Longtime New York Yankees radio play-by-play announcer John Sterling is stepping away from the broadcast booth, retiring from the role effective immediately. After 65 years behind the microphone, he will be taking part in a press conference scheduled for this Saturday at Yankee Stadium where he will officially call it a career. The team has announced that it will honor Sterling during a pregame ceremony taking place on Saturday, April 19. Additionally, Sterling will visit the WFAN Yankees radio booth during the 1:05 p.m. EST game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Prior to the season, Sterling was on the team’s opening road trip to Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. and was behind the microphone for the team’s opening homestand. Suzyn Waldman has continued to work on the broadcasts throughout the year with play-by-play announcers Emmanuel Berbari and Justin Shackil. It is unknown who will take over as the full-time play-by-play announcer for the team if one ends up being named this season.
“I am a very blessed human being,” Sterling said in a 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.”
Over the years on the air, Sterling has been the voice behind several iconic moments, including the team winning four World Series championships in five years. He has various signature calls that are customized for each player when they hit a home run, along with a prominent crescendo every time the team wins a ballgame. Sterling previously had a broadcasting streak of 5,060 consecutive games over 30 years and has established himself as a distinct hallmark of Yankees baseball. Throughout his time on the air, he called 5,420 regular-season Yankees games and 211 postseason games spanning from 1989 to 2024.
“Yankees radio will never quite sound the same without the signature voice, wit and humor of John Sterling,” WFAN said in a statement. “To generations of Bronx Bombers fans, he was a beloved companion that when you heard John, you knew it was time for baseball. Though he never wore the pinstripes, except of course for his fine tailored suits, he was one of the most colorful personalities in Yankees history and in all of New York City radio. All of us at WFAN tip our cap and salute our colleague and friend on a truly iconic career.”
Before Sterling was named the Yankees radio play-by-play announcer, he worked as a play-by-play announcer across various sports where he broadcast games for the New York Nets, New York Islanders and New York Raiders. Additionally, Sterling hosted a talk show on WMCA for seven years and also contributed to Yankees coverage as a studio pregame host on WMCA and WINS. He then spent time in Atlanta, Ga. as the host of a sports talk radio show on WSB Radio while also calling the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Braves for Turner Sports.
