John Sterling, the longtime radio play-by-play voice of the New York Yankees, has died at the age of 87.
The Yankees announced the passing of the man who called their games for 36 years.
Sterling began calling Yankees games in 1989. During his illustrious career that ended with his retirement in 2024, Sterling was on the call for five World Series teams and 5,631 total games.
“I am a very blessed human being,” Sterling said in 2024. “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.”
Sterling was known for his signature calls. Perhaps most notably for his unique way of announcing Yankee victories, by extending “the” — “thuh-uh-uh-uh” — before saying “Yankees win.”
Sterling was a Yankees fan as a kid, growing up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He would frequently spend his days listening to Yankees games on the radio. An experience that would help mold and prepare him for his destiny. His first radio job was in 1961 in Wellsville, New York. As he progressed as a broadcaster, he would call NFL (Colts) and NBA Baltimore Bullets) games.
When Sterling began broadcasting Yankees games in 1989, he not only started a new job but also began an Ironman streak that would be the envy of many in the broadcasting world. From 1989 to 2019, Sterling missed no Yankees games – zero. In all, he worked 5,060 regular-season games and 211 playoff games without missing one.
Current Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay praised his predecessor.
“He’s synonymous with those five championships (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009),” Kay said via The Athletic. “If you’re coming into people’s homes, at the beach, the pool, or their car, and you’re constantly telling them good news — it made him part of the Yankee firmament. He became a part of forever, because those championships are never going to go away.”