Bob Costas Retiring From Calling MLB Games After 44 Years
The veteran sportscaster will still appear on the MLB Network—but not as a play-by-play announcer.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Points of Light
Legendary sportscaster Bob Costas will retire from calling Major League Baseball games, according to a report.
Costas, 72, is set to call it quits on live play-by-play after calling his first major league game 44 years ago, The Athletic first reported Thursday. The veteran journalist confirmed the report, but said he would address his decision on a later date.
Costas worked for TBS for the past three seasons, and his contract with the network’s parent group Warner Bros. Discovery is up at the end of the year. The last MLB game he called for the network was the New York Yankees’ win over the Kansas City Royals in the American League Division Series on Oct. 10.
NBC sportscaster Bob Costas covers an NFL football game during the 1985 season.
Focus On Sport/Focus on Sport/Getty Images
He will also retire from play calling for the MLB Network, where he has also worked as an announcer since 2009. He will continue working with the channel, reporting on events like Baseball Hall of Fame announcements. Costas decided to retire before the 2024 MLB season began, sources told The Athletic.
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson join announcer Bob Costas for an interview during Larry Bird Night at the Boston Garden in 1993.
Nathaniel S. Butler/Nathaniel S.Butler/ NBAE via Getty Images
The veteran sportscaster began his career at NBC Sports, and began calling MLB games for the network in 1982. Costas also covered play-by-play analysis for NBA and NFL games, and spent over two decades leading NBC’s Olympics coverage before retiring in 2016.
But his voice was synonymous with baseball for decades, having called three World Series in 1995, 1997, and 1999. He received the Ford C. Frick Award, the Baseball Hall of Fame’s award honoring broadcasters, in 2018.
Bob Costas on set during the 2016 Rio Olympics.
NBC/Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Costas left NBC in 2019, after he was reportedly pulled from the 2018 Super Bowl broadcast—which he claimed was due to his criticism of football’s ongoing problem with concussions and player health.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.