John Sterling, theatrical Yankees broadcaster known for enduring home run calls, dies at 87

NEW YORK (AP) — John Sterling, the ebullient radio broadcaster known for extravagant, individualized home run calls and shouting “theee Yankees win!” after each of New York’s victories, died Monday. He was 87.

Sterling had a heart attack and bypass surgery this winter and had returned to his home in Edgewater, New Jersey, where he was cared for by health aides. He died of complications Monday at Englewood Hospital, according to his former wife, Jennifer.

“John Sterling breathed life and excitement into Yankees games for 36 years while wearing his passion for baseball and the Yankees on his sleeve,” the team said in a statement. “He informed and entertained generations of fans with a theatrical and unapologetic style that was uniquely his own. John treasured his role as the voice of the New York Yankees, and his enthusiasm for the art of broadcasting perfectly complemented our city and our fans. The symmetry between John and his audience was both undeniable and magical, and his signature calls will resonate for as long as we put on pinstripes — especially after every Yankees win.”

Starting during down years with Dallas Green and Bucky Dent in the dugout and Don Mattingly trying vainly to push the Yankees back to glory, Sterling entertained fans through the dynasty days of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and into the Aaron Judge era.

During a game against Boston on June 10, 2023, Sterling was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Boston’s Justin Turner, said “Ow! Ow! Ow! It really hit me. I didn’t know if it was coming back that far,” and without pause continued his game commentary.

“He brought that New York theater to the ballpark,” Judge said. “He was almost a kid up there in the broadcast talking about the game.”

Sterling called 5,651 games — 5,426 in the regular season plus 225 postseason — including 5,060 in a row from September 1989 through July 2019. He retired in April 2024 just after the season’s start, citing fatigue, then returned to broadcast Yankees games during the 2024 postseason.

“One of a kind,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “The soundtrack for so many New Yorkers and Yankee fans over the years.”

Boone pays tribute to Sterling’s mellifluous baritone at the start of each postgame celebration.

“My coaches look at me like I’m nuts,” he said. “I don’t even know if they know what I’m doing, but as soon as that final out is made and I go I get up to shake players’ hands I go: “Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theee Yankees win!”

Sterling’s call for a player’s home run became as treasured a part of a Yankees identity as an initial set of pinstripes or a championship ring. As rookies prepared for debuts and former opponents arrived in trades, fans speculated how he would label the newcomer’s first longball.

From “Bernie goes boom! Bern, baby, Bern!” for Bernie Williams, to “It’s a Jeter jolt!” for Derek to “It’s an A-bomb from A-Rod!” for Alex Rodriguez, “The Giambino!” for Jason Giambi and ”A thrilla from Godzilla!” for Hideki Matsui, Sterling created personal stamps resonating from the clubhouse to the bleachers.

“It wasn’t meant that way. I just happened to do something for Bernie Williams. He hit a home run and I said, `Bern, baby, Bern!′ And it kind of mushroomed from there,” Sterling said at the time of his retirement. “But it never was intended for every player, because, frankly, I’m not smart enough to do something for every player. But I did the best I could, and it’s amazing what started out as — became so big.”

“I did say ‘A-bomb from A-Rod!′ when he hit a home run and I did say: ’Robbie Canó, don’t you know,′ and I think those were pretty good,” Sterling said of calls for Rodriguez and Robinson Canó.

Suzyn Waldman, his broadcast partner for his final two decades, had no advance word of the home run calls.

“Sometimes I’d have to turn the sound off because I’d be laughing so hard,” she said Monday. “Players started to come to him and said: ‘I want one.’ Remember Nick Swisher? He called him once Jolly Old Saint Nick. And up comes Swisher to the back of the plane and said, `I don’t like that. I’m not Jolly old Saint Nick.’ That’s where Swishalicious came from.”

He also was known some viral bloopers: home run calls on balls that were caught, catches that weren’t, fair balls that were foul and other foibles. Waldman said criticism stung.

“John had no guile,” she said. “He didn’t understand it when people were mean to him because he could never be mean to anybody.”

Waldman and current Yankees television broadcaster Michael Kay placed flowers on home plate during a tribute before Monday night’s game against Baltimore, and stadium organist Ed Alstrom played Broadway show tunes — Sterling’s favorite — throughout the game. New York players had “JS” stitched on the backs of their caps and the Bleacher Creatures included Sterling in their start-of-game Roll Call.

When Judge homered in the first inning, Kay called the action on the YES Network using Sterling’s exclamation: “A Judgian blast! Here comes the Judge!”

Born Josh Sloss on July 4, 1938, Sterling grew up in Manhattan and left college to work for radio stations. He had wanted to be a broadcaster since hearing “The Eddie Bracken Show” in the 1940s.

“I didn’t want to be Eddie Bracken. I wanted to be the guy who says: ‘Live from Hollywood!’” Sterling said. “And I knew that maybe a year or two later, but before puberty I knew I was going to be on the air. And it really helped me because I didn’t worry about school, because I knew what I was going to do. And it was a good thing because I was a terrible student — terrible.”

He started his radio career in 1960 at a station in Wellsville, New York.

“I was preparing this all my life. It was easy,” he said. “I could always open my mouth and talk.”

Sterling cited Mel Allen, Russ Hodges and Jim Karvellas as influences. He wound up joining Allen in the history of memorable Yankees broadcasters along with Red Barber, Phil Rizzuto, Bill White and Frank Messer.

Sterling announced the NBA’s Washington Bullets and Morgan State football in his early years and gained notoriety for shrieking “Islanders goal! Islanders goal!” during the hockey team’s games from 1975-78. He broadcast for the NBA’s Nets from 1975-80.

Sterling’s first connection with the Yankees was during WMCA pregame radio talk shows from 1971-78. He moved to Atlanta and worked for the Braves from 1982-87 and Hawks from 1981-89 before switching to the Yankees, where he replaced Hank Greenwald.

“I was his update person on WFAN in 1987 and he was doing a talk show,” Waldman said. “He stood up and he cupped his hand over his ear and he talked standing up for four hours and I said this must be a really interesting person and he could talk about anything. … He also was a pretty nasty talk show host. People think it was nasty then —- John would really yell at people and call them stupid.”

Sterling was seldom in the clubhouse and dressed in Brooks Brothers suits even though he was on the radio. A voracious reader, he would peruse a few pages during between-innings breaks.

He partnered with Jay Johnstone (1989-90), Joe Angel (1991), Michael Kay (1992-2001), Charley Steiner (2002-04) and Waldman (2005-24). Sterling and Waldman were inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2016.

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He was married to the former Jennifer Contreras from 1993 to 2004. In addition to her, he is survived by triplets Bradford, Derek and Veronica, and daughter Abigail.

Sterling was proud of his unique style.

“Harry Caray told me some years ago,” he recalled in 2024 of the famous Chicago Cubs and White Sox broadcaster, “and he says, ‘John, all the guys are great. We just have different styles.’ And no one has a more different style than I have.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb