Legendary Sportscaster Vin Scully Dies at 94 Years Old

By Mark Mwachiro 

He was named Top Sportscaster of the Century back in 2009, but to many, it was personal; he was their top sportscaster. Vin Scully died Tuesday night at the age of 94.  

The news of Scully’s passing came from a tweet posted by the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, for whom Scully called games for 67 years, starting when the baseball team still played in Brooklyn, until his retirement after the 2016 regular season.

The games he called were not only classics, but cultural milestones. His voice was heard on television when Hank Aaron broke the Major Baseball home run record in 1974 with his 715th home run.

“A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol,” Scully told listeners. “What a marvelous moment for baseball.”

Scully’s voice did not just resonate within Southern California. It boomed across the country as he called nationally-televised sporting events for CBS and NBC.

Scully was present during football and golf seasons. NFL fans, for instance, will link him to “The Catch,” the call that he made during the 1981 NFC Championship when what was supposed to be a Dallas Cowboys victory improbably turned into a loss after San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark came down with the game-winning touchdown pass thrown by Joe Montana.

He will also be remembered for his call in Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in 1956 and his numerous memorable calls during the World Series, including Bill Buckner’s error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Kirk Gibson’s walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, and Joe Carter’s World Series winning home run in Game 6 in 1993.

Tributes to Scully came from all areas, far and wide.

 

Scully was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, and in 1995 he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.

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