John Sterling, the longtime voice of the New York Yankees, may come out of retirement to call the team’s postseason games. Sterling, who is 86 years old, retired earlier this season after 36 years of broadcasting for the Yankees.
The team held a retirement ceremony for him, and a new trio consisting of Rickie Ricardo, Justin Shackil, and Emmanuel Berbari took over his role in the booth. However, Sterling made a brief return to the booth this week, teaming up with analyst Suzyn Waldman to call a few innings.
There are ongoing discussions about Sterling potentially returning to the broadcast booth for the Yankees’ playoff games. According to sources familiar with the situation, Sterling is expected to talk with Audacy New York president Chris Oliviero in the coming days to decide whether he will return.
Oliviero, who oversees WFAN, has not officially asked Sterling to come back yet, leaving the decision up to the broadcaster. Sterling himself has expressed that the decision is ultimately up to WFAN and the Yankees but acknowledged that he would feel bad for the broadcasters who have filled in for him throughout the season.
The possibility of Sterling returning to call postseason games depends on several factors, including whether he would be willing to commit to broadcasting both home and road games. One of the reasons Sterling retired in April was due to the demands of travel.
However, he mentioned that the scheduling of the playoffs might make it easier for him to handle the travel involved. If Sterling decides to return, he might also call a few regular-season games to prepare for the playoffs.
Regardless of whether Sterling returns for the postseason, he is expected to resume his retirement once the season ends. The Yankees and WFAN would then focus on finding a permanent replacement, considering the current trio of Ricardo, Shackil, and Berbari, as well as conducting a national search for other candidates.
In addition to the trio currently filling in, WFAN and the Yankees recently had Craig Carton, co-host of FS1’s “Breakfast Ball,” call some games. While Carton is not a full-time candidate for the role, his performance was well-received by team and radio executives, who would invite him back for future opportunities.
However, due to Carton’s commitments to “Breakfast Ball” in September, it is unlikely that he will be involved in calling any more Yankees games this season.
