Yankee fans, and baseball fans in general woke up on Monday morning to some of the worst news they could hear. The legendary voice of the New York Yankees, John Sterling, has passed away at the age of 87. Waking up to the news from texts with family and friends, I broke down in tears. Sterling, who was the radio voice of the Yankees from 1989-2024, was the soundtrack to summer for so many fans.
The Yankees mourn the loss of legendary broadcaster John Sterling. Our thoughts are with John’s family, friends and loved ones at this time. pic.twitter.com/1rCeRC1D61
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 4, 2026
Sterling’s Tenure in New York
He called five world championships, eight pennant-winning teams, and many more moments over the years. Sterling’s old-fashioned style of calling games was unique to him and special. His famous home run calls like “It’s and A-Bomb from A-Rod”, for Alex Rodriguez or “Giancarlo, No Si Po Sto Parlo” for Giancarlo Stanton, made all fans chuckle with excitement. To this day, Yankee Stadium still plays what has been coined as the “Sterling Shake” when the Yankees win a game.
RIP John Sterling https://t.co/6uKtP6IphJ pic.twitter.com/2aRxXxC2l3
— YankeesFan239 (@YanksFan239) May 4, 2026
The amount of winning the Yankees did during Sterling’s tenure aided his famous calls. From moments of excitement, like winning five championships, to moments of losses (I won’t bring them up, but you know which ones I’m talking about), Sterling was there. The best part was his bluntness, like in 2024 when he said that the Yankees “run the bases like drunks”. He was right.
Most of all, Sterling loved his craft, and fans could feel that through the microphone. He loved calling games and had so much fun doing it. As famous WFAN radio host Mike Francesca once said on his show “You want to know what’s heaven for John Sterling?… When the ball is in the air, that’s heaven for John Sterling”.
Prior to the Yankees
Before becoming the iconic radio voice of the New York Yankees in 1989, John Sterling built a versatile broadcasting resume that spanned multiple sports and cities. He spent nine years in Atlanta, where he called games for the Braves (MLB) and the Hawks (NBA), developing the flair for the dramatic that would later become his trademark. When he was with the Braves, Sterling made one of the more famous calls in MLB history in a match-up between the Mets and the Braves on July 4th, 1985.
In an amazing July 4th ballgame, Atlanta #Braves pitcher Rick Camp hits an 18th inning HR on the morning of July 5th to tie the game vs. the New York #Mets! Classic call by John Sterling! (1985) #MLB #RIPJohnSterling pic.twitter.com/WRL6iWho2l
— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) May 4, 2026
Sterling was also no stranger to the New York airwaves prior to his Bronx tenure; he hosted a successful talk show on WMCA and called games for the Islanders and the Nets. Whether he was describing a slam dunk or a slap shot.
Sterling will be sorely missed in New York, and will be mourned across baseball. He was a legends, and as the saying goes, “legends never die”, and neither will his calls.
“Anyway, it will be a 2-2 to Mastui. The pitch..”
(Top Image Credit: © Viorel Florescu/NorthJersey.com /
USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
