Costas, 72, confirmed to The Athletic that he’s retiring from MLB play-by-play broadcasting, a decision the Emmy award-winning sportscaster said he will expand upon at a later date.
He last called the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals on TBS earlier this month, where the Yankees advanced in four games. Costas’ broadcasting performance drew some criticism on social media, with some lamenting his lack of enthusiasm and several muffed calls, but that reportedly had nothing to do with his retirement. According to The Athletic, Costas made the decision to step back from play-by-play ahead of the season to coincide with the end of his TNT Sports contract.
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Costas has served as an MLB play-by-play announcer for more than four decades. He first started calling baseball games in 1980 for NBC Sports, where he covered a variety of sporting events, from the Olympics to the NBA and the NFL until he departed the network in 2019. Costas joined MLB Network at its inception in 2009 and later joined TNT Sports in 2021.
Despite relinquishing play-by-play duties, Costas will continue on with MLB Network as a studio show analyst and will remain the voice of the Hall of Fame announcement.
Costas has provided many memorable calls across his play-by-play broadcasting career, including Yankees superstar Derek Jeter’s final home game at Yankee Stadium, where Jeter hit a RBI single to beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-5: ‘A base hit to right! Here comes (Antoan) Richardson, they’re waving him home! The throw, it’s close but he scores! On a walk off hit by Derek Jeter!’
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