The Yankees on Saturday bid a “fitting farewell to their venerable voice of 36 years," sending John Sterling off into retirement with a "pregame ceremony featuring franchise greats whose careers he narrated for so long." It marked the “end of an era” as the longtime WFAN play-by-play announcer, accompanied by his four children, stood on the Yankee insignia behind home plate. Chants of “Jo-hn Ster-ling” echoed through Yankee Stadium after a tribute video featuring Sterling’s “high-energy calls of home runs, perfect games and World Series victories set the tone for the afternoon.” Sterling called 5,631 games, including 5,060 consecutively between his first season in 1989 and 2019 (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/20).
Sterling turned a “retirement press conference into a stand-up bit, mixing together light-hearted greetings for reporters with tangent about memories" that shaped his career. Sterling called himself a “very, very fortunate individual.” Sterling: “Person after person, group after group have come to me with a kindness, respect and love. And how lucky can you be for people to celebrate what you do for a living?” Before the game, he was “greeted with a standing ovation and a loud ‘John Sterling’ chant” during his on-field ceremony.
Paul O’Neill,
Bernie Williams and
Derek Jeter made cameos on the scoreboard with messages, while
Tino Martinez gave Sterling a “pair of the Yankees cuff links.” The Yankees also presented him with a silver microphone trophy, a jersey with the number 5,631 printed across the back and a big-screen TV (
N.Y. POST, 4/20). Sterling had the "chance to have a final goodbye over the air" on YES and "got a similar offer for radio." But he "declined both offers." Sterling: “My tank is empty” (
N.Y. POST, 4/20).
The N.Y. POST: “John Sterling opens up to Post about Yankees career, retirement plans, if he’ll call one more game” (
4/20). N.Y. DAILY NEWS: “Content with retirement and shying from praise, John Sterling reflects on his illustrious career” (
4/20).
