“We have lost an icon,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement.
“Dodgers’ Vin Scully was one of the greatest voices in all of sports. He was a giant of a man, not only as a broadcaster but as a humanitarian,” Kasten said.
“He loved people. He loved life. He loved baseball and the Dodgers. And he loved his family. His voice will always be heard and imprinted in the minds of all of us forever.”
The beloved broadcaster, who was born Vincent Edward Scully in New York on Nov. 29, 1927, died at his home in Hidden Hills, Los Angeles County, according to the team. He is survived by his five children, 21 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Among his many honors, Scully received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Ford S. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A graduate of Fordham University, Scully began his career with the Dodgers through their original home of Brooklyn, New York, when he was assigned by Hall of Fame broadcaster Red Barber as the third man on the broadcast team.
At 25, he became the youngest person to broadcast a World Series game in 1953, and when Barber left to join the New York Yankees two years later, Scully was the voice of the Dodgers.
Barber was an early influence on the young broadcaster when he said at the Baseball Hall of Fame: “Red was my teacher … and my father. I don’t know – maybe I was the son he never had. It was” So much , that he taught me how to broadcast. It was an attitude. Get to the park early. Do your homework. Be prepared. Be precise.”
From the broadcast booth, Scully became the storyteller of baseball’s greatest franchises. He was there when the Boys of Summer won their first World Series in 1955 and called the final innings of Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. It was one of more than 20 hitters that Scully covered in his career, the team notes.
When the franchise abruptly left Brooklyn for Los Angeles in 1958, Scully also left his hometown to continue his 67-year career with the Dodgers, the longest tenure of any broadcaster with one team, said the team.
In addition to covering the Dodgers, he was also heard on national television as an announcer for golf and football, as well as baseball.
His most famous calls include when Hank Aaron of the Braves hit his 715th home run in Atlanta, passing Babe Ruth, and the last 9 home run off the injured Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
Friends and fans pay their respects
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, speaking after the team beat the Giants in San Francisco on Tuesday night, said the broadcaster inspired him to be better. “There is no better storyteller. I think they all consider him family. He was in our living room for so many generations. Dodger fans consider him part of their family. He lived a fantastic life, a legacy that will live on forever.”
Another Southern California sports icon, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, said Dodger Nation has lost a legend. “I will always remember his smooth broadcasting style. He had a voice and a delivery that made you think he was only talking to you.” Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James described Scully as “Another great who made the sport so damn special.” Tennis great Billie Jean King said Scully will be missed: “He was a true sports storyteller,” she said on Twitter. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said his death marks the end of a chapter in the city’s history. “He brought us together, he inspired us and showed us all what it means to serve Our City Hall will be dedicated to you tomorrow Vin our dear friend the Voice of LA Thank you from a grateful and loving city.
Scully broadcast his last home game for the Dodgers on September 25, 2016.
In a 2020 interview with CNN, Scully described how it felt: “When I was leaving Dodger Stadium, my last day at the ballpark, I put a big sign on the door of the booth window and it said, ‘I’m going to miss you.’ That’s how I felt about the fans.”
CNN’s Gillian Martin contributed to this report.
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