John Sterling, legendary Yankees radio voice, dead at 87

John Sterling, the radio play-by-play voice of the New York Yankees for 36 seasons, has died at age 87, WFAN Sports Radio and the team announced Monday.

Sterling began his tenure with the Yankees in 1989 as a pregame host before transitioning to play-by-play duties. Over his career, he called 5,420 regular-season games and 211 postseason games. He retired in April 2024, shortly after the season began.

From September 1989 through July 2019, Sterling broadcast 5,060 consecutive Yankees games without missing a day—a streak nearly twice as long as Cal Ripken Jr.'s Major League Baseball iron-man record of 2,632 consecutive games played. In 2019, he took his first day off in 30 years.

Sterling was known for his signature home run call—"It is high! It is far! It is gone!"—and his iconic victory call that rang out after every Yankees win: "Ballgame over! The Yankees win! Theeeeee Yankees win!" His voice became synonymous with an entire generation of Yankees fans.

"We are devastated to hear about the passing of John Sterling, a WFAN and Yankees radio icon whose voice was synonymous with an entire generation of Yankee fandom," WFAN said in a statement Monday morning.

The Yankees released their own statement: "The Yankees mourn the loss of legendary broadcaster John Sterling. Our thoughts are with John's family, friends and loved ones at this time."

Sterling had undergone heart bypass surgery during the winter and was attended by health care aides at his home in Edgewater, New Jersey, following the procedure. He was 87 at the time of his death.