Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers for 67 years, died Tuesday night. He was 94.
Scully died at his home in the Hidden Hills section of Los Angeles.
Scully was the longest tenured broadcaster with a single team in pro sports history. He opened broadcasts with the familiar greeting, “Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good evening to you wherever you may be.”
BIO:
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. Ever gracious both in person and on the air, Scully considered himself merely a conduit between the game and the fans.
Although he was paid by the Dodgers, Scully was unafraid to criticize a bad play or a manager’s decision, or praise an opponent while spinning stories against a backdrop of routine plays and noteworthy achievements. He always said he wanted to see things with his eyes, not his heart.
In 1953, at age 25, Scully became the youngest person to broadcast a World Series game, a mark that still stands. He called three perfect games and 18 no-hitters. He also was on the air when Don Drysdale set his scoreless innings streak of 58 2/3 innings in 1968 and again when Hershiser broke the record with 59 consecutive scoreless innings 20 years later. When Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run to break Babe Ruth’s record in 1974, it was against the Dodgers and, of course, Scully called it.
Vin Scully reciting the Field of Dreams “People Will Come, Ray” speech
Here are a few of Vin’s most iconic calls, including his call of Hank Aaron breaking the all-time home run record.
