Yankees Captain Judge Wants Sterling's Famous Call After Every Home Win

New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling died at 87 on Monday. Captain Aaron Judge wants Sterling's signature victory call to play after every home win at Yankee Stadium.

After the Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 12-1 on Monday, Sterling's call echoed through the stadium speakers once the final out was recorded. "Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theee Yankees win!"

The recording played before Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" filled the air. Judge said he hopes to hear Sterling after every home win. "I think it’d be a nice little tip of the cap to John and what he meant — so much to this franchise and this fan base. I think it would be pretty cool," Judge said.

Judge hit his major-league-leading 14th home run in the first inning for a 2-0 lead. The 34-year-old said he thought of Sterling while rounding the bases. "Definitely seeing that tribute hit home because he loved the Yankees," Judge said. "He loved this team. He loved this franchise. He loved the fans. He loved everybody he talked to on a nightly basis. So to do that there in the first, just kind of was chuckling around the bases thinking what he was probably saying."

Manager Aaron Boone agreed and hopes Sterling’s call becomes part of post-win tradition. "Yeah, I'd love it," Boone said. "Right on into Frank."

Boone said he has paid tribute to Sterling in the dugout for a couple of years by yelling the call before handshakes. He was glad Sterling’s voice overpowered his own after Monday’s win. "It drowned me out a little bit, happily," Boone said.

Sterling started broadcasting Yankees games in 1989 and called more than 5,000 games. He moved to a reduced schedule in 2022 and retired in April 2024. He returned later that season for postseason games and retired for good after the team's World Series run.

He suffered a heart attack in January and had been in good spirits.

The American League-leading Yankees (24-11) host the Texas Rangers (16-18) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Judge and Boone hope for a win and another chance to hear Sterling.