Legendary sports announcer John Sterling, best known for his more than 35-year career as a New York Yankees announcer, has passed away at age 87.
Sterling was most notable to Atlanta Braves fans as one of the team’s announcers from 1982 through 1987 and is best known to many for his call of the infamous Rick Camp home run during the legendary 19-inning Braves and New York Mets game on July 4, 1985.
Sterling, who was also the voice of the Atlanta Hawks from 1981 through 1989, called college football
and various levels of professional hockey during his professional career that began in 1970.
Sterling’s death was reported by WFAN earlier this morning.
Sterling is best know for his time with the Yankees, as the New York-native rose to prominence as the Yankees became the dominate team of the late 1990s and early 2000s. He work with a variety of analysts, the last two years of which was Suzyan Waldman. His last season of full-time work in the Yankees’ booth was 2024.
With the Braves, he was part of the TBS booth that split time between the television and Braves Radio Network during each game – with broadcasters switching platforms mid-game. He most notably worked with Ernie Johnson, Sr., Skip Caray and Pete Van Weiren. He was replaced in the Braves’ booth in 1988 by former Billy Sample.
Sterling won 12 Sports Emmy Awards and was a two-time finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award.
