NEW YORK — The New York Yankees will pay tribute to longtime radio play-by-play announcer John Sterling with a memorial patch on their uniform sleeves, the team announced.
Sterling died at age 87.
After announcing Sterling’s death, the Yankees wore caps with “JS” stitching on the back of their hats during a 12-1 win against Baltimore.
Following the final out, the sound system blared Sterling’s voice booming “Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theee Yankees win!” just before the first strains of Frank Sinatra crooning “New York, New York.”
The Yankees will wear caps with Sterling’s initials through their game against the Mets on May 17 and start wearing the patch the following day against Toronto. The circular patch bears Sterling’s name and microphone over a pinstriped backdrop.
“I love it,” manager Aaron Boone said after New York’s 7-4 win over Texas. “Love it. The JS on the hat I know we’re going to be wearing that for the next couple of weeks until they get lined up on the uniform. “I think it’s appropriate certainly and glad we’ll be able to honor his legacy throughout the rest of the season.”
He was known for extravagant, individualized home run calls and shouting “theee Yankees win!”
Sterling called 5,426 regular-season Yankees games and 225 more in the postseason from 1989 until his retirement in 2024.
His 36-year tenure included calling five World Series championships and a remarkable streak of announcing 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 to July 2019.
