It's uncertain who from the Red Sox's large impending free agent class will be back in Boston next season. But longtime color analyst Dennis Eckersley, who calls Red Sox games on NESN alongside Dave O'Brien, definitely won't be back.
Eckersley announced in early August he would retire at the conclusion of the 2022 season from the NESN broadcast booth, ending a memorable run with the network that began in 2003.
With the Red Sox playing their penultimate game of the season Tuesday night at Fenway Park against the Tampa Bay Rays, Eckersley, who had two stints with Boston during his Hall of Fame playing career, got emotional during the broadcast reflecting back on how much the Red Sox have meant to him.
"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, you know? I'm a Boston Red Sox," Eckersley said while getting choked up. "I was feeling it and that's not such a bad thing. These are moments you're supposed to feel like this. Times of your life. Major moments in your life, and being appreciative of the Boston Red Sox. These people are good to me, man. They treat me with respect."
Eckersley kept the sincere and heartwarming moment going by telling O'Brien the Red Sox will always feel like home to him.
"Without a doubt and I feel it more than ever," Eckersley said. "It takes time when you know you're going to go. People just don't get up and go. But when you go, then you appreciate where you've been. I mean, I'm a New Englander, man. I'm a Bostonian."
Eckersley, who spent 50 years in Major League Baseball, will have one more chance to call a Red Sox game Wednesday with Boston concluding their season with a matchup against the Rays. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET, and you can catch O'Brien and Eckersley's call on NESN.
