Listen to Joe Castiglione’s final sign-off after 42 seasons as Red Sox broadcaster

"I will miss being your eyes and ears, and after 42 years, all I can say is, 'Can you believe it?'"

After 42 years serving as the voice of Red Sox baseball, Joe Castiglione’s tenure behind the mic at Fenway Park and the rest of MLB’s ballparks came to a close on Sunday.

The legendary broadcaster and 2024 Ford C. Frick Award winner capped off his career by calling the final out of the Red Sox’ 2024 season in what was a 3-1 win over the Rays.

“[Justin] Slaten is ready,” Castiglione relayed in the top of the ninth inning. “The payoff pitch. A swing and a line drive to center field. [Ceddanne] Rafaela going over to his right and he snags it. The ballgame is over and the season is over. The Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-1, they finish at 81-81 to end the 2024 season.”

Castiglione, who announced a few weeks back that this would be his final season as the Red Sox’ radio play-by-play announcer on WEEI, signed off the broadcast with a reflection on his legendary career — and an appreciation for the game he’s narrated for Red Sox fans for over four decades.

Here’s Castiglione’s final address from the Red Sox booth:

“Well, I guess it’s nostalgia time here at the end of the season. And at the end of my career as a regular Red Sox broadcaster. We’re not going to go away, but you won’t see us as often. We hope to be part of the Red Sox organization for a long, long time. But I’m so blessed to have such wonderful people to work for and to work with. We talked a little while ago about my great partner, Ken Coleman, who brought me to Boston in 1983. And I would like to close as we’ve every season since Ken retired after the 1989 season with the way he would close every season — reading from the great words of the former Commissioner of baseball, President of Yale University, and longtime family friend in New Haven, Connecticut, A. Bartlett Giamatti, who wrote in ‘The Green Fields of the Mind’ about the game of baseball.

“‘It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring when everything else begins again. And it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings. And then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops, and it leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive. And just when you need it most, it stops, and summer is gone.’”

“Another season is gone. My 42 years here have gone so quickly, but now it’s time to say goodbye to Red Sox Nation, at least on a regular basis. And to pass the baton to my good friend, Will Fleming.”

Ahead of Sunday’s game, Castiglione was honored during a ceremony that featured several Red Sox greats paying tribute to the longtime broadcasting — including Pedro Martinez, Jim Rice, Roger Clemens, Dwight Evans, Kevin Youkilis, Rich Gedman, Trot Nixon, Jackie Bradley Jr. and much more.

During the ceremony, Sept. 29 was designated Joe Castiglione Day in the city of Boston, while the Red Sox gifted Castiglione a “CASTIG” plate from the Green Monster scoreboard.

“Can you believe it? This is overwhelming, Castiglione said in his address to the Fenway crowd during the ceremony, adding: “I’ve been so blessed to call Fenway Park my office and my home for 42 seasons, and I’m thankful to the great fans of Red Sox Nation for your trust and support, and for inviting me into your homes, cars, and headphones.

“I will miss being your eyes and ears, and after 42 years, all I can say is, ‘Can you believe it?'”

Castiglione then delivered a first pitch to home plate, with Bradley Jr. catching the offering. Castiglione wanted the 2018 Gold Glover behind the plate for the throw, noting that Bradley “catches everything.”

Even though Castiglione is not longer the Red Sox’ primary play-by-play broadcaster on the radio, he’s still expected to be around the ballpark — both in Boston and down in Florida.

According to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe, Castiglione, 77, will remain on with the Red Sox as a team ambassador and could even call a few games next summer if needed.