Vin Scully, forever the voice of the Dodgers, dead at 94
Vin Scully, the voice of the Dodgers for more than six decades, whose folksy manner and melodic language made him a beloved figure in American culture, died Tuesday, the team announced.
A household name in Southern California, where he held a running conversation with baseball fans each season, He was 94.
His career with the Dodgers, which dated back to 1950 when the team was still in Brooklyn, took off with the move to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. Wooing a new fan base, he was on his way to becoming one of sports’ greatest broadcasters, blessed with a knack for storytelling and, as veteran commentator Bob Costas put it, “the sheer sound of his voice.”
In an interview in 2016, his final season, Scully described his approach to the job simply: “I guess it’s kind of a running commentary with an imaginary friend.”
Among his most famous broadcasts was the 1965 perfect game by Sandy Koufax. With the Dodgers playing the Chicago Cubs, Koufax headed to the mound for the ninth inning needing three more outs. Scully told listeners it was “the toughest walk of his career, I’m sure.”
Koufax later said: “It may sound corny, but I enjoyed listening to Vin call a game almost more than playing in them. ... He definitely is the all-century broadcaster as far as I’m concerned.”
Born in the Bronx on Nov.
