Illness Leads John Sterling to Step Down as ‘Voice of the Yankees’
John Sterling, the legendary voice of the New York Yankees, has announced his retirement after 36 seasons.
The absence of Sterling’s iconic radio play-by-play commentary will be felt during the summer in New York City.
“Everything about him is unique. He’s one of a kind,” said Suzyn Waldman, his radio partner for two decades.
Sterling is famous for his deep voice and his signature home run call: “It is high! It is far! It is gone!”
Throughout his career as the Voice of the Yankees, Sterling covered:
- An impressive streak of 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 to July 2019, totaling 5,420 regular season and 211 playoff Yankee games.
- Manager Joe Torre’s entire 12 years with the Yankees, leading the team to six American League pennants and four World Series championships.
- Five World Series Championships – 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009.
- Every at-bat of Derek Jeter’s career and every inning of Mariano Rivera’s Hall of Fame career.
- Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run, breaking Roger Maris’ Yankee and American League record.
Earlier in his illustrious 64-year broadcasting career, Sterling called Larry Bird’s 60-point game for the Boston Celtics in 1985.
He won 12 Emmy Awards, including two for Yankeeography.
“I’ve had the pleasure of listening to and working with John for decades. He is a major part of Yankee history and will be greatly missed,” wrote Derek Jeter on X.
Sterling’s final game as a Yankees broadcaster was an 8-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on April 7.
The Yankees will host a pregame tribute and farewell for the 85-year-old broadcasting legend on Saturday afternoon.
Like sterling silver, his legacy will live on in the hearts and memories of Yankee players and fans. Thank you for the incredible journey, John.
