Legendary Yankees radio voice John Sterling dies at 87
Known for his colorful delivery and signature home run calls, Sterling’s voice became a constant for generations of fans.
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John Sterling, the iconic radio voice of the New York Yankees for nearly four decades, has died.
The longtime play-by-play announcer who became synonymous with Yankees baseball died at 87, according to WFAN. The station confirmed he died in the hospital, not long after undergoing heart surgery this winter.
Sterling spent 36 seasons behind the microphone, beginning his Yankees tenure in 1989. He had called 5,631 games — 5,420 regular season plus 211 postseason — when he retired in April 2024 just after the season's start, citing fatigue. Sterling covered 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 through July 2019 after beginning with the Yankees as a pregame host. He came out of retirement to broadcast Yankees games during the 2024 postseason and was the voice behind five World Series championships.
Known for his colorful delivery and signature home run calls, Sterling’s voice became a constant for generations of fans. His unmistakable “Theeeeee Yankees win!” echoed across radios throughout New York City and far beyond, guiding listeners through the highs and lows of each season.
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 that resonated 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.
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."
Sterling began 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 to 1978, along with those of the New Jersey Nets from 1975 to 1980.
Sterling’s first connection with the Yankees was during WMCA pregame radio talk shows from 1971 to 78. He moved to Atlanta and worked for the Braves from 1982 to 1987 and Hawks from 1981 to 1989 before he switched to the Yankees, where he replaced Hank Greenwald.
Sterling was seldom in the clubhouse and dressed in Brooks Brothers suits even though he was on the radio.
He partnered with Jay Johnstone (1989 to 1990), Joe Angel (1991), Michael Kay (1992 to 2001), Charley Steiner (2002 to 2004) and Suzyn Waldman (since 2005). Sterling and Waldman were inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2016.
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.”
For Yankees fans, Sterling wasn’t just a broadcaster — he was part of the game itself. His voice narrated decades of baseball history, cementing his place as one of the most recognizable figures in New York sports
AP Wires contributed to this story.
