John Sterling, one of the most beloved and accomplished MLB announcers of all time, is calling it quits after a legendary 36-year career in the New York Yankees’ broadcast booth.
On Monday, the New York Yankees announced that the 85-year-old Sterling is retiring, effective immediately, after spending the last 36 years as the baseball club’s radio play-by-play announcer.
The Pinstripes will honor him in a ceremony at Yankee Stadium before their Saturday afternoon contest against the Tampa Bay Rays (1:05 p.m. EST). Sterling offered the following statement, per Yankees writer Bryan Hoch of MLB.com:
“I am a very blessed human being. I have been able to do what I wanted, broadcasting for 64 years. As a little boy growing up in New York as a Yankees fan, I was able to broadcast the Yankees for 36 years. It’s all to my benefit, and I leave very, very happy. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday.”
Sterling, who turns 86 years of age on July 4, got his first break when he called Baltimore Bullets (not Washington Wizards) NBA games in 1970-71. He was the announcer for several other sports teams across New York, New Jersey and Atlanta before taking on the Yankees’ radio play-by-play position in 1989.
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The New York Yankees are a team you either love or hate, but Sterling walks away as one of the most universally beloved sports commentators. He became legendary over his signature catchphrases such as “Ballgame over, Yankees win…theeeee Yankees win!” and “It is high, it is far, it is gone!”
Farewell To A New York Yankees & MLB Legend
It’s never easy for fans to see one of their favorite all-time announcers retire, but Sterling had the honor of walking away at the top of his game.
The Yankees re-emerged as the model organization of Major League Baseball during Sterling’s 36-year tenure with the club. They won five World Series championships (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009) and didn’t suffer a single losing season from 1993 to 2023.
Longtime Yankees fans will always associate Sterling’s name with the franchise’s glory years of the ’90s and 2000s. He called over 5,000 games and provided countless entertainment to millions of Yankees fans across the country.
