#Shortstops: Mic’d Up

On March 6, 2005, those tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WCBS-AM heard a female color commentator over the waves. The voice they were hearing was that of Suzyn Waldman, the first woman to hold a regular commentator position on a major league broadcast, using her WCBS-AM 880 microphone to conduct post-game interviews.

This feat, however, was not the only “first” for Waldman.

A woman with an illustrious past and a habit of making history, Waldman did not begin her career in the radio business. Instead, she got her start in the musical theater industry, working as an actress and singer. She broke into the broadcasting world when she was hired as a reporter at New York’s first all-sports radio station, WFAN, in the mid-1980s. Covering both the Yankees and the Knicks, Waldman was the first voice ever heard by WFAN listeners when the station initially began broadcasting on July 1, 1987. She remained a mainstay at the station for 15 years, creating the job of radio beat reporter and gaining invaluable experience along the way.

In the mid-1990s, Waldman debuted as a play-by-play announcer for local Yankees’ television broadcasts on WPIX, making her the second woman ever to fill the role in a major league capacity. She did episodic work for WPIX, as well as some pre- and postgame Yankees coverage for YES Network following the channel’s launch in 2002. By this point, Waldman had already received several accolades for her work, including the International Radio Award, the New York Sportscaster of the Year Award and the American Women in Radio and TV Star Award.

Without a doubt, Waldman had already made a name for herself in the sports broadcasting world, and among Yankees fans, when she first spoke into the WCBS-AM 880 microphone in 2005. Waldman, alongside radio partner John Sterling, debuted as WCBS’s regular color commentator for the Yankees, a role that she has continued to serve in for over 20 years. In 2009, Waldman collected another “first” when she called the World Series game over the radio waves, making her the first woman to do so. For her efforts, Waldman was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2016, as well as the Radio Hall of Fame in 2022.

Waldman is a pioneer among women in the sports broadcasting business, yet this undertaking did not come without difficult challenges. Breaking glass ceilings in a thoroughly male-dominated field meant that Waldman faced extraordinary resistance while furthering her career.

Despite all the tribulations, Waldman stood strong in the face of the initial adversity and has become a beloved part of the Yankees community while continuing to deliver quality broadcasts that still attract thousands of listeners today. Her long history of “firsts” and her willpower to succeed paved the way for a new generation of female sports broadcasters who now face less hostility in the industry.

Waldman’s WCBS microphone stands as a testament to these accomplishments in the Hall of Fame’s Diamond Dreams exhibit.

Alyssa Frysinger was a 2025 curatorial intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Development