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Legendary New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling died at 87 on Monday, 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 rout of the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on Monday, the same call that Sterling ended every Yankee victory with blared throughout the stadium speakers.
“Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theee Yankees win!”
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New York Yankees radio 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 was played before Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” engulfed the Yankee Stadium crowd. Judge said he hopes to hear Sterling after every home win.
“I think it’d be a nice little tip of the cap to John and what he meant — so much to this franchise and this fan base. I think it would be pretty cool,” Judge said.
Judge clobbered 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 while rounding the bases.
“Definitely seeing that tribute hit home because he loved the Yankees,” Judge said. “He loved this team. He loved this franchise. He loved the fans. He loved everybody he talked to on a nightly basis. So to do that there in the first, just kind of was chuckling around the bases thinking what he was probably saying.”
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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hits a two-run home run during 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 tradition.
“Yeah, I’d love it,” Boone said. “Right on into Frank.”
Boone said pregame he’s been paying tribute to Sterling in the dugout for a couple of years by yelling “Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theee Yankees win!” before starting handshakes.
He was happy Sterling’s voice took away from his own after Monday’s win.
“It drowned me out a little bit, happily,” Boone said.
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New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling emcees the Old Timers Day ceremony before a game between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York City on July 30, 2022. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Sterling began broadcasting games in 1989, beginning a streak that lasted more than 5,000 games. He began a reduced schedule in 2022 and retired in April 2024 before unretiring later in the season to broadcast the team’s postseason games. He then officially retired after the Yankees’ run to the World Series.
He suffered a heart attack in January and was said to be in good spirits.
The American League-leading Yankees (24-11) play the Texas Rangers (16-18) at home on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET, and Judge and Boone hope they win and get to hear Sterling’s voice as they celebrate a win.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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