NEW YORK — Even in death, John Sterling commanded multiple spaces at Yankee Stadium on Monday. The beloved radio broadcaster, who died at age 87 earlier in the day, was the subject of praise, reflection and adoration prior to the Yankees' series finale against the Baltimore Orioles. Whether it be outside the pinstripers' clubhouse, in the press box or on the field, players, friends and colleagues mourned and celebrated the legend.

"It's not a tough day to work, that's for sure, because John didn't miss games," said Suzyn Waldman, Sterling's longtime WFAN partner on Yankees broadcasts. "No, this is not hard at all because John would want this. It's a tough day. You don't think it's going to be tough when you know something's coming. You're waiting for a phone call over the last couple of months, you knew the phone call was coming, but when it does, it's still really shocking because it's hard to believe a world without this man in it."

As Waldman, who first met Sterling while working on his WFAN talk show in 1987, alluded to, the man didn't call out of work often during his 36 years as the Yankees' play-by-play man. Shortly after taking the job in 1989, the childhood Yankees fan called 5,058 consecutive regular season contests before an illness forced him to miss a few games in July of 2019. Other health issues popped up at the end of Sterling's illustrious career, and baseball's grueling travel took a toll on him before he retired twice in 2024, once early in the season and then for good after a postseason comeback that ended with the Yankees losing the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

All in all, Sterling broadcasted 5,631 Yankees games, including eight Fall Classics, before exiting the booth. Sterling, always colorful and original, also called every game of Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter's careers, among other Yankees greats. More recently, he was on the mic when Aaron Judge belted his single-season, American League record 62nd home run in 2022.

"John meant so much to us as Yankee fans and also baseball fans, just the way he described the game. Just the beauty he brought to it," Judge said Monday. "He lived life to the fullest, and his passion for the game was unmatched. Every time you heard his voice, you knew something special was happening. He made even a routine groundout sound like a World Series moment."

For fans who grew up listening to Sterling's iconic home run calls—from "It is high, it is far, it is gone!" to his personalized celebrations for each player—his voice was the soundtrack of Yankees baseball. His signature phrases became part of the fabric of the game, woven into the memories of countless fans who tuned in year after year. Sterling's ability to paint a picture with words made every at-bat feel like a story unfolding, and his enthusiasm was contagious, whether the Yankees were winning the World Series or struggling through a losing streak.

As the Yankees honored Sterling with a moment of silence before Monday's game, the crowd at Yankee Stadium rose to their feet, applauding a man who gave so much to the game. His legacy lives on not just in the record books, but in the hearts of fans and the voices of future broadcasters who will strive to capture even a fraction of his magic.