John Sterling returning to Yankees' radio booth for playoffs

Legendary New York Yankees radio voice John Sterling will briefly return to the airwaves.

Sterling, who abruptly retired in April, will be on the mic for the Yankees' playoff games on WFAN, he confirmed Thursday.

The 86-year-old will also be behind the mic alongside longtime partner Suzyn Waldman for the Yankees' Sept. 24-26 series against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium as a tune-up, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Sterling will then work every Yankees playoff game, with WFAN insisting he calls road contests as a condition of his return, sources told Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.

Sterling's comeback is temporary; he plans to resume his retirement when the Yankees' season ends.

"Not a chance," Sterling said when asked if he'd consider returning in 2025, according to Hoch. "I couldn't even think about it. This is my last hurrah doing baseball games."

Known for his personalized home-run calls and trademark cry of "Theeeeeee Yankees win!" after each victory, Sterling called over 5,000 consecutive Yankees games between 1989 and 2019. He reduced his workload over the last few seasons by not making most road trips.

After starting the season alongside Waldman as usual, Sterling retired in early April. The Yankees honored him in a ceremony days later, presenting him with an 83-inch TV as a gift. He made a cameo appearance in the radio booth on Aug. 20, calling two innings as part of a T-shirt giveaway in his and Waldman's honor at Yankee Stadium.

"It sounds corny, but I really miss doing the games with Suzyn. I miss the interaction in those few hours," Sterling told Hoch. "We've always had such a good time together."

A New York native, Sterling spent 36 of his 64 years in sports broadcasting calling Yankees games.