John Sterling retires from Yankees broadcast booth at age 85 a few weeks into 36th season
Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling has announced his immediate retirement at age 85, a few weeks into his 36th season in New York’s broadcast booth
NEW YORK (AP) — John Sterling, the hyperexcitable New York Yankees broadcaster known for decades of indelible, personalized home run calls, announced his immediate retirement Monday at age 85.
Sterling made the unexpected decision a few weeks into his 36th season as the Yankees' radio play-by-play voice. He had cut back his schedule in recent years and was not with the team for its current trip to Cleveland and Toronto.
He called 5,420 regular-season games, the last against the Blue Jays on April 7, plus 211 postseason games. Sterling broadcast 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 through July 2019 after starting with the Yankees as a pregame host.
Sterling will be honored in a ceremony before Saturday’s game in the Bronx against Tampa Bay.
