SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Vin Scully’s voice on the videoboard welcomed a sellout crowd to Game No. 162, the regular-season finale, yes, and more notably the last of his decorated broadcasting career.
“It’s time for Giant-Dodger baseball, the greatest rivalry in all of professional sports,” Scully declared.
Scully attended morning Mass in the ballpark as is his usual Sunday routine and then headed for his booth to work as he has done for an astounding 67 years – exactly 80 years after the Bronx-born Scully became a Giants fan at age 8 in New York.
“It was as if it was ordained,” Scully said during San Francisco’s 7-1 win that secured the Giants the second NL wild card. “I hope you’re enjoying it and I hope I’m not interrupting it too much.”
San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy cherished his chance to visit with Scully last week at Dodger Stadium, and to be part of Scully’s special farewell Sunday.
“This is his last game, and we’re honored to think he’d come up here, 80 years to the day that he became a Giants fan,” Bochy said. “That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? Not just a tremendous body of work but how long he’s been doing it and how great he still is. So it’s pretty cool.”
Fans in the sellout crowd turned to look up at Scully with their standing ovation and held signs as a Scully video welcomed fans on the scoreboard shortly before first pitch at AT&T Park, where he has been riding in and out of the ballpark on Hall of Famer Willie Mays’ golf cart and had some time to reminisce with the Say Hey Kid on Saturday.
The 88-year-old Scully politely declined any kind of on-field celebration offered by the Giants. San Francisco then jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first.
“Just as it has been for two years, the Dodgers are in trouble at AT&T Park,” Scully said. “The sun has broken through the clouds and it is shining on the Giants for the moment.”
The Oakland Raiders took out a full-page ad in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper honoring Scully with the NFL team’s longtime catchphrase, “Commitment to Excellence.”
Scully offered some memorable phrases early in his finale:
During Hunter Pence’s first-inning at-bat, Scully noted, “He would make coffee nervous. … He’s just been a wild man swinging the bat this series.” Scully noted later in the broadcast Pence is one of his favorite players because “he tries so hard,” but noted the right fielder is trying too hard right now.
After the game when told of Scully’s remarks, Pence smiled and said, “He’s pretty funny.”
