Legendary Red Sox broadcaster gives perfect final release on end of 2024 season

The Boston Red Sox concluded their 2024 season with a win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. But the real star of the show was retired radio host Joe Castiglione.

Castiglione, 74, has been the summer voice of the Red Sox for the past 42 years. He was awarded the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award earlier this summer and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. But Sunday was the most special day ever for the retiring legend.

Before the game, Castiglione was honored on the field by members of the 1986, 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018 Red Sox teams, five memorable years in franchise history, while on the scoreboard a montage of the network’s calls for those playoff Running could be seen. Castiglione also threw out the first pitch.

However, nothing could compare to Castiglione’s masterful conclusion to his storied career. He took over the broadcast on both television and radio for the final inning of the Red Sox’s 3-1 victory, and when the final game was taped, it was Castiglione’s moment to shine.

First, the legend quoted former Major League Baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, a Boston native and former president of Yale, in his groundbreaking book: A great and glorious game.

It breaks your heart. It should break your heart. The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and in summer it blooms, filling the afternoons and evenings, and as soon as the cool rain comes, it stops, leaving you to face autumn alone. You rely on it, rely on time to pass, the memory of sunshine and high skies to remain alive, and then, as all the days dawn, when you need it most, it stops… and summer is here gone.

But Castiglione had, as only he could, one last verse of his own to add.

“Another season has passed. My 42 years here have passed so quickly, but now it’s time to say goodbye to Red Sox Nation…at least on a regular basis. And to pass the baton to my good friend Will Fleming.”

It was quintessential Castiglione. In a moment that was all about himself, he still managed to shed light on everyone else. And Fleming was so touched by the handover, which Castiglione was under no pressure to make, that he could barely speak through tears.

As Castiglione previously predicted, this probably won’t be the last time he sits behind a microphone to address a Red Sox game. But it was the end of a remarkable run to the Hall of Fame. And we all salute him for that.

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