Legendary New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling has died at 87.
Sterling joined the team in 1989 and spent 36 years in the booth, calling 5,420 regular-season games and 211 playoff games before retiring in April 2024. He worked 5,060 consecutive games from 1989 to 2019.
“We are devastated to hear about the passing of John Sterling, a WFAN and Yankees radio icon whose voice was synonymous with an entire generation of Yankee fandom,” WFAN said in a statement.
Sterling suffered a heart attack in January. The announcement of his death from WFAN and confirmation by the Yankees did not include where or how he died.
The New York native was known for his enthusiastic delivery and signature catchphrases like “It is high, it is far, it is gone!” and “Thuuhhh Yankees win!”
“Through his unique style and passionate play-by-play calls, Sterling endeared himself to generations of players and fans as radio voice of the Yankees from 1989 to 2024,” Major League Baseball said in a statement. “His signature punctuation of Yankees victories included calling the final out of five World Series championships.”
Sterling was on the air for seven World Series with the Yankees, including championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009. His career spanned every single game played by shortstop Derek Jeter and every pitch thrown by fellow Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera.
“He’s synonymous with those five championships (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009),” longtime broadcast partner Michael Kay said, per 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.”
Sterling was a 12-time Sports Emmy Award winner and a member of the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
“I am a very blessed human being,” Sterling said in a statement announcing his retirement. “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.”
