WFAN’s John Sterling blows call on Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton not-HR

Yankees broadcaster John Sterling called a home run for Giancarlo Stanton even though it was a single in Tuesday night's American League Wild Card Game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

BOSTON — Legendary WFAN play-by-player John Sterling blew the call on Giancarlo Stanton’s single in the first inning of Yankees-Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game on Tuesday night.

Stanton hammered a Nathan Eovaldi slider deep to left field. Stanton took it easy out of the box, seemingly thinking it was a home run.

The 83-year-old Sterling was fooled, as well.

“Drilled, there it goes! Deep to left! It is high! It is far! It is … gone! Out of the ballpark! A Stantonian home run!” Sterling said.

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Except it wasn’t.

The ball clanked off the MGM Resorts sign in the middle of the Green Monster. Since Stanton didn’t run hard, it ended up a single instead of a double.

Sterling, who was at the ballpark, quickly realized his mistake.

“Now, what did I do wrong? What did I see wrong? He’s at first base,” Sterling said.

The Yankees wound up losing the game, 6-2, sending the Bronx Bombers home for the season.

Stering and his radio partner Suzyn Waldman called the majority of the Yankees’ road game from a monitor at Yankee Stadium in 2020 and 2021, due to coronavirus protocols.

Sterling has been the Yankees’ primary play-by-play man since 1989. He called 5,060 consecutive Yankees games before he took an eight-day (four-game) break in July 2019 to handle health issues. It’s been a rough month or so for Sterling, whose car was nearly submerged with him stranded inside following flooding from Hurricane Ida in Edgewater on Sept. 1. Yankees broadcaster Ricki Ricardo, who also lives in Edgewater, rescued Sterling.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com.

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