BOSTON — The Boston Pink Sox honored longtime radio voice Joe Castiglione, who is asking his last recreation Sunday, with an on-field pregame ceremony.
Castiglione, 74, who was inducted into the Baseball Corridor of Fame this summer time with the Ford C. Frick Award, has been the crew’s lead radio voice since 1983.
In the course of the ceremony, the crew performed highlights of his calls over movies of the American League championship crew in 1986, and Boston’s World Sequence title groups in 2004, ’07, ’13 and ’18 on the center-field scoreboard.
Members of these groups got here onto the sector in the course of the ceremony. Corridor of Famer Jim Rice highlighted the ’86 group and Corridor of Famer Pedro Martinez was one of many ’04 former gamers.
Castiglione referred to his name ending the ’04 championship that broke an 86-year title drought, when he thanked the followers. It got here on a floor ball again to pitcher Keith Foulke, who was additionally there to characterize that crew.
“I’ll miss being your eyes and ears,” he stated. “For 42 years, all I can say is: Are you able to consider it!”
Requested how he felt making the decision of his last out — a liner to heart by Tampa Bay’s Richie Palacios that ended a 3-1 victory by the Pink Sox, Castiglione stated: “I used to be form of numb. It form of felt just like the ninth inning in St. Louis in ’04. … It nonetheless actually hasn’t set in, in all probability will not till subsequent spring.”
Earlier than the highest of the eighth, the crew ran a montage of his calls over highlights proven on the center-field scoreboard. When it was over, the complete Pink Sox dugout emptied, with gamers, coaches and supervisor Alex Cora stepping onto the sector, wanting up and applauding towards him within the sales space behind residence plate.
“I had some moments, particularly when Alex introduced the gamers out,” Castiglione stated.
Jackie Bradley, the 2018 ALCS MVP, caught a ceremonial first pitch from Castiglione previous to the 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
“Forty-two years is a protracted, very long time for somebody to be working each single day to undergo the struggles and the successes, the journey and the approach to life, and at all times have a smile,” Martinez stated. “These are the sort of those who deserve all of the respect that we’re giving him immediately.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu handed him a proclamation declaring Sept. 29, 2024, as “Joe Castiglione Day” in Boston. Workforce president Sam Kennedy introduced him with letters from Fenway Park’s notorious Inexperienced Monster that learn: “CASTIG” in white with a inexperienced background colour of the Monster.
Cora, a member of the ’07 crew, was additionally on the sector and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, representing the ’13 squad, was on the sector as nicely.
Castiglione signed off like he does every season, studying a part of A. Bartlett Giamatti’s “The Inexperienced Fields of the Thoughts.”
“I did straight away, proper after the sport ended,” he stated.