Emotional Eckersley on leaving Sox booth: 'This is my home' originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
When the Boston Red Sox' season comes to an end on Wednesday, so will Dennis Eckersley''s career in the NESN broadcast booth.
The Baseball Hall of Famer and eccentric TV analyst announced in August that he will retire as a broadcaster at the end of the 2022 MLB season. During the penultimate Red Sox game of the year on Tuesday, Eckersley was overcome with emotion as he reflected on his time in Boston.
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"I played for the A's, I went into the Hall of Fame as an Oakland A. That is my hometown, but this is my home. This is my home. And I'm a Boston Red Sox." Eck said.
Eckersley spent eight of his 24 MLB seasons with the Red Sox. The 1992 Cy Young award winner shined as a starting pitcher before finding even more success in the A's bullpen.
A NESN broadcaster since 2003, Eckersley has been a mainstay in the booth over the last few years. He formed a three-man booth with play-by-play commentator Dave O'Brien and color analyst Jerry Remy, then took over full-time after Remy passed away last October.
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Eck decided to call it a career so he and his wife, Jennifer, can move to his native California to spend more time with family.
"Having grandkids in the Bay Area and visiting them in the offseason, that pushed me along," Eckersley said in August. "I just knew, you need to go and be with the kids. Those formative years, you need to be there."
Red Sox fans will miss Eck's unmatched enthusiasm during broadcasts next season in beyond. But if his words during Tuesday's broadcast are any indication, we haven't heard the last of him around these parts.
