“It is high, it is far, it is gone”, John Sterling — the forever voice of the Yankees
Since 1989, John Sterling has been the radio voice of the New York Yankees. During this time as the Yankee broadcaster, he called an amazing 5,060 consecutive baseball games before taking a couple games off in the 2019 season.
Sterling began his career with the Atlanta Hawks in 1981.
“Starting with the first Hawks game in 1981 I didn’t miss a game,” Sterling said. “I missed two games in my first year to put my sister to rest. I don’t call that missing games. I went to bury my sister … it’s a lot more than 5,000.”
Sterling’s move to the Yankees was extremely unconventional.
“I got a phone call in September of ’88 from Steve Mallsburg at WABC, and he said ‘Would you like to do the Yankees?’ and I said ‘Well, I don’t want to give up the Hawks’ … Here is such a big job: the Yankee job, and I got it without an audition.” Sterling told Michael Kay.
“I didn’t have an agent so I called a buddy of mine who worked with me on the air with the Nets … and I said ‘Would you call this guy?’ and he called him and they made a deal. I never auditioned for the Yankees. Isn’t that amazing? What a nutty business!”
Sterling is most known for his home run calls. Most of the home runs begin the same way: “It is high, it is far, it is gone!” After that is where the fun begins. Sterling comes up with different calls for different players. For example, when Alex Rodriguez hit a home run, it was “an A-bomb for A-Rod.” Now, when Aaron Judge hits a home run it is “A judgian blast! All rise, here comes the Judge.”
Sterling has previously said that he originally didn’t plan on having a home run call for every single Yankee. As a matter of fact, it started with a simple “Bern baby Bern” when Bernie Williams hit a home run.
“I don’t take them seriously. They’re all so dumb!” Sterling said about the home run calls to Michael Kay.
Sterling has his own unique way of ending a game when the Yankees win.
In a 2019 interview with “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” Sterling described the evolution of his signature “Yankees win” call.
“One day as I was doing it, I put a little rock and roll into it. ‘Yankees win. Theeeee Yankees win’ and it caught on, and boy am I glad.”
Sterling claims he doesn’t have a “favorite” anything. However, when asked about his favorite moment he’s called, he brought up that he really enjoyed the 1996 World Series, and part of the reason is the back story of how the Yankees got there.
“ ’96 Yankees weren’t expecting to do anything. They took over first place on May 1st and never looked back.” Sterling said.
Sterling offered a piece of advice to up and coming broadcasters.
“Good luck. It’s a crazy business. Unfortunately, talent is not the only thing. There are a lot of people who can do the job. The problem is getting the job.”
Sterling, age 82, has no plans on retiring any time soon.
Sterling told nj.com that he feels better than he ever has felt before, and has said the only thing that will stop him is his health, and Yankee fans will be happy to know that the radio voice of the Yankees doesn’t plan on going anywhere.
Sterling offered a piece of advice to up and coming broadcasters.
“Good luck. It’s a crazy business. Unfortunately, talent is not the only thing. There are a lot of people who can do the job. The problem is getting the job.”
As another wacky pandemic season has begun for the Yankees, John Sterling continues to be in the broadcasters chair, putting his own flair on what the Yankees and their fans hope to be a special season in the Bronx.
