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Legendary New York Yankees radio announcer John Sterling died Monday at age 87, and captain Aaron Judge wants Sterling’s calls to live on forever in the Bronx.
After the Yankees recorded the final out of their dominant 12-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on Monday, the same call with which Sterling ended every Yankee victory blared through the stadium speakers.
“The game is over! The Yankees win! You, the Yankees win!”
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New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling speaks with Aaron Judge before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in New York on April 20, 2024. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)
Sterling’s call played before Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” engulfed the Yankee Stadium crowd. Judge said he hoped to hear from Sterling after each home victory.
“I think it would be a nice little nod to John and what he represents – both to this franchise and this fan base. I think it would be pretty cool,” Judge said.
Judge hit his major league-leading 14th home run in the first inning to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead, and the 34-year-old said he thought of Sterling as he rounded the bases.
“Certainly that tribute resonated with him because he loved the Yankees,” Judge said. “He loved this team. He loved this franchise. He loved the fans. He loved everyone he talked to every night. So to do that out there in the first one was just kind of laughing around the bases thinking about what he was probably saying.”
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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hits a two-run home run in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles in New York, New York on May 4, 2026. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)
Yankees manager Aaron Boone echoed Judge’s sentiment and hopes Sterling’s call becomes part of the Yankees’ post-win lore.
“Yeah, I’d love that,” Boone said. “Straight to Frank.”
Boone said before the game that he had been paying tribute to Sterling in the dugout for the past few years, shouting “The game’s over! The Yankees win! You, the Yankees win!” before starting handshakes.
He was happy that Sterling’s voice lost his after Monday’s victory.
“It kind of drowned me out a little bit, fortunately,” Boone said.
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New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling hosts the Old Timers Day ceremony before a game between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York on July 30, 2022. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Sterling began broadcasting games in 1989, beginning a streak of more than 5,000 games. He began a reduced schedule in 2022 and retired in April 2024 before retiring later in the season to broadcast the team’s playoff games. He then officially retired after the Yankees’ run to the World Series.
He suffered a heart attack in January and was reportedly in good spirits.
The American League-leading Yankees (24-11) play the Texas Rangers (16-18) at home Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET, and Judge and Boone hope to win and hear Sterling’s voice as they celebrate a victory.
