Before John Sterling went out to the Yankee Stadium playing field on his big day, he took the same seat in the media room that Yankees manager Aaron Boone uses during pre-game and post-game interviews.
Fittingly, the now retired voice of the Yankees for 36 years was introduced by Suzyn Waldman, his booth partner for the last two decades.
The next 22 minutes were priceless entertainment, and they began with Sterling playfully making fun of Boone for always sticking up for his players during slumps.
Everyone in the packed media room burst out laughing.
It was non-stop vintage Sterling in the Q & A, plenty of entertaining stories.
Sterling also revealed why he suddenly retired last Monday after working the Yankees’ season-opening road games and their first three home games.
“I did it all wrong,” Sterling said. “I should have quit on March 1 or March 15, but I decided I do one exhibition game, which is useless, as you all know. And then we went on that long trip. We went to Houston and Arizona. And, boy, that was it. I didn’t want to work every day.
Juan Soto hit a three-run homer halfway up the right field second deck to cap a five-run seventh inning and the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Friday night.
Soto stood at home plate and admired his 409-foot drive off Chris Devenski (0-1), which gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead. Soto is hitting .347 with five homers and 20 RBI in his first season with the Yankees.
“I actually didn’t see that because I was admiring where it was going,” manager Aaron Boone said of Soto’s celebration. Of the five homers, I think that’s the first one he’s really, really stepped on like where is thing going to land. I was paying attention to that.”
New York is 5-0 when Soto homers. He is hitting .563 with three homers and 17 RBI with runners in scoring position and his latest long ball propelled the Yankees to their seventh comeback win. Soto has reached base safely in 12 straight games and 18 of his first 20 with the Yankees.
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