Vin Scully and wife Sandra after the announcement that Vin, at age 86, will return to the Dodgers for his 66th season...
LOS ANGELES -- Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, an icon in American sports history, is returning for a 66th season of covering Dodgers baseball in 2015.
The news was announced in the middle of the second inning of Tuesday night's 8-4 win over the Braves on the Dodger Stadium video board.
"It was pretty cool, actually," manager Don Mattingly said of the announcement, which was staged as a mock news conference with Hyun-Jin Ryu first giving the news in Korean and Yasiel Puig translating it in Spanish before Southern California native Justin Turner delivered the big news in English. "I like the way they did that. I was just hoping the bubble machine would be in there, too, somewhere."
Fans -- the first 40,000 of which received a Vin Scully 65th Anniversary Talking Microphone -- reacted by giving the American sports icon a standing ovation.
"It is very difficult to say goodbye," Scully said in a statement. "God willing I will be back next year. Over the years I have been blessed to have so many friends including those that sit in the stands and listen as well as those at home, who listen and watch. It is just too hard to say goodbye to all these friends. Naturally there will come a time, when I will have to say goodbye, but I've soul-searched and this is not the time."
Scully's 65 years of broadcasting Dodgers games marks the longest tenure in his field. This season Scully, 86, has announced home games and road games in California and Arizona for Time Warner Cable's SportsNet LA. He will reprise the same role in 2015.
"I'm obviously not alone in saying that I'm overjoyed Vin will be coming back to the booth in 2015," said Dodger President and CEO Stan Kasten. "Our fans deserve the very best and Vin's voice, knowledge, experience and passion for broadcasting Dodger baseball are second to none."
Scully began his broadcasting career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950 and has since called three perfect games, 25 World Series and 12 All-Star Games. He called the Los Angeles Dodgers' world championships in 1959, '63, '65, '81 and '88.
"He is the Dodgers," said Matt Kemp, whose two homers led the Dodgers' victory. "He's the Dodgers' voice. He's the man. So I think when everybody heard he was coming back, there was a big announcement and the fans enjoyed that, and they get to hear him another year. And we'll see if he comes back after that."
Scully was honored with the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award 1982.
"It's amazing that he still does what he does and does it so well," said Braves starting pitcher Aaron Harang, who played for the Dodgers in 2012. "He's such a positive person, no matter who is playing. It doesn't matter if the team has the worst record in the league. He's still positive about everybody in the clubhouse and only has good stuff to say about everyone.
"It was a definite honor to play here and get to meet him and know him. He's got that love for the game. Obviously, he can't stay away from here. It's a definite treat for all baseball fans to still have him around doing Dodger games."
Michael Lananna is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
