John Sterling, the longtime New York Yankees radio broadcaster, has died at age 87, according to multiple major media reports. The Yankees and radio station WFAN confirmed his passing on Monday, and multiple outlets reported he died at a New Jersey hospital. According to major media reports, Sterling called 5,631 Yankees games, including 5,420 regular-season and 211 postseason contests.
He broadcast 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 through July 2019, media outlets stated. He retired in April 2024 citing fatigue, but briefly returned for the 2024 postseason, as reported. He was known for his personalized home run calls, as widely reported.
" and the tradition developed from there. Sterling underwent heart bypass surgery this past winter, multiple media outlets reported, and he had been receiving care at his Edgewater, New Jersey, home following the procedure. Born Josh Sloss on July 4, 1938, according to biographical information, he grew up in Manhattan and left college to work for radio stations, starting his career in 1960 at a station in Wellsville, New York.
The exact cause of death has not been disclosed, and information about surviving family members was not immediately available.