Bob Costas is retiring as a Main League Baseball play-by-play caller, marking the top of a legendary run by which he turned synonymous with the sport over 4 many years and earned a spot within the broadcasting wing of the Baseball Corridor of Fame.
Costas confirmed the information Thursday when reached by The Athletic, however stated he would favor to deal with the choice and his MLB play-by-play profession at a later date. His final recreation broadcast on TBS was the New York Yankees’ Sport 4 clincher within the American League Divison Collection. Costas vaguely insinuated that it may be his last name towards the top of the published.
Costas, 72, will proceed along with his emeritus work at MLB Community, the place he contributes to a number of exhibits as an analyst, together with on historic occasions, just like the Corridor of Fame announcement. He has been MLBN’s lead play-by-play voice on video games because the community’s inception 15 years in the past, however will cede that function, as properly.
The choice to retire was made by Costas previous to the season, which coincided along with his contract ending, in keeping with sources briefed on the choice.
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In 2020, Costas joined CNN on the urging of Jeff Zucker, the chief of the community. When Zucker additionally took over management of what’s now generally known as TNT Sports activities, he enlisted Costas for baseball.
Costas and Zucker have an extended historical past collectively, relationship to when Zucker, contemporary out of Harvard, was an Olympic researcher for Costas in 1988.
In the course of the TBS playoffs, Costas referred to as the Yankees’ sequence and drew quite a lot of consideration as a consequence of his profile and the notion, particularly amongst some on social media, that he wasn’t as on high of the motion as he as soon as was and lacked some enthusiasm on some massive moments.
Costas has acknowledged that his play-by-play fell shy of the usual he set for himself when he first actually joined the baseball game-calling scene throughout his widespread partnership with Tony Kubek on NBC within the Nineteen Eighties.
Costas referred to as his first MLB recreation for NBC 44 years in the past. Over his many years within the recreation, he was on the mic for 3 World Collection and 10 league championships.
He additionally labored as a play-by-play or host on an array of these occasions, plus divisional spherical playoffs and All-Star video games. Costas received the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence from the Baseball Corridor of Fame in 2018.
After leaving NBC in 2019, Zucker recruited Costas for CNN and TBS, which is now below the TNT Sports activities umbrella. Costas hosted its postseason playoff protection after which moved into the play-by-play function. Costas changed Don Orsillo.
Whereas Brian Anderson remained the TNT Sports activities’ high MLB game-caller, Costas would normally obtain the extra high-profile project throughout the divisional spherical sequence. This yr, for instance, Costas was on the Yankees-Kansas Metropolis Royals divisional spherical sequence, whereas Anderson labored the Cleveland Guardians–Detroit Tigers.
Costas will proceed with MLB Community, although, not on play-by-play. He had referred to as the community’s “Showcase” telecasts because the inception of the community in 2009.
Apart from showing on different exhibits, he has fronted applications like “Studio 42 with Bob Costas,” “MLB’s Best Video games” and “Costas on the Motion pictures.”
When MLBN started on New Yr’s Day, 2009, Costas adopted a never-before-seen replay of Don Larsen’s 1956 excellent recreation by interviewing the Yankees battery of Larsen and Yogi Berra.
TNT Sports activities will now seek for a Costas play-by-play substitute for its common season and playoff protection.
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(Photograph: Alex Trautwig / MLB by way of Getty Pictures)
