Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, the longest-tenured voice with a single team in pro sports history, died Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers said. He was 94.
For 67 years, Scully’s storytelling entertained and informed Dodgers fans in Brooklyn, Los Angeles and beyond. He began in the 1950s era of Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson, on to the 1960s with Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax, into the 1970s with Steve Garvey and Don Sutton, and through the 1980s with Orel Hershiser and Fernando Valenzuela. In the 1990s, it was Mike Piazza and Hideo Nomo, followed by Clayton Kershaw, Manny Ramirez and Yasiel Puig in the 21st century.
After news of his passing broke in Oracle Park during a Dodgers-San Francisco Giants game, the host Giants showed a tribute to him on the video board. Oracle Park is the stadium where in October 2016 Scully broadcast his final Dodgers game.
Scully tells his story here.
"I've been privileged to share in your passion and love for this great game." —Vin Scully ????
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/WWXSevjSHD
— ESPN (@espn) August 3, 2022
ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap narrates Scully’s obituary, which features his iconic calls not only in baseball but the NFL and more.
In a 2016 Front Row post, Schaap recalled interviewing Scully for an E60 profile while also contributing to ESPN’s marathon coverage of the death of Muhammad Ali.
Scully was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. In 2017 at the ESPYS, Scully received the Icon Award.
“There’s not a better storyteller, and I think everyone considers him family,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He was in our living rooms for many generations. He lived a fantastic life, a legacy that will live on forever.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Vin Scully is the bar no one in our profession will ever reach. Graceful, eloquent. A storyteller with the ability to pilot passengers on an unforgettable journey without leaving the couch. He painted with words and each game was a masterpiece.
— Karl Ravech (@karlravechespn) August 3, 2022
We have lost the greatest broadcaster who ever lived as Vin Scully passed away Tuesday evening. Every game was a masters class as he turned an inning into poetry. And as great as he was, he was just as nice. Class, elegance and grace were all part of his humble but regal being.
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) August 3, 2022
Doing the game for the @Dodgers today in the booth he did his very last @MLB game. #RIPVin ???????????? https://t.co/dmO8uAiysi pic.twitter.com/x5h18waLJ8
— Jessica Mendoza (@jessmendoza) August 3, 2022
https://twitter.com/MarlyRiveraESPN/status/1554805837553704961
Vin Scully was a storyteller, and nobody ever told the story of baseball better. He called games with such elegance and grace. He spoke only when necessary, allowing the broadcast to breathe when it demanded. He made baseball a more beautiful game. RIP. https://t.co/cmQ2nGJW3Y
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 3, 2022
Oh man, what a colossal loss. A true legend. https://t.co/M14n6PQhR0
— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) August 3, 2022
It is very likely that in the entire history of sports, no one person touched more lives, or mattered to more people, than Vin Scully. He was far more than the greatest announcer of all time. He was a gentleman and a role model, whose impact on the game will never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/3qPMK8tAeH
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) August 3, 2022