Athletes aren’t the only ones who play hurt.
The radio voice of the New York Yankees since 1989, John Sterling took a foul ball off the dome Saturday night, absorbing a missile off the bat of Boston Red Sox slugger Justin Turner. The 84-year-old was back behind the mic for Sunday night’s series finale at Yankee Stadium, sporting a Band-Aid above his left eye.
Gamer pic.twitter.com/jhu43ODumu
— Jesse Pantuosco (@JessePantuosco) June 12, 2023
Afterwards, Sterling kept the ball as a souvenir and even got it signed by Turner.
From Suzyn Waldman’s Instagram: “Justin Turner signed the ball that hit John! “To John, no matter where you sit at a ballgame, you’re never safe!” We put a bandaid on the ball!” pic.twitter.com/cgQjuZFCzW
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) June 11, 2023
For our viewing pleasure, WFAN captured the harrowing encounter on video, with Sterling gamely playing on, continuing to call the action even after seeing his life flash before his eyes, not missing a single pitch.
https://twitter.com/WFAN660/status/1668016401884368897
One of the most experienced and respected play-by-play announcers in all of sports broadcasting, not much fazes Sterling at this point in his career. Wearing Turner’s screaming line drive like a badge of honor shows that.
“Just a glancing blow,” said Sterling, downplaying his brush with danger. “I took one for the team.”
Sterling managed to stay out of harm’s way in his return to the booth Sunday, though his Yankees weren’t as fortunate, falling 3-2 to their hated rival in extra innings.
