The New York Yankees have announced that legendary play-by-play announcer John Sterling will retire effective immediately at the age of 85.
Sterling is synonymous with fans in the Bronx and has been the radio voice of the Yankees since 1989, calling 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 to July 2019.
In a statement released by the team Monday afternoon, Sterling said: “I am a very blessed human being. I have been able to do what I wanted, broadcast for 64 years.
‘As a little kid growing up in New York as a Yankee fan, I was able to broadcast the Yankees for 36 years. Everything is for my benefit and I leave very, very happy. I hope to see you all again on Saturday.”
Sterling has called 5,420 Yankees regular-season games and 211 in the postseason, and will appear in the booth for the final time Saturday, when New York hosts Tampa Bay.
John Sterling, pictured in July 2022, hangs up the microphone after a final call on Saturday
Sterling scored five World Series wins for the Yankees after starting back in 1989.
He called Yankees games along with colleague Suzyn Waldman (right, in 2020).
He is known for his signature home runs and his signature Yankee victory chants, in which he yells “game over!” ‘The Yankees win… the Yankees win!’
Revealing the news, a statement from the Yankees reads: ‘Fans find some solace in the daily rhythms of baseball. Day after day, season after season and city after city, John Sterling used his seat in the broadcast booth to bring Yankee fans the heartbeat of the game, employing a booming voice and colorful personality that were clearly and unmistakably his.
‘John informed and entertained, and exemplified what it means to be a New Yorker with a boisterous, unapologetic style that radiated his passion for baseball, broadcasting and the New York Yankees.
‘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 goliath of the sports broadcasting world is how sacred he considered his role as the voice of the Yankees.
‘Appearing to perform virtually every day since 1989, he was a mainstay for Yankees fans who relied on the comfort and familiarity of his voice to soundtrack their spring, summer and fall.
Sterling is also famous for having been an on-air partner of another Yankees voice, Michael Kay (left).
Last season, Sterling was hit by a foul inside the Yankee Stadium commentary booth.
After 84 years, he reacted with shock and put his hands on his face after the terrifying live incident.
‘Given the tremendous care he had for the team and its performance on the air, it is no stretch to believe that our fans live and die with every pitch because John Sterling did the same.
‘We congratulate John on a remarkable and illustrious career. “His contributions to this great game and to the Yankees franchise will be echoed long into the future.”
Prior to his time in the Yankees organization, Sterling called football for Morgan State for eight years and basketball for the Washington Bullets in 1981. He then worked for TBS and WSB Radio in Atlanta for nine years, calling basketball for the Hawks and baseball to the Braves.
Sterling has won 12 Emmy Awards since 2003 and is famous for his on-air partnership with another Yankees voice, Michael Kay.