Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione announces retirement after 42 seasons

Boston Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione announced Sunday that he will retire at the end of the season, his 42nd stint as the team’s commentator.

Castiglione, 77, made the announcement on WEEI’s broadcast as the Red Sox were batting in the fourth inning against the New York Yankees.

“It’s amazing to have him be a part of our family. To have him spend more time with his family, it’s great,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after a 5-2 loss. “We talked about it a little bit yesterday. I think everybody here and everybody in (Red Sox) nation knows what he means to this organization.”

Castiglione will remain with the team as an honorary ambassador. The Red Sox will honor him before the regular-season finale on Sept. 29 against Tampa Bay.

Castiglione joined Boston’s broadcast team in 1983 during Hall of Fame outfielder Carl Yastrzemski’s final season and is the longest-tenured play-by-play announcer in team history. He was on the air when the Red Sox ended an 86-year title drought by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 and called three more championships in 2007, 2013 and 2018.

Castiglione received the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting last July. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2014 along with Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens and Nomar Garciaparra, and in 2022 the home radio booth at Fenway Park was named the Joe Castiglione Booth.

“After 42 seasons with the Red Sox and more than 6,500 games, I have decided it is time to retire from regular broadcasting,” Castiglione said in a statement released by the team. “While I feel at the peak of my career … it is time to spend more time with Jan, my wife of almost 53 years, my children and my grandchildren.”

Castiglione began his career as a broadcaster at WFMJ-TV in Youngstown, Ohio, before doing major league play-by-play for Cleveland (1979, 1982) and Milwaukee (1981). He also did play-by-play for the Cleveland Cavaliers and college basketball on NESN.

“Joe is one of baseball’s greatest announcers,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in a statement. “His Hall of Fame recognition last July capped a career as a vivid storyteller who brought the game to life for generations of listeners.”