John Sterling was prepared this time when Justin Turner sent a foul ball for the second time into the Yankees’ radio booth. But he quipped to know why the Boston Red Sox infielder had developed a knack for hitting in his direction.
In a previous instance this season, John Sterling was hit in the face by a foul ball off Turner’s bat during a Red Sox game at Yankee Stadium. Fortunately, the injury wasn’t severe, and John Sterling was back in the booth the following day with a bandage above his left eye. Interestingly, this past weekend, the Yankees‘ radio booth experienced another foul ball incident, and surprisingly, it was once again Turner’s bat that was responsible.
On this occasion, the foul ball ended up hitting the trash can in the radio booth but John Sterling docked it. Nevertheless, the question remains: why have there been two instances of foul balls finding their way into the radio booth?
“I’ve never done anything wrong to Justin Turner, and he’s come hunting for me twice,” John Sterling pondered if there might be some deliberate intention behind the foul balls, expressing his curiosity about the situation.
On the previous occasion, Waldman, John Sterling’s broadcasting colleague, carried the ball to Turner and requested his signature. However, with Turner once again sending a ball into the booth, Waldman approached him seeking an explanation for the recurring occurrences.
“I took that ball, and I wrote on it, ‘Dear Justin, why do you hate us so much? Love John and Suzyn, New York Yankees radio,’ and I gave it to him before the game,” Waldman told. “Once a series, he hits a ball into the booth.”
John Sterling knows what to do
It seemed that John Sterling had taken a lesson from the initial foul ball incident. Following his encounter with Turner’s powerful foul ball in June, the 85-year-old commentator showed better reflexes this time and managed to duck away from the ball.
John Sterling added that what concerned him was the fact that the radio booth didn’t usually receive many balls due to its distant location.
Perhaps it wasn’t a common occurrence for foul balls to find their way into the broadcast booth before, but experiencing two within a single season is undoubtedly noteworthy. And it becomes even more peculiar when both instances involve the same player from the opposing team.
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