Legendary Dodgers broadcast Vin Scully died on Tuesday, the team announced. He was 94. Throughout his decades behind the microphone, Scully gave voice to some of the biggest moments in the history of baseball, and brought viewers and listeners at home countless stories about those that had made it to the big leagues.
“He was the best there ever was,” Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw said after Tuesday night’s game in San Francisco . “Just when you think about the Dodgers, there’s a lot of history here and a lot of people that have come through. It’s just a storied franchise all the way around.
But it almost starts with Vin, honestly. ” As news of his passing spread, fans began sharing their favorite calls that Scully had made throughout his career. First among them in the minds of most fans is undoubtedly Kirk Gibson’s walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
After being left out of the lineup due to injury, Gibson was called upon to pinch hit for the Dodgers when they were down to their last out. He launched one out of the park, and celebrated through the pain as he rounded the bases. “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!” Scully said.
Beyond a brilliant line to give context to the moment, Scully was also a master of letting the crowd do the talking. After saying his piece, he let the cheers of the fans sing out. He used a similar tact when calling Sandy Koufax’s perfect game .
“I would think that the mound at Dodger Stadium right now is the loneliest place in the world,” Scully said, with Koufax two outs away from perfection. The entirety of Scully’s call is worth a listen, but the moment that sticks out is right after the final out. “Swung on and missed, a perfect game!” Scully calls, before giving way to the cheers of the crowd for nearly a full minute, uninterrupted.
Scully also had a knack for telling incredible stories in the midst of a game. With the Atlanta Braves visiting Dodger Stadium in 2015, Scully teed up a story of outfielder Jonny Gomes surviving a wolf attack as a child. Scully keeps those watching at home up to date with the count, all while detailing the harrowing, dizzying encounter.
If Scully on wolves isn’t of your interest, here is Scully on rattlesnakes and baby bunnies: Scully could take any lazy summer afternoon and spin a story so compelling it would change the way you viewed a player. His ability to toggle between storytime and keeping listeners engaged with the game was unmatched. But it wasn’t just Scully’s stories that kept fans tuning in.
He also happened to voice some of the biggest moments in sports, even outside of baseball. He provided another enduring call on the 49ers’ comeback win over the Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship, when Joe Montana connected with Dwight Clark for the game-winning score, on a play that simply became known as “The Catch. ” Again, Scully knows when to talk, and when to get out of the way.
Scully was also on the call for Hank Aaron’s 715th home run. He made the most of the moment. Scully gave way to the crowd as Aaron rounded the bases, before chiming in as he celebrated with his teammates at home plate.
“What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta, and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for country and the world,” Scully said.
“A black man is getting a standing ovation in the deep South for breaking the record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron. ” But Scully said that his most emotional call was a personal one, after he and a childhood friend got to live out their shared dreams in the same moment.
RIP to a legend. .
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/vin-scully-best-calls-stories-2022-8