John Sterling called Jeter's 3,000th hit through tears: Suzyn Waldman remembers icon

Yahoo Sports1h ago11 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Suzyn Waldman recalls John Sterling's emotional call of Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit, highlighting his deep love for the Yankees and their fans. Sterling passed away at age 87, leaving a legacy in sports broadcasting.

Key points

Suzyn Waldman shared memories of John Sterling.
Sterling passed away at age 87.
Waldman recalled Sterling's emotional call of Jeter's 3,000th hit.
Sterling's calls came from the heart, without notes.
He had a unique bond with the Yankees and their fans.

Mentioned in this story

John SterlingDerek JeterSuzyn WaldmanDavid Price

New York Yankees

Suzyn Waldman spent decades sitting next to John Sterling in broadcast booths around the world and she offered a very simple explanation of why a whole sport is mourning the Yankees broadcaster who died Monday at age 87.

“That kind of love for a team and that kind of love for his fan base, there will never be another person like that,” Waldman said on WFAN hours after Sterling’s death was announced.

Waldman said her favorite Sterling moment was not one of his historic “It is high! It is far! It is gone!” and unique home run calls like “Bern, baby, Bern” for Bernie Williams. It is a simple call of a big moment that she cherishes: Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit on July 9, 2011, when Jeter homered off David Price to reach that milestone.

“He had tears coming down his face. He was crying. I was crying,” Waldman said. “When you see someone’s whole career – we met Derek Jeter when he was just 18 years old. That call was absolutely perfect. And he did it perfectly while he was really emotional.”

Waldman said Sterling never wrote down any of his iconic calls. What came out of him, she said, came from his heart.

She pointed to his call of the final out of the 1996 World Series. Charlie Hayes caught a popup in foul territory for the Yankees’ first championship in 18 years.

The Athletics Lawrence Butler is tagged out by Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas as he tires to extend his double into a triple during the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park on April 18, 2026.