New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling in the press box during a game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
MLBBy Sean Keeley on

John Sterling, who has been the radio voice of the New York Yankees for 35 years, has retired “effective immediately.”

“John Sterling, the voice of the New York Yankees for the last 35 years, is retiring effective immediately after calling more than 5,000 Yankees games,” wrote ESPN’s Jeff Passan on X.

The New York Yankees announced the decision on Monday. Sterling called 5,420 regular-season Yankees games and 211 postseason Yankees games over his storied career with the team. The franchise also announced that he will be recognized in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, April 20, and will visit the WFAN booth during the game, presumably to offer up some final words to his longtime audience.

Sterling, who has been working a part-time schedule for a few years now, teased a potential retirement announcement last week, telling reporters “Obviously, I’m near the end. I’ve been on the air 64 years and I’m so tired of traveling.”

Sterling will be remembered for his signature home run calls and the iconic victory call, “The Yankees win … theeeeeee Yankees win!” He called 5,060 consecutive games between September 1989 and July 2019. He ends his storied broadcasting career calling the Yankees’ 8-3 win over Toronto on Sunday.

Sterling’s storied broadcasting career stretches back before his time with the Yankees as well. He previously called games for various teams, including the Baltimore Bullets, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Nets.

The news that Sterling was calling it a career led to many emotional and nostalgic reactions from Yankees fans and many others in the MLB community.

[Jeff Passan, MLB]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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