Joe Castiglione joins Red Sox greats in Cooperstown. Fittingly, he'll decide exit plan

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — As if anyone needs another reason to understand Joe Castiglione’s importance to baseball — that is, aside from the decades of just-close-your-eyes-and-listen scene-setting as the radio voice of the Boston Red Sox — we ask that you consider this timeline:

• Ted Williams broke in with the Red Sox in 1939 and ended his Hall of Fame-bound career in 1960.

• Carl Yastrzemski broke in with the Red Sox in 1961 and closed out his Hall of Fame-bound career in 1983.

• And 77-year-old Joe Castiglione, who was in Cooperstown Saturday to receive the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award awarded to broadcasters for “major contributions to baseball,” debuted as a Red Sox play-by-play barker in 1983 after earlier stints with the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers.

Save for Teddy Ballgame’s seasons away from Boston due to military service, what we have, then, is 85 years of Red Sox history that can be told through the careers of three men. And now all three of them are forever joined in Cooperstown — Williams and Yastrzemski as Hall of Famers, Castiglione as the 2024 recipient of the Ford Frick Award.

Cooperstown’s Alice Busch Opera Theater, which is where the Frick Award and the Baseball Writers Association of America’s Career Excellence Award are presented, was awash in emotions on Saturday. The writers award was bestowed posthumously to the late Gerry Fraley, who covered the Phillies, Braves and Texas Rangers for decades. The Athletic’s Chad Jennings (in his capacity as president of the BBWAA) and retired Orange County Register columnist Mark Whicker took turns talking about the irascible “Frales,” as Fraley was known in ballparks everywhere.

Few writers were as committed to their craft as Gerry Fraley — a writer who was driven to win.

Mark Whicker speaks on behalf of the 2024 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winner. pic.twitter.com/v3nbZH2ioT

— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) July 20, 2024

As for Castiglione, it was quickly made clear that the Frick Award is just about the biggest personal moment of his career, even if Castig busily and dutifully devoted large portions of his acceptance speech Saturday afternoon to talking about other people. He talked about how he met his wife, Jan, while working at a television station in Youngstown, Ohio. He talked about former broadcast booth partners who are no longer with us, including Ken Coleman and Bob Starr. He talked about Hall of Fame Cleveland Indians hurler Bob Feller, who, Castig said, “would play catch with my kids and come to their birthday parties.” He talked about former Indians slugger Andre Thornton and the late Red Sox GM Lou Gorman. He talked about the late Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino, who, he said, “deserves a place in Cooperstown for building ballparks and teams.” He then added he’ll be back to Cooperstown for the inductions of Dwight Evans, Luis Tiant and Roger Clemens.

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He talked about people who might be unfamiliar to you but have been important to him over the years. Pam Kenn. Doug Lane. Bill Flynn. Lloyd Walsh. Jeff Idelson. Tom “T-Bone” Giordano.

He talked about such broadcast icons as Ernie Harwell, Mel Allen and Red Barber.

Congratulations to 2024 Ford C. Frick Award recipient, Joe Castiglione!

Hear his best calls for the @RedSox across his 40+ seasons in the radio booth! 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/hQ1fivKiCP

— MLB (@MLB) July 20, 2024

But earlier in the day, during a session with the media, when Castiglione talked about another legendary play-by-play pioneer, the late Vin Scully, it became apparent that Boston’s Ted Williams-Carl Yastrzemski-Joe Castiglione Red Sox conga line is nearing its end, as all things do.

“I remember several years ago, Vin Scully announced he would be coming back for his 65th year on Dodger baseball,” Castiglione said.  “At the time, I had about 35 years with the Red Sox.”

When the Red Sox and Dodgers met up for an interleague series, “I walked into (Scully’s) booth to congratulate him on 65 years,” Castiglione said. As Castig told us this story, he proceeded to break out a really, really bad Vin Scully imitation: “Oh, you can do it too,” he said Scully told him, referring to broadcasting games for 65 years.

Castig then dropped the Scully imitation and said, “I did the math. I’d be about 97. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Well, no, it’s not. But it did become a jumping-off point to Castiglione’s real-life exit plan from the broadcasting business. And to listen to him, it’s clear he’s going to be stepping way much sooner rather than much later.

“I’m still thinking about it,” Castiglione said in response to a question about retiring. “I love it, I still have fun.”

He then said this: “I’ve been gone for a third of the year for 45 years, and we have an empty nest. ‘Course, we have three grandchildren living a mile away. A lot of their games to see. We’ll sort of reassess after this event and see what happens next.

Three grandchildren living a mile away. A lot of their games to see. Let that sink in.

“But the Red Sox have been great,” Castiglione said. “Audacy Broadcasting has been great. I do 90 games now. They let me pick the games. So we’ll get together and huddle and see what happens.”

Can you believe it?!

Congrats to our very own Joe Castiglione on receiving the 2024 Ford C. Frick Award! pic.twitter.com/18DHGpBpUO

— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 20, 2024

What will happen is that Castiglione emerges as the author of his exit strategy. Just as Teddy Ballgame did. Just as Yaz did. In professional sports, the great ones generally get to choose the when and the where. The Red Sox would not, could not, push Castig out. And it would be audacious for Audacy, which owns Sox flagship station WEEI, to make a move.

Joe Castiglione, who has made all the great calls on Red Sox radio since 1983, will get to make his own last call. Since he doesn’t get to swing the bat, he won’t be hitting a home run in his last at-bat, as Williams did. But he came close to it on Saturday when baseball’s Hall handed him the Ford Frick Award.

Ted Williams. Carl Yastrzemski. Joe Castiglione. Together in Cooperstown.

(Photo: Gregory Fisher / USA Today)