Mariners announcer Dave Sims to replace John Sterling as voice of the Yankees

[sadly] Hey Now

The Yankees announced today that long-time Mariners announcer Dave Sims will officially be tapped to replace John Sterling as the voice of the Yankees as the play-by-play announcer on WFAN, the Yankees’ radio network. Sims was reportedly one of two finalists for the job, along with Rickie Ricardo, who calls the Spanish-language games on WFAN.

While excited about Sims, many Yankees fans seemed to be pulling for Ricardo, who’s been calling Yankee games in Spanish for the past decade, citing his familiarity with the team and chemistry with Suzyn Waldman, who’s been the color commentator for the Yankees since 2005 as MLB’s first full-time female color commentator. However, under Ricardo’s stewardship the Spanish-language broadcast has grown into a formidable entity of its own, attracting millions of listeners and a dedicated fanbase. Rather than trying to replace him, WFAN opted to bring in the 71-year-old, Philadelphia-born Sims, who was a midday sports talk host on the station for five years starting in 1989.

Sims came to the Mariners in 2007, focusing on baseball full-time after calling basketball and football, both collegiate and professional. After the death of Mariners broadcasting legend Dave Niehaus in 2010, Sims moved into the role of regular TV broadcaster, while Rick Rizzs—who became the longest-tenured voice of the Mariners in 2020—held down the radio side. As the primary play-by-play television broadcaster for the Mariners, Sims paid homage to the legendary Niehaus, acknowledging his calls (especially the iconic “grand salami” call) while also contributing his own catchphrases to Mariners lore: from the heights of “Giddy up!” for a towering home run to the depths of “oh BROTHER” or “POPped it up” when things didn’t go well for the hometown nine. He played on players’ existing nicknames while adding his own flair: Nelson Cruz came to the Mariners as Boomstick, but Sims made him “Boomstick Baby.” Most famously, he called the Cal Raleigh’s playoff drought-breaking home run, ending on a triumphant echo of maybe his best-known catchphrase: “Hey now, hey now, hey now.”

Tomorrow Eric will be doing FanPost Friday in honor of Dave Sims, so pick out your favorite Sims call or moment and share it there.

It’s unclear how the Mariners will fill the vacancy Sims leaves behind, or if they will. Generally, Sims and Aaron Goldsmith traded off television play-by-play duties, with Gary Hill Jr. and Rick Rizzs also contributing play-by-play and color commentary on the radio side. Mike Blowers and Angie Mentink provided color commentary for television. It would be nice to see Angie get some more opportunities, especially as the Mariners are losing one of their diverse voices—and by his own count, one of only eight Black announcers in MLB history—in Sims; Mentink also brings a sense of connection for Mariners fans, as a former standout softball player at the University of Washington who’s been reporting on the Mariners since 1998.

Still, it’s a sad day for many Mariners fans, especially those whose fandom was shaped by Sims calling iconic moments in Mariners history, from the heartbreak of Game 162 to Paxton’s no-hitter to Félix’s perfect game to Cal’s drought-busting homer. We wish Dave, who has been a steadfast friend of the site and of all Mariners fans, all the best in the Big Apple.

Don’t forget to weigh in on tomorrow’s FPF with your favorite Sims calls. Hey now.