From Bryan Hoch:
John Sterling, who broadcast more than three decades of Yankees games and was famously celebrated for his booming baritone, sing-song inflections and signature home run calls, has passed away. He was 87.
A colorful personality who engaged and entertained fans with a distinct conversational style, Sterling called 5,426 regular-season Yankees games and 225 more in the postseason from 1989 until his retirement in 2024. After initially stepping away from the microphone in April of that year, Sterling returned to call selected games late in the ’24 season, including each contest of the World Series.
Whatever you felt about John Sterling as an announcer, he was obviously both incredibly earnest, and a visceral part of Yankees history for decades.
He always seemed like a “work until I die” guy, so when he retired after 2024, it seemed like this day was coming soon, but it’s still a shock that it has happened.
RIP.
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