Within seconds of the Yankees recording the final out of Monday’s 12-1 win over the Orioles, John Sterling’s signature victory call bellowed from Yankee Stadium’s speakers.
“Ballgame over,” Sterling’s voice echoed. “Yankees win. Theeeeee Yankees win!”
It was one last tribute to Sterling, who died at age 87 on Monday morning. At least for the day, anyway.
“It drowned me out a little bit, happily,” said Aaron Boone, who has been shouting Sterling’s famous words for years after the Bombers win. “It was really good to hear.”
Boone added that he would like to keep hearing the radio legend’s call after Bronx triumphs.
“I’d love it. Right on into Frank,” the manager continued, referring to Frank Sinatatra’s “Theme From New York, New York,” which already plays after every win at Yankee Stadium.
Aaron Judge, who crushed a two-run homer in the first inning on Monday, seconded that notion.
“That was great. I heard a lot of the fans singing along with it. It was a nice little touch there at the end,” the captain said. “It’d be a nice little tip of the cap to John and what he meant — so much — to this franchise and this fanbase. It’d be pretty cool.”
A Yankees spokesperson said that they were not sure of any plans to continue using Sterling’s call, which was hardly the only acknowledgement the 12-time Emmy Award winner received on Monday.
The Yankees also honored Sterling, their play-by-play man from 1989-2024, with a pregame ceremony that included a video, a moment of silence, and bouquets of flowers, which were laid at home plate by former booth partners Suzyn Waldman and Michael Kay.
“Definitely seeing that tribute hit home because he loved the Yankees,” Judge said of Sterling. “He loved this team, he loved this franchise, he loved the fans.”
The Yankees also had “JS,” Sterling’s initials, stitched onto the backs of their caps. Those were made in a hurry, as the Yankees, through their partners at Legends Global, outsourced the job to Embroidery Kingz, a Bronx-based business.
“I walked in at some point today in my office and saw the ‘JS’ on the back of the hat, and I thought it was awesome,” Boone said.
The club’s spokesperson said that the Yankees will likely keep wearing the Sterling hats for the “foreseeable future.” At some point, they expect an addition to the Yankees’ jerseys.
“We’re likely going to do something moving forward,” they said.
“He was here 40 years,” added Waldman, who thought of Sterling as an older brother. “I hope there’s at least an armband or a patch.”
Enshrining Sterling in Monument Park would be an even greater honor.
While it is a shame such a celebration did not occur while Sterling was still alive, he can still join other great Yankees broadcasters like Phil Rizzuto – who also played for the team – and Mel Allen. Iconic public address announcer Bob Sheppard also has a plaque in Monument Park.
While no decision is imminent, Yankees higher-ups present options for Monument Park at periodical meetings, according to the spokesperson.
Neither Waldman nor Kay, who also belong among Yankees greats, touched on the subject of Sterling getting into Monument Park on Monday. However, both endorsed the idea when Sterling retired in 2024.
“Of course,” Waldman said at the time when asked if she’d like to see her partner in crime get in. “He’s up there on that pantheon of Mel Allen and Bob Sheppard.
“For all those years and to generations of people, [Sterling] is the voice of the Yankees. I would like to see him out there.”
“I can’t speak for what the Yankees will do or won’t do,” Kay added. “But obviously he measures up there with the non-baseball players that are out there like Mel Allen. He’s been doing it for 36 years. So I would think that eventually he’ll end up there.”
Sterling, meanwhile, wouldn’t have turned down acceptance into Monument Park had he been given the chance.
“Well, I think if they say to you, ‘We’re gonna put a plaque up in Monument Park,’ you wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, no! Don’t do that!’” he said in 2024. “Look, anything that has happened to me now is all grist for my mill. I never, ever dreamt that I’d be recognized.
“If it happens, it happens.”