Legendary Yankees radio announcer John Sterling retires effective immediately: “I’m retiring very, very happy”

NEW YORK – Yankees commentator John Sterling is retiring from the radio booth for good.

The Yankees announced Monday afternoon that Sterling, the club’s longtime radio voice, is retiring effective immediately.

“I’m a very blessed person,” the Upper East Sider native said in a press release. “I’ve been able to do what I’ve wanted and work as an anchor for 64 years. As a young boy growing up in New York as a Yankees fan, I was able to work as an anchor for the Yankees for 36 years. I’m blessed with all of that and I’m leaving very, very happy. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday.”

Sterling, who commentated on 5,420 Yankees games in the regular season and another 211 games in the postseason, will be honored in a pregame ceremony on Saturday before the Bombers host the Tampa Rays at the stadium.

“Fans find a certain comfort in the daily rhythm of baseball. Day after day, season after season and city after city, John Sterling used his place in the announcer’s booth to bring the heartbeat of the game to Yankees fans with a sonorous voice and colorful personality that were distinctly and unmistakably his own,” the Yankees said in a statement. “John informed and entertained, and he embodied what it means to be a New Yorker with a blunt and brash style that exuded his passion for baseball, television and the New York Yankees.”

“There are countless adjectives to describe John and his importance to this organization and our millions of fans around the world. But what makes John a giant in the sports reporting world is how important his role as the voice of the Yankees is to him.”

Both the Yankees and WFAN officials had expected Sterling to retire for health reasons, but the club and the radio station left that decision up to Sterling.

Sterling first lent his voice to Bombers broadcasts in 1989. His distinctive “Theeeeeee Yankees win,” delivered in his unmistakable baritone, has crowned the team’s victories for decades. His quirky and sometimes hackneyed home run calls are also classics, and fan favorites include Bernie Williams’ “Bern, Baby, Bern,” Hideki Matsui’s “a Thrilla from Godzilla,” and Robinson Cano’s “Robbie Cano! Dontcha know?”

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