New York Yankees legendary radio voice John Sterling is coming out of retirement to call the team’s playoff games as they search for World Series No. 28 for the franchise.
Sterling, the 86-year-old who announced his retirement earlier this season, will be calling the games on WFAN, The Athletic reported.
It seems like a no-brainer to have the iconic radio voice back on the airwaves this October, and Yankees executives, along with Audacy New York president Chris Oliviero, made the call to offer him the job.
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New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling speaks during the team’s 63rd Old Timers Day before the game against the Detroit Tigers on July 19, 2009, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
The Athletic added that this conversation with Sterling occurred two weeks ago, as the postseason appeared to be very much in the Yankees’ future.
And it won’t just be home games for Sterling, who will hit the road to call games where the Yankees are the visiting team.
Sterling, who had been the Yankees’ radio voice since 1989, began the season calling games on WFAN, but made the announcement to retire on April 15.
YANKEES ICONIC RADIO VOICE JOHN STERLING RETIRING IMMEDIATELY, TEAM ANNOUNCES
Since then, WFAN has had a play-by-play-by-committee system alongside Sterling’s longtime color commentator Suzyn Waldman with Emmanuel Berbari, Justin Shackil and Rickie Ricardo providing play-by-play on gamedays. WFAN has not decided if there will be a full-time replacement for Sterling next season.
“I don’t want to hurt one person for another,” Sterling said on “The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman” podcast back in June when talking about staying out of the process of choosing his replacement. “I think the kids are doing a great job. No problems.”
The Yankees held an on-field ceremony for Sterling on April 20, commemorating his radio excellence over the years.
Yankees Broadcaster John Sterling arrives at a screening of the “2009 World Series Film: Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees” at the Ziegfeld Theatre on November 23, 2009, in New York City. (Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images)
Given that Sterling started just before 1990, he has seen his fair share of Yankees postseason runs, calling seven World Series appearances in his illustrious career. He was on call for the team’s last World Series appearance, and title, in 2009 as they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Yankees have made it to the ALCS since then, the latest in 2022, but they haven’t been able to defeat the Houston Astros in any of those series. They lost to Houston in 2017, the infamous cheating scandal season, and 2019 in seven and six games, respectively.
New York are currently half a game back of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East standings, though they sit 4.5 games ahead in the Wild Card race in the American League, which has three spots.
With the Yankees expected to at least own a Wild Card spot this postseason, they hope this could be the year they break their World Series drought.
New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling emcees the Old Timers Day Ceremony before a game between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 30, 2022, in New York City. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
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If they do, Sterling’s signature, “THEEEEE YANKEES WIN!” will be heard for all fans in the New York area when it happens.
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