Bob Costas breaks silence on unexpected retirement decision

The Baseball Gods Giveth. The Baseball Gods Taketh. Bob Costas knows.

For nan first clip since announcing his retirement arsenic a play-by-play announcer, nan 72-year-old broadcaster reflected connected an illustrious profession and what prompted his determination to measurement distant now.

“I knew for much than a twelvemonth that this would beryllium nan extremity of it— I felt that I couldn’t consistently scope my past standard,” Costas told Tom Verducci connected “MLB Tonight” connected Monday. 

“There mightiness person been individual games, aliases stretches wrong games, aliases moments successful games that were conscionable nan aforesaid arsenic if it was nan 1990s aliases nan early 21st century. But I couldn’t drawstring capable of them together.”

Costas began his profession calling shot games for NBC successful nan 1980s. And while he would turn to fame and prominence complete nan ensuing decades — becoming a family sanction and a preeminent sound successful golf, shot and nan Olympics — disapproval had grown successful caller years.

The broadcaster, astir precocious pinch TBS, was connected nan telephone little and little often arsenic of late. At nary clip was nan consequences of that much clear than during nan 2024 MLB playoffs. 

Fans and web executives alike recognized a bid of incoherences and miscues, for illustration nan ill-timed Kevin Bacon-Aaron Boone comparison tangent nan announcer took his assemblage connected during nan ninth inning of a tight ALDS Game 4. Or nan erroneous and premature call of a hit, connected a alternatively evident catch, conscionable 1 nighttime prior. 

For 1 of nan all-time greats— a personnel of nan sports broadcasting hallway of fame, pinch 44 years of shot and 3 World Series nether his belt, nan blunders were uncharacteristic. 

They were, Costas admitted to Verducci, a awesome of a fall. The extremity of his end. 

“I person excessively overmuch respect for nan game, for nan craft, and for immoderate my ain modular has been to deed beneath my life batting average,” Costas said. 

“And I conscionable felt for illustration successful nan past mates of years, I couldn’t rather scope that. And what I hoped for this twelvemonth … I conscionable hoped to extremity connected a grace note.”