John Sterling might have exited Yankee Stadium, but his booming voice has not.
Similar to how Bob Sheppard’s classic baritone lived on with Derek Jeter, who still walked up to the plate to Sheppard’s voice after the longtime public address announcer died, Sterling’s pipes will continue to sing in The Bronx after the radio legend retired Saturday.
Following last weekend’s farewell ceremony, the Yankees have played Sterling’s signature call — “Thuhhhhhhhh, Yankees win!” — after victories at home, shortly before Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” is heard throughout the park.
The Yankees will continue using Sterling’s call at least through the end of the season, a spokesman said before Thursday’s series finale against the A’s.
“I think that’s great,” said longtime Sterling radio partner Suzyn Waldman. “I think it’s wonderful.”
After home victories this week, many fans have sung the victory call with Sterling, who has been synonymous with Yankees baseball since joining the organization during the 1989 season.
Several had suggested the Yankees honor Sterling — and ensure his voice lives on — by doing exactly what they have done.
Aaron Boone was among those several.
“I’d love to see that, ‘Thuhhhhhhhh, Yankees win!’ at the end of all of our games now here,” the manager said shortly before Sterling walked away. “That would be kind of cool.”
The 85-year-old Sterling put a bow on his career after calling 5,420 regular-season Yankees games and 211 postseason Yankees games — including 5,060 consecutive from September 1989 to July 2019.
He said goodbye with an entertaining news conference and on-field ceremony in which he particularly said thank you to the fans.
Without Sterling, Waldman has continued calling games on the radio and been partnered with either Justin Shackil or Emmanuel Berbari, who had been filling in anyway as Sterling’s schedule had begun to shrink.
For the many who will miss Sterling’s iconic catchphrases, the Yankees are ensuring at least one remains for now.
“I’m sure he’ll be very flattered, and I’m sure he’ll love it,” Waldman said.
There is wonder whether the next step for Sterling will be a permanent residence in Monument Park, where plaques salute Sheppard and longtime broadcaster Mel Allen.
Before Sterling said goodbye to Yankee Stadium — saying he still loves broadcasting but did not think he had the strength and stamina to keep working — he was asked about the possibility of joining his fellow legendary voices in hallowed ground for the Yankees.
“If they say to you, ‘We’re going to put a plaque up in Monument Park,’ you wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, no, don’t do that,’ ” Sterling said to laughs. “Anything that has happened to me now is all grist for my mill. I never ever dreamt that I’d be recognized.
“If it happens, it happens.”
