Yankees’ Spanish broadcaster Rickie Ricardo saved John Sterling’s life in wild story

The remnants of Hurricane Ida rocked the northeast on Wednesday evening, delivering heavy winds and rainfall to the New York/New Jersey area.

We saw the damage that the storm did to the New York Yankees Double-A affiliate’s stadium in Bridgewater, NJ. The Somerset Patriots could be without a home for quite some time depending on what damages are assessed after nearly the entire venue was under water.

On Thursday, it was sadly revealed that a number of people lost their lives getting trapped in their cars as the flooding started to really start ripping through certain areas. And Yankees legendary broadcaster John Sterling was nearly among the victims.

According to Yankees Spanish broadcaster Rickie Ricardo, Sterling was stuck in his car as it began to fill with water when he was making his way home after Wednesday night’s broadcast. Thankfully, Suzyn Waldman notified Ricardo, who rushed to the scene to help Sterling to safety.

Yankees broadcaster John Sterling was trapped in his car during Hurricane Ida.

Whew. Thank goodness! We don’t even want to think about how things would be if this had turned out poorly. Ricardo saved 2021.

Sterling, who’s 83 years old, was among the first to leave Yankee Stadium after the team’s Wednesday night game against the Los Angeles Angels, and at that point the storm was threatening significantly. The lobby at Yankee Stadium was already flooded, per Ricardo.

Then came the difficulties of getting home and leaving the Bronx. Streets were closed. There were traffic jams. Abandoned cars. You name it. And Sterling was making his way home in these conditions. Unthinkable.

Sterling made it to New Jersey, but he got stuck on River Road in Edgewater, where the flooding was particularly troubling. He apparently called Waldman, who relayed the message to Ricardo, who was making his way over the George Washington Bridge. Perfect timing!

Ricardo got in touch with Sterling, who was forced to describe where he was with difficulty because the street lights were out and he couldn’t exit the car with water up past his tires and inside of the vehicle. Ricardo arrived not too long after, worked meticulously to get Sterling out of the driver’s seat, and then took him home in his Jeep … but it took over an hour to go only a half-mile because of road closures and horrific storm conditions.

But who cares how long it took? Sterling was brought to safety, and Ricardo was able to get home a few hours later on his own. Apparently, the madness surrounding the 2021 New York Yankees includes all employees, including those on the broadcast team. Now let’s have a safe rest of the year, please.

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