Yankees, Suzyn Waldman celebrate John Sterling: ‘This man lived life to the fullest’

Even in death, John Sterling commanded multiple spaces at Yankee Stadium on Monday. The beloved radio broadcaster, who died at age 87 earlier in the day , was the subject of praise, reflection and adoration prior to the Yankees ’ series finale against the Orioles. Whether it be outside the pinstripers’ clubhouse, in the press box or on the field, players, friends and colleagues mourned and celebrated the legend.

“It’s not a tough day to work, that’s for sure, because John didn’t miss games,” said Suzyn Waldman, Sterling’s longtime WFAN partner on Yankees broadcasts. “No, this is not hard at all because John would want this. “It’s a tough day.

You don’t think it’s going to be tough when you know something’s coming. You’re waiting for a phone call over the last couple of months, you knew the phone call was coming, but when it does, it’s still really shocking because it’s hard to believe a world without this man in it. ” As Waldman, who first met Sterling while working on his WFAN talk show in 1987, alluded to, the man didn’t call out of work often during his 36 years as the Yankees’ play-by-play man.

Shortly after taking the job in 1989, the childhood Yankees fan called 5,058 consecutive regular season contests before an illness forced him to miss a few games in July of 2019. Other health issues popped up at the end of Sterling’s illustrious career, and baseball’s grueling travel took a toll on him before he retired twice in 2024, once early in the season and then for good after a postseason comeback that ended with the Yankees losing the World Series to the Dodgers. All in all, Sterling broadcasted 5,631 Yankees games, including eight Fall Classics, before exiting the booth.