Vin Scully, Los Angeles Dodgers broadcasting legend, was hospitalized earlier this week after falling at his home, the team announced. He has since recovered, and he’s now resting comfortably at his home. Scully, 92, released a statement about the situation, and he said: “I won’t be doing anymore headfirst sliding, I never liked it.”
Scully retired in 2016 after working for the Dodgers for 67 years. In the later stages of his career, Scully would cut back on his travel due to health concerns. Currently, Scully has been quarantined at his home amid the coronavirus pandemic, and he recently told Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times we will get through the pandemic. He said: “From depths of depression we fought our way through World War II, and if we can do that, we can certainly fight through this. I remember how happy and relieved and thrilled everybody was … when they signed the treaty with Japan, and the country just danced from one way or another. It’s the life of the world, the ups and downs, this is a down, we’re going to have to realistically accept it at what it is and we’ll get out of it, that’s all there is to it, we will definitely get out of it.”
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Scully began broadcasting Dodgers games in 1950 when the team was in Brooklyn. The team moved to Los Angeles in 1958, and as the team became popular in the city, Scully gained respect from fans. During his time at a play-by-play broadcaster, Scully has called some memorable moments including Kirk Gibson’s walk-off home run during Game 1 of the 1988 World Series and Hank Aaron’s 715th home run in Atlanta when the Dodgers took on the Braves.
“What a marvelous moment for baseball,” Scully said. “What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And, it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron, who was met at home plate, not only by every member of the Braves, but by his father and mother.”
Scully has won numerous awards in his lifetime, including the Ford Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. He also was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, and the MLB Network named him the best baseball broadcaster of all-time.
