John Sterling, the New York Yankees veteran radio broadcaster, will work Sunday night's game against the Boston Red Sox despite being struck in the head with a foul ball during the final moments of Saturday night's contest, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
The incident occurred during the top of the ninth inning. Red Sox designated hitter Justin Turner fouled back a 3-2 offering from Clay Holmes that struck Sterling around the left eyebrow. Sterling, 84, claimed to be fine other than some initial bleeding.
Sterling acknowledged being hit in real time. "Ow! Ow! Ow! It really hit me," he said. "I didn't know it was coming back that far." Sterling then pressed forward to continue with his call of the action. (Turner soon thereafter grounded out to bring the game to an end.) Here's the play in question:
John Sterling got hit by a Justin Turner foul ball then got right back on the mic like an absolute warrior pic.twitter.com/JHsVTKEVPA
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 11, 2023
And here's a look at Sterling on the play:
"I took one for the team." -John Sterling, Legend. @WFAN660 pic.twitter.com/ec9FA7xSnt
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 11, 2023
Sterling has called games for the Yankees since 1989. He only returned to the booth on Tuesday after missing more than 20 games due to illness and family obligations.
The Yankees and Red Sox will conclude their weekend series on Sunday night. The sides have split the first two games. The Yankees are expected to start right-hander Clarke Schmidt on Sunday night while the Red Sox answer with righty Brayan Bello.
