Summertime in New England won’t be the same without Joe Castiglione’s voice
For 42 years, Joe Castiglione was the voice of summertime in New England.
With the long winters that we endure, the summer months are a time to take advantage of the great weather and spend as much time outside as you possibly can. This means getting away from your television screen, sometimes even if there’s a Sox game on, turning your radio dial to 93.7 FM (formerly 850 AM) and letting a familiar voice paint a picture of what’s occurring at the ballpark while you drive in the car, relax at a cookout, play catch with your dad, get some yard work done, hang out on the beach, whatever the day brings.
Everyone has a favorite call from Joe. Many would reference one of David Ortiz’s numerous walk-offs, the final out of any of the four World Series wins, the Shane Victorino grand slam in 2013. Mine is a bit more random.
I recall a moment in late July of 2016. Despite leading the AL East, the Red Sox were 3-37 on the season when trailing after seven innings. As they entered the ninth down 3-0 in Anaheim, I was sitting in the car, listening to the radio after going for a short hike at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham. An older gentleman was parked near me, leaning against the back of his car with a transistor radio sitting beside him. He was also listening to the game. With the combination of both of our radios, Joe’s voice boomed throughout the trees. “IT’S GONE!!! IT’S GONE!!! THREE RUN HOMER DUSTIN PEDROIA AND THE RED SOX LEAD IT 4-3, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??” We both laughed, shared our sentiments and excitement about what had just occurred, and went on with our days. I’d like to think that he remembers that moment as vividly as I do, and I hope Joe understands how essential he was in bringing joy and life to the game like he did in that moment.
“Can you believe it?” was his signature call reserved only for the most climactic, unexpected moments. It’s the same phrase he uttered in October of 2004 after Keith Foulke underhanded the ball to Doug Mientkiewicz to end an 86-year championship drought. That’s a call that I’ll always be able to recite word for word:
“Swing and a ground ball, stabbed by Foulke, he has it, he underhands to first… and the Boston Red Sox are World Champions!! For the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox have won baseball’s World Championship!!! Can you believe it!?!?”
It’s no secret that listening to games on the radio isn’t as much a part of baseball as it once was, but any time you heard Joe Castiglione’s voice it would bring you back to simpler times.
Dalton & The Sheriffs, a local Boston band, put together the perfect nostalgic tribute to the legendary play-by-play announcer with their new acoustic track “Castiglione”. Lyrics about “Pedro rolling” on a “Fenway night” while listening to Joe on the radio as you drive past the Braintree split will hit every Red Sox fan right in the feels:
Word on the street is that Joe will still be making random appearances on the WEEI broadcast throughout the 2025 season, so this isn’t a final goodbye. But the absence of his voice on a nightly basis will certainly take some getting used to. Thanks for the memories.