John Sterling, the legendary radio voice of the New York Yankees, is coming out of retirement to call the team’s playoff games as they chase their 28th World Series title. The 86-year-old announced his retirement earlier in the season but will now be calling the games on WFAN. This decision was made by Yankees executives and Audacy New York president Chris Oliviero, with the conversation with Sterling taking place two weeks ago as the postseason looked likely for the team. Sterling will be calling both home and away games for the Yankees, where they are the visiting team.
Sterling had been the Yankees’ radio voice since 1989 and began the season calling games on WFAN before announcing his retirement on April 15. Since then, WFAN has used a play-by-play-by-committee system alongside Sterling’s longtime color commentator Suzyn Waldman. There is currently no decision on whether there will be a full-time replacement for Sterling next season. Sterling expressed his confidence in the current broadcasters, stating that he doesn’t want to harm one person for another. The Yankees held a ceremony for Sterling on April 20 to honor his contributions to the team’s radio broadcasts over the years.
Having started his career just before 1990, Sterling has witnessed numerous Yankees postseason runs, calling seven World Series appearances during his tenure. He was the voice for the team’s last World Series win in 2009 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Since then, the Yankees have reached the ALCS multiple times but have been unable to defeat the Houston Astros in those series. They lost to Houston in 2017 and 2019, with the latter occurring during the infamous cheating scandal season. Currently, the Yankees are in a tight race in the AL East standings, sitting half a game behind the Baltimore Orioles, but are comfortably ahead in the Wild Card race.
As the Yankees are expected to secure at least a Wild Card spot for the postseason, hopes are high that this could be the year they end their World Series drought. If they are successful, Sterling’s classic call of “THEEEEE YANKEES WIN!” will resound for all fans in the New York area. The team’s goal is to bring home another championship, and having Sterling’s iconic voice back on the airwaves for the playoffs adds to the excitement surrounding the Yankees’ postseason run. Fans will be eager to hear his signature calls throughout the playoffs as they cheer for the team to bring home another title.
