BOSTON -- Joe Castiglione devoted his career to the Red Sox and now rides into retirement after 42 memorable seasons as the team's radio broadcaster.
Castiglione will retire after Sunday's regular season finale and the Red Sox held a 20-minute ceremony to honor the longtime voice of the club.
The Red Sox gifted Castiglione two Fenway Park grandstand seats and a sign from the Green Monster reading "CASTIG" across. The broadcaster also received a certificate for "Joe Castiglione Day" from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
Several former players attended the game to honor Castiglione such as Pedro Martinez, Trot Nixon, Dwight Evans, Roger Clemens, Jackie Bradley Jr., Rich Hill and Keith Foulke.
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Castiglione addressed Red Sox nation in the crowd, beginning his brief remarks with his famous "Can you believe it?" call before thanking friends, family and several members of baseball personnel for the support across his 42 years with Boston.
The ceremony concluded with Castiglione tossing a ceremonial first pitch to Bradley Jr. from in front of the mound at Fenway Park.
"I chose Jackie because Jackie catches everything," Castiglione joked.
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora is just one of several faces through the years who felt the impact of Castiglione's career and care for others.
"That's one of the things about this job," Cora told reporters. "You get to know people, not only about the players. There's certain days you know he's down because we lost three in a row. He lives this. He enjoys it. He loves when we win and hates when we lose. The tone of the interview changes a lot. It's been great. The guy, for everybody in the organization, outside in the organization, Red Sox nation, baseball in general. He's a very respected man. If it was up to him, no off days for him."
Cora described a "perfect ending" with Castiglione retiring on his own terms. The Red Sox legend walks away from broadcasting after calling all four World Series championships for Boston since 2004.
Featured image via Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images
