On Monday morning, the baseball world lost one of its most iconic voices.
Early this morning, the New York Yankees organization and WFAN announced that longtime radio play-by-play broadcaster John Sterling passed away at 87 in Englewood, New Jersey.
Sterling’s Yankee Career
Sterling became the radio voice of Yankees baseball in September 1989, broadcasting 5,060 consecutive games until July 2019. After those 30 years, Sterling remained the Yankees radio broadcaster in a reduced capacity.
Shortly after the 2024 season began, Sterling announced his retirement after 5,420 regular-season broadcasts and 211 playoff broadcasts. However, he returned before the 2024 postseason to broadcast the Yankees’ playoff run. In total, Sterling was behind the microphone for seven World Series appearances, five World Series titles, and every game of the careers of players like Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams.
During his illustrious Yankees career, Sterling became known for the iconic line he inserted at the end of each victory. Whenever the Yankees won, Sterling concluded by saying, “Ball game over. Yankees win. The Yankees win!” He also enthusiastically painted each home run for the listener, saying, “It is high, it is far, it is gone!”
Outside of those iconic lines, Sterling was best known for personalizing each Yankees home run. When Aaron Judge went deep, Sterling said, “All Rise. Here comes the judge.” If Curtis Granderson hit one into the seats, Sterling said, “The grandy man can.” After Brett Gardner went deep, Sterling would say, “Gardy goes Yardy.”
Sterling’s most iconic moment came at Yankee Stadium on June 10, 2023. In the top of the ninth inning, Boston Red Sox designated hitter Justin Turner fouled a ball back into the booth, hitting Sterling in the face. Sterling stepped aside for a few seconds, promptly returning to the microphone to call Turner’s groundout that sealed the Yankees’ 3–1 victory.
Where It All Started
Sterling began his career in 1960 with a radio station in Wellsville, New York. Over the next two decades, Sterling announced games for the New York Islanders, New Jersey Nets, Washington Bullets, and Morgan State University.
In 1982, Sterling landed his first major league baseball role as a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves. He worked with the Atlanta Hawks during that time as well, before joining the Yankees in 1989.
For his career, Sterling won 12 Emmy Awards and was nominated twice for the Ford C. Frick Award, an award that recognized the best broadcasters in sports. He was also inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2016.
More Major League Baseball Articles
More New York Yankees Articles
More MLB Articles
Main Photo:
- Categories
-
Major League Baseball
New York Yankees
