Bob Costas is retiring as an MLB play-caller after a career that has spanned more than 40 years.
Costas himself confirmed the decision to The Athletic. but he declined to offer a statement, telling Andrew Marchand that he would “prefer to address the decision and his MLB playing career at a later date.”
The final play-by-play decision of Costas’ career came at the end of Game 4 of the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees defeated the Royals to advance to the American League Championship Series (which they would also win).
Costas, 72, called MLB games for 44 years, the vast majority of them with NBC. He started there in 1980 and over the years would provide play-by-play for three World Series and 10 championship series. But he also expanded beyond baseball, most notably hosting NBC’s Olympic coverage for several years. He began calling games for TBS in 2020 after ending his contract with NBC in 2019. Costas will also retire from calling games on MLB Network, where he has been since the network began broadcasting in 2009.
According to Marchand, Costas made the decision to retire from play-by-play work before the 2024 season began, which coincided with the end of his contract with TBS.
While Costas is retiring from broadcasting baseball games, he’s not done with broadcasting just yet. He will continue to work as an analyst and commentator on MLB Network, and will also continue to serve as the voice of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
