NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling, 85, is retiring effective immediately after a career spanning over six decades.
Sterling has become an iconic voice in the world of baseball broadcasting. Throughout his career, Sterling has called 5,420 regular-season Yankees games and 211 postseason games.
He will be recognized in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, April 20, and will visit the WFAN booth during the game, according to a press release.
“Fans find a certain comfort in the daily rhythms of baseball. Day in and day out, season after season, and city after city, John Sterling used his seat in the broadcast booth to bring Yankees fans the heartbeat of the game, employing an orotund voice and colorful personality that were distinctly, unmistakably his own," the statement read.
Sterling is most closely associated with the great Yankees teams of the 1990s and early 2000s, with players like Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, and manager Joe Torre.
With over 65 years of experience in the broadcasting industry, Sterling's retirement marks the end of an era in Yankees broadcasting history.
“I am a very blessed human being," Sterling said in the statement. "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.”