Yankees Rumors: John Sterling Will Come Out of Retirement to Call MLB Playoff Games
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVSeptember 5, 2024
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Legendary New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling is ending his retirement to call the team’s games in the 2024 MLB playoffs, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.
Marchand reported the 86-year-old will work the Yankees’ home and road games on WFAN alongside Suzyn Waldman. His retirement will resume once the postseason has concluded.
Sterling’s voice became familiar to generations of fans. Before walking away from the booth with immediate effect in April, he called 5,631 total games across 36 seasons.
The franchise honored him on the field before its 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on April 20.
The timing of Sterling’s retirement meant WFAN, the Yankees’ flagship radio partner, was unable to identify a permanent replacement. Marchand noted Justin Shackil, Rickie Ricardo and Emmanuel Berbari have all shared play-by-play duty and will be considered along with other candidates when WFAN launches a full search.
From the outside, bringing Sterling back doesn’t look like a strong vote of confidence in Shackil, Ricardo or Berbari, but this is also a special case given how synonymous he had become with the Bronx Bombers.
Sterling, who could work some regular-season games to prepare for the playoffs, may not ultimately work that deep into October.
Thanks to a 22-20 record after the All-Star break, New York trails the Baltimore Orioles by a half-game for first place in the American League East. A season that once showed a lot of promise might come to a disappointing conclusion if the Yanks wind up in the Wild Card Series.
