There are many things to celebrate on the Fourth of July, whether it’s Independence Day or John Sterling’s birthday.
Sterling, who turned 85 years old Tuesday, celebrated his birthday at the ballpark with the Yankees playing host to the Baltimore Orioles. Before the start of the game, which was delayed due to inclement weather in the area, Sterling was celebrated by his colleagues, who relished the opportunity to commemorate such a special day, especially after the scary incident he endured just a few weeks ago.
The radio voice of the New York Yankees since 1989, Sterling took a foul ball off the dome last month, absorbing a missile off the bat of Boston Red Sox slugger Justin Turner. The following day, the 85-year-old was back behind the mic for the series finale at Yankee Stadium, sporting a Band-Aid above his left eye.
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
He even got Turner to sign the ball.
Well, that’s not the only piece of memorabilia that Sterling has received since the incident. As a gag gift of sorts, New York Giants co-owner John Mara sent Sterling a football helmet for his birthday to ensure that he’ll be better protected from future foul balls in the booth.
The @Giants ‘ John Mara sent John Sterling a helmet for his birthday to keep him safe from future foul balls in the booth. pic.twitter.com/tVDXsKHrym
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) July 4, 2023
The Yankees’ Nestor Cortes also helped come up with a shirt honoring this, which the team was wearing Tuesday:
Nestor Cortes asked @RotoWear to design a shirt honoring the toughness of John Sterling. The whole team has them. #ow #ow pic.twitter.com/cbTMpFO9gb
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) July 4, 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?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1668016401884368897%7Ctwgr%5E3e29f69d9f910b2be8a0325e96eb1e21b02fa8bf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fawfulannouncing.com%2Fmlb%2Fjohn-sterling-yankees-returns-foul-ball.html
Hopefully, WFAN can capture Sterling trying on the helmet during Tuesday’s game.
[Michael Kay on Twitter]
