Red Sox
In addition to a pregame ceremony, NESN will pick up the audio feed of the radio call for the ninth inning of Sunday’s game to broadcast Castiglione’s last call.
Joe Castiglione is being sent out in style on Sunday.
The longtime Red Sox radio announcer will be honored ahead of the team’s 2024 regular-season finale against the Rays in a ceremony that will include several notable names and faces, the team announced on Friday.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will have a proclamation during the pregame ceremony that will designate Sept. 29 as “Joe Castiglione Day” in the city.
“Joe Castiglione has been the voice of the Red Sox for 42 seasons, there when the Sox broke the curse two decades ago in 2004 and beloved by generations of fans,” Wu said in a statement on Friday. “We’re proud to proclaim September 29 as Joe Castiglione Day in the City of Boston, honoring his contributions to the Red Sox, to Fenway Park, and to our entire city.”
In addition to Wu’s proclamation, a few Red Sox icons will help honor Castiglione’s career. Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, and Dwight Evans headline the list of former Red Sox stars who are expected to participate in the ceremony, according to a statement. Former Red Sox players Rich Gedman, Bob Stanley, Joe Morgan, Jackie Bradley Jr., Brian Daubach, Lenny DiNardo, Keith Foulke, Rich Hill, Bob Montgomery, and Trot Nixon are also expected to take part in the ceremony.
Additionally, NESN will also honor Castiglione in a unique way on Sunday. For those who are unable to catch the game on the radio, NESN’s broadcast will pick up the audio of the radio for the ninth inning and broadcast Castiglione’s final call, The Boston Globe‘s Pete Abraham reported.
Castiglione announced his retirement from the broadcast booth during the Red Sox’ game against the Yankees on Sept. 15. He held the role as the team’s radio play-by-play announcer for 42 seasons, holding the record for the longest tenure of any play-by-play announcer in franchise history.
Since he began in 1983, Castiglione’s voice has been connected to several iconic moments in Red Sox history. He called the final out of the 2004 World Series, where the Red Sox won their first title in 86 years. He also called the final out of the Red Sox’ World Series wins in 2007 and 2018.
Castiglione, 77, also won some hardware himself. He received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in July. The award is the highest honor given to a broadcaster from the Baseball Hall of Fame and is awarded to a broadcast for “major contributions to baseball.”
While Castiglione announced his retirement, he said he’ll continue to work with the team in an ambassador role.
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