For an amazing 67 years, he was the voice of the Dodgers. First it was with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and then, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There was a poetry to the way Vin Scully would call baseball games. He was more of a storyteller than an announcer, and knew how to use pauses to let the roar of the crowd punctuate a dramatic event.
In one of his last interviews, Scully talked to KCLU’s Lance Orozco in December. While his name has always been, and always will be a part of Dodger baseball legend, he admitted as a young boy he was a fan of the team’s arch rivals in New York, and later San Francisco.
"My grammar school was 20 blocks from the Polo Grounds in New York" said Scully. "Thanks to the Catholic youth organization, and the Police Athletic League, I was able to go for free."
He said he was a Giants fan until he started to work in the businesses, and got a job with the Dodgers.
Scully said he had a front row seat to some of baseball’s greatest moments, so it was hard to choose a favorite. But, he said the Dodgers miracle win over the Oakland A’s in the first game of the 1988 World Series ranked high.
"The one I feel shook everyone up was the Gibson home run in the 1988 World Series," said Scully.
The Dodgers were losing 4-3 with a runner on base in the ninth inning. Slugger Kirk Gibson was injured, and was nowhere to be seen in the dugout. Scully said on the air because of that, Gibson wasn't going to play.
But, Gibson was in the trainer's room, and when he heard what Scully said on TV, he went to the dugout. The Dodgers put him into the game, and he hit a dramatic two run home run to win the game.
Scully retired in 2016, after 67 years of calling Dodger games. Did he ever think twice about stepping down?
"Not at all," said Scully. "When I hung it up, I knew it was time."
Scully wasn’t just the voice of the Dodgers. He also did games for NBC, as well as football, tennis, and golf for CBS. But, he’s best known as the voice of Dodger Baseball.
Generations of fans grew up with him. He was part of the soundtrack of Southern California. For decades, fans would bring their radios to Dodger Stadium, and you would hear his voice booming across the field during the game.
While he mostly did TV during his final years with the Dodgers, there was nothing like Scully on the radio… he could paint a picture with words of games.
Through marriages and divorces, births and deaths, good times and bad, he was the one constant, a reassuring, familiar voice for baseball fans. For many, he was like a part of the family.
Scully lived in Ventura County for many years, in Westlake Village, but moved to Hidden Hills. That’s where he passed away Tuesday, at the age of 94.
