Voice of the Yankees, Sterling, retires at 85
From staff and wire reports
Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling announced his immediate retirement Monday at age 85, a few weeks into his 34th season in New York’s broadcast booth.
Sterling had cut back his schedule in recent years and was not with the team for its trip to Houston and Toronto.
He called 5,420 regular-season games, the last against the Blue Jays on April 7, plus 211 postseason games. Sterling broadcast 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 through July 2019 after starting with the Yankees as a pregame host.
Sterling will be honored in a pregame ceremony before Saturday’s game against Tampa Bay.
“I have been able to do what I wanted, broadcasting for 64 years,” Sterling said in a statement. “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.”
Dodgers struggle
Even sloppier than the weather this weekend, was the Dodgers pitching on Sunday. Starter James Paxton and the bullpen walked 14 batters in the game, helping fuel the Padres’ 6-3 victory as the visitors from the south took two of three at Dodger Stadium.
“Just bad command tonight. It’s tough to win ballgames when you give guys that many free passes,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said. “Yeah, not good.”
Four of the Padres’ six runs were scored by runners who reached base on a walk.
The 14 walks by Dodgers pitchers are the most issued in a game since they walked 16 New York Mets on June 29, 1962. It matched a franchise record for the Padres who also drew 14 walks against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 25, 1979 — in 19 innings.
“It’s hard to win a baseball game when you give up 14 bases by way of walk,” Dodgers manager Dave
Roberts said.
Padres rankings
The Padres entered Sunday’s game tied for the National League lead in outs above average (six) and the second-most runs prevented (four).
Those metrics measure the number and difficulty of all defensive plays, and the Padres’ lofty rank validates the idea that they have many skilled defenders.
The Padres are also second in the NL in unearned runs allowed (13), lead the major leagues in hit batters (14) and are fourth (67) in MLB in walks. Of the 81 free passes (hit batters and walks) the Padres have issued, 23 of those runners have scored.
“The biggest thing that has hurt us — and we’ve done a lot of things really well, but we won’t alibi — is we’ve had a few too many free things that we’ve (given) away,” manager Mike Shildt said
The Padres’ 13 errors are the most in the NL. Further, 10 of those errors have led to at least one run scoring.
Doc Gooden honored
Dwight Gooden was honored by the New York Mets with the retirement of his No. 16 on Sunday, the four-time All-star recounted how his career in Queens was cut short by drugs and alcohol, forcing him to sign across town ahead of the 1996 season.
“I wanted to stay to make things right with you guys. I didn’t want to leave on the note that I did,” Gooden told the fans, “Unfortunately, they thought it was best that we go separate ways. I was lucky enough to stay in New York, play with the New York Yankees for two years, ‘96 and ‘97.”
His number was unveiled high above the leftfield side, joining 14 (Gil Hodges, 1973), 17 (Keith Hernandez, 2022), 24 (Willie Mays, 2022), 31 (Mike Piazza, 2016), 36 (Jerry Koosman, 2021), 37 (Casey Stengel, 1965) and 41 (Tom Seaver, 1988).
Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18 is to be retired on June 1. Gooden was moved by the presence of the 62-yearold Strawberry, who had a heart attack on March 11.
“It’ll always be Darryl and Doc or Doc and Darryl,” Gooden, 59, said. “I was very happy to see him. It just brought joy to me that he took the opportunity to make it here today and enjoy this day with me.”
Around the majors
■ Will Brennan hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh inning and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Red Sox 6-0 on Monday in Boston’s traditional Patriots’ Day game. Cleveland has started 8-2 on the road.
■ Andrew Mccutchen hit his 300th home run, Jack Suwinski had a grand slam and the visiting Pirates defeated the Phillies 9-2 on Sunday. Mccutchen, 37 became the 13th player with 2,000 hits, 400 doubles, 45 triples, 300 homers and 200 stolen bases. Mccutchen stole home as part of a double steal in the fourth inning.
■ Former Dodger Michael Busch homered for the fourth consecutive game and the Cubs beat the Mariners, 3-2, Sunday in Seattle.
■ Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out four over four innings in his return to Tropicana Field on Sunday, a 9-4 Rays win over the Giants. Snell (02) won his first Cy Young while pitching for Tampa Bay.
■ Baseballl’s top-ranked prospect, Jackson Holliday, delivered his first big league hit in the seventh inning Sunday, then scored the tiebreaking run to help Baltimore beat Milwaukee, 6-4. Holliday had been 0 for 13 with nine Ks before his single off Abner Uribe (1-1).
■ Cincinnati’s 11-4 win at Chicago on Sunday, clinched a three-game road sweep and dropped the White Sox to 2-13, the worst 15-game start in the franchise’s 124-year history.
■ The Padres signed veteran infielder Donovan Solano, 36. Solano batted .282 with five homers and 38 RBIS in 134 games for the Minnesota Twins last season while playing first base, second and third.