Drastic changes could be in store for the New York Yankees this offseason after they were swept out of the playoffs by the Houston Astros, but radio play-by-play voice John Sterling won’t be one of them.
The 84-year-old broadcaster and long-time Yankees announcer told Newsday that he plans on returning to the radio booth for the 2023 MLB season.
“Of course,” Sterling told Newsday when asked if he expects to be on the Yankees call next season. “I don’t know how many games I’ll do. Maybe I’ll do all of them. Every broadcaster takes games off. It’s not a big thing. Vin Scully started it. But I plan to continue working and I have, right now, no desire to stop. I’m going to work.”
Earlier during the 2022 MLB season, it was announced that Sterling would work a reduced schedule for the remainder of the year by sitting out a few road trips, something he previously declined to do. But at 84 years old and with his 5,060 consecutive game streak coming to an end in 2019, the Yankees and flagship radio partner WFAN sought to preserve Sterling’s voice from a 162-game schedule that can be grueling for any announcer.
WFAN used Sterling’s scheduled absences as an opportunity to put a few new voices in the booth as they brace for eventually having to replace their 84-year-old play-by-play announcer. Brendan Burke, Justin Shackil, Rickie Ricardo, and Ryan Ruocco were among those who filled in for Sterling. Following those unofficial auditions, the New York Post reported Burke, who is currently the New York Islanders’ TV voice was the leading candidate to replace Sterling on a permanent basis. But if the decision is Sterling’s to make, WFAN and the Yankees won’t need to fill his void for at least another season.
[Newsday]
