Sterling also played for Morgan State football (8 years) in 1981 and the Washington Bullets basketball team. In addition to seven years at WMCA and one year at WSB in Atlanta, he also hosted talk shows on WFAN and WABC in New York. Sterling often emcees on-field ceremonies for major Yankees events, including hosting the “Key to the City” ceremony at City Hall (along with former radio partner Michael Kay) after the Yankees' World Series win. He is also well known for his work.
“Fans find a certain comfort in the daily rhythm of baseball,” the Yankees said in a statement. “Day in and day out, season after season, city after city, John Sterling used his seat in the broadcast booth to bring the pulse of the Yankees game to his fans, with his unmistakably unique, dull voice and I took advantage of my diverse personality, John informed me. and He epitomized what it meant to be a New Yorker with an unapologetically raucous style that exuded a passion for baseball, broadcasting, and the New York Yankees.
“There are no shortage of adjectives to describe John and what he means to this organization and its millions of fans around the world. But what makes John the Goliath of sports broadcasting is his How sacred was his role as the Yankees' spokesperson, appearing almost every day since 1989, relying on the comfort and familiarity of his voice every spring, summer and fall. He was a pillar of Yankees fandom, a soundtrack. Given the close attention he paid to the team and its performance on broadcasts, it doesn't matter that John Sterling did the same. No wonder you believe that you live and die by every throw.
“We congratulate John on a wonderful and distinguished career. His contributions to this great game and to the Yankees franchise will resonate long into the future.”