Legendary New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling will be hanging up the microphone this weekend after calling over 5,400 regular-season games and more than 200 in the postseason. He’s been the voice of the Yankees since 1989 and has knowledge that goes back decades before that.
Longtime Yankees reporter Sweeny Murti got a chance to work with Sterling and discussed the legendary broadcaster’s impact while appearing on the Audacy original podcast “Baseball Isn’t Boring” on Tuesday.
“For people who listened to him, and whatever opinions you formed of him, you have to remember that when you listen to a Yankees broadcast with John Sterling on it, you got a couple of very important things,” Murti said. “One, you had somebody who knew in-depth Yankees history going back decades and could relate any moment on the field now to any moment that happened in his lifetime.”
Sterling’s knowledge gave him a mental Rolodex of games, players, and moments to reference during his broadcasts.
“It could’ve been Casey Stengel or Joe Torre that he’s referencing in managerial moves. It could’ve been Mickey Mantle or Derek Jeter that he’s trying to compare to Aaron Judge in some form or fashion,” Murti continued. “That reference point is quite amazing.”
Not only was Sterling knowledgeable, but he had the passion to go along with it.
“And the other thing you got was somebody who wanted the Yankees to win as much as the fans who were listening, and that came out as frustrations when they wouldn’t play well and his excitement when they did play well,” Murti said. “For the Yankees fan, they got those two major things on every broadcast, which I think is really hard to achieve.”
Sterling’s voice was the soundtrack of many people’s summers – and falls during the Yankees’ glory years.
“There are people right now who are sad that John is leaving this broadcasting gig. They are in their 30s, 40s, 50s. Well, 25 years ago when the Yankees are winning World Series, they are teenagers and young adults, and every time you hear John’s voice it reminds them of something from the past. And that’s the beautiful thing about broadcasting,” Murti said. “You recognize that these are the people who were with you in your car, in your backyard, at the swimming pool, away at college, wherever you were when the Yankees won the World Series in 1996 or when David Wells threw a perfect game in 1998.”
Having a legendary broadcaster like Sterling is something that helps connect fans to the team, the game, and different moments throughout their life.
“It takes you back to that part of your life and that’s the important thing that these guys bring,” said Murti. “Their voice is still calling the game and every time it does a little part of you will think back to the call from 25 years ago and what you were doing when you were 10 years old or 20 years old and remembering those glorious times.”