The 2025 MLB season will be the first time in over three decades that radio play-by-play man John Sterling won’t be on the call of the New York Yankees season opener.
Dave Sims, Sterling’s replacement moving forward, isn’t feeling the pressure of living up to Sterling’s larger-than-life legacy quite as much as some may expect.
Sterling had a rollercoaster of a 2024 season, famously retiring this past April only to put that on pause to call the team’s postseason run alongside longtime broadcast partner Suzyn Waldman.
In Sterling’s time away from the broadcast booth, the Yankees experimented with several potential replacements. But instead of choosing any of those options, the Yankees opted to bring in Dave Sims, who had been the Seattle Mariners TV play-by-play man.
On Thursday, Sims appeared on Yankees Hot Stove alongside Michael Kay to discuss his new role, detailing why his past experience as a broadcaster makes him the ideal candidate to replace a legend like Sterling.
“A couple of things Michael,” said Sims. “I already basically replaced a legend in Seattle. Dave Niehaus, a Hall of Famer. I was brought there when Ron Fairly retired. Dave was getting near the end, he was going to retire. So that was an interesting bit of pressure right there.
“Coming into this, I look at it this way. I’ve been in New York my entire professional career. I’ve done Daily News, WFAN, WNBC, MSG, NBC, CBS, I’ve done it all. So it’s a homecoming. I’m not a guy who just landed from Mars. People know who I am. People who have the radio and TV packages available at MLB.com, the MLB at-bat app, they know who the heck I am. So I’m just gonna be me. That’s all I can be. I’m not gonna imitate anybody. If I was looking to imitate somebody, I would become an actor.”
A new edition of Yankees Hot Stove presented by @hexclad comes your way at 7:00p! @davesims_ will join the show – here’s a preview featuring @RealMichaelKay asking Dave about taking over John Sterling’s old role as the Yanks’ radio play-by-play voice. pic.twitter.com/TqpJZwrNdU
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) January 9, 2025
As Sims alluded to, he is far from a stranger when it comes to New York sports, spending eight seasons as the radio host for the New York Knicks from 1986 to 1993. On top of that, he has also spent numerous years talking New York sports at WFAN from 1989 to 1993.
The majority of New York sports fans will always associate Yankees baseball with John Sterling no matter how Sims’ tenure as his replacement goes. However, Sims has a great reputation in his own right as an MLB broadcaster after an 18-year tenure with the Mariners. So while there may not be any nostalgia there yet, Yankees baseball should be in good hands.
