John Sterling to return to Yanks radio booth for postseason
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NEW YORK -- October baseball will have a familiar sound in the Bronx, as John Sterling is planning to return to the Yankees broadcast booth for the upcoming postseason.
Sterling, 86, is coming out of retirement to call the Bombers’ home and road games in October on WFAN, as first reported on Thursday by The Athletic.
He will rejoin his longtime partner, Suzyn Waldman, and tune up by broadcasting the upcoming Sept. 24-26 series against the Orioles during the club’s final regular season homestand.
“It’s kind of an exciting thing to do,” Sterling said. “It sounds corny, but I really miss doing the games with Suzyn. I miss the interaction in those few hours. We’ve always had such a good time together.”
In April, Sterling abruptly announced his retirement after experiencing fatigue following the Yankees’ season-opening road trip to Houston and Arizona.
He was celebrated in a Yankee Stadium sendoff on April 20, then returned to the booth on Aug. 20, acknowledging a T-shirt giveaway honoring the 20 seasons he and Waldman partnered in the radio booth.
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During that appearance, Sterling worked two innings of play-by-play on the radio and was also a guest in the YES Network television booth for an inning. His dulcet tones remained rich, with broadcaster Michael Kay saying the sound of Sterling's voice was “like slipping under a warm blanket.”
Waldman has partnered with several voices this season, including Justin Shackil, Rickie Ricardo and Emmanuel Berbari. No decision has been made on a permanent replacement.
According to The Athletic, WFAN presented Sterling with an offer to return on Thursday, which he accepted. Yankees executives signed off on the move last week, according to the report.
“If they ask you to do it, it’s very tough to say no,” Sterling said. “I think most people, if they were asked to do the Yankees' playoff games, I think they would say yes.”
Sterling said he has enjoyed his retirement and that the upcoming playoff games will represent his last performing game broadcasts (he is, however, in discussions to potentially host a radio talk show once weekly).
Asked if he could envision returning to the Yankees booth in 2025, Sterling replied: “Not a chance.”
“I couldn’t even think about it,” Sterling said. “This is my last hurrah doing baseball games.”