John Sterling, the legendary radio play-by-play voice of the Yankees, is retiring effective immediately, the team said in a press release Monday evening.

Sterling, 85, will be honored during a pregame ceremony Saturday afternoon and will visit the WFAN radio booth during the game.

"I am a very blessed human being. I have been able to do what I wanted, broadcasting for 64 years. As a little boy growing up in New York as a Yankees fan, I was able to broadcast the Yankees for 36 years. It's all to my benefit, and I leave very, very happy. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday," Sterling said in a statement.

What You Need To Know

  • John Sterling, the legendary radio play-by-play voice of the Yankees, is retiring effective immediately
  • The veteran broadcaster called 5,420 regular season games and 211 postseason games for the Yankees, including 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 to July 2019
  • Sterling's final game this season was the a home game between the Yankees and Blue Jays on Sunday, April 7, a game that the Yankees won 8-3
  • He recently spoke with NY1's Eric Feldman to reflect on 36 years of being the radio voice of the Yankees

Sterling's famous victory call — "Ballgame over! The Yankees win. The-e-e-e-e Yankees win!" — has been synonymous with Yankees baseball for decades.

The Upper East Side native called 5,420 regular season games and 211 postseason games for the Yankees, including 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 to July 2019.

Sterling was in the booth when the Yankees won four World Series titles in five years from 1996 to 2000. He was also behind the microphone when the Yankees won the World Series in 2009.

During his 36 seasons with the Yankees, Sterling frequently deployed his signature home run call — "It is high. It is far. It is gone!" — often punctuated by a personalized catchphrase for the player rounding the bases.

Some of his most famous included "Bern, baby, Bern!" for Bernie Williams, "Robby Cano, don’t you know?” for Robinson Cano and "All rise, here comes the Judge!" for Aaron Judge.

Sterling's final game was a home game this season between the Yankees and Blue Jays on Sunday, April 7. The Yankees won 8-3.

In a statement, the Yankees called Sterling "a pillar for Yankees fans who relied on the comfort and familiarity of his voice to be the soundtrack of their spring, summer and fall."

"Given the tremendous care he had for the team and his performance on the air, it's not a stretch to believe that our fans live and die with every pitch because John Sterling did the same," the Yankees said.

Sterling's career spanned six decades and featured stops in Atlanta and the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area. He also broadcast games for the Nets and Islanders.

In 2016, he and his partner Suzyn Waldman were inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame.