For generations of New York Yankees fans, the sound of summer came with a signature soundtrack: “It is high, it is far, it is gone!”
That voice is now gone.
Longtime Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling, whose theatrical home run calls and unmistakable delivery became part of the fabric of the franchise, has died at 87, the Yankees and WFAN announced Monday. He underwent heart bypass surgery.
Sterling didn’t just call games, he put his own stamp on them.
From “It’s a Jeter jolt!” for Derek Jeter to “An A-bomb from A-Rod!” for Alex Rodriguez, his personalized home run calls turned routine highlights into something fans waited for. By the time a new player stepped into the Yankees lineup, fans weren’t just wondering if he’d go deep, they were wondering what Sterling would say when he did.
And when the final out was recorded, there was only one way to end it:
“Ballgame over! The Yankees win! Thuuuuuuuh Yankees win!”
Sterling spent parts of 36 seasons as the Yankees’ radio voice, calling more than 5,400 regular-season games and over 200 in the postseason. For nearly three decades, he was a constant, broadcasting 5,060 consecutive games from 1989 to 2019, a streak that outlasted entire eras of baseball.
He retired early in the 2024 season, citing stamina, but couldn’t stay away completely. Sterling returned to the booth that season for the postseason.
Sterling didn’t try to sound like a neutral national broadcaster. He sounded like the voice inside the head of a Yankees fan. He was loud, dramatic, and had a lot of fun.
Sterling called 24 postseason runs, seven World Series appearances and five World Series championships.
Ryan Miller covers trending sports news.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: John Sterling, iconic Yankees radio voice, dies at 87
Reporting by Ryan Miller, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
