Eckersley retires from broadcasting as a Red Sox legend

Dennis Eckersley went to Cooperstown as an Oakland A. He won a World Series as an Oakland A.

If you Google his name, you mostly see pictures of him in an A's uniform.

But Eckersley, or Eck - as he is known to fans - is a Boston Red Sox at heart. And while he only spent eight of his twenty-four major league seasons in Beantown, he is regarded among Red Sox fans as a Red Sox legend. In fact, in his finals days as a broadcaster for the New England Sports Network, he confirmed such sentiment himself.

After all, Eck returned to Boston for one final season in 1998 and retired from the mound as a Red Sox pitcher. Eck was a closer for a lot of his career, saving almost four hundred games, but spent his final season as a set-up man to Tom Gordon.

In 2002, four years after his official retirement, he joined NESN as a Red Sox studio analyst and guest color commentator. It was here where Eck enshrined himself in the hearts of younger Sox fans who didn't remember his days as the lanky blue-collared sidewinder or the dominant long-haired late-game hurler.

Rather, fans across New England fell in love with his sayings and his personality. They fell in love with Eck's true-to-self demeanor and feel for the modern game. It may not have been for everyone all the time, but it's hard to say it was not entertaining.

Fans grew accustomed to his phrases like "leaving earth" or "going bridge" to describe a home run, or specifically "[blank]-run Johnson" to describe how many runs had scored. And of course, it's hard to forget sayings like "cheese" to describe a fastball or "moss" to describe a player's hairstyle.

In his later years, as fellow Red Sox legend Jerry Remy became ill frequently, Eckersley began filling in more in the broadcast booth. Alongside play-by-play men Don Orsillo and then Dave O'Brien, Eck was often on the call for many of Boston's latest memorable moments, most notably his commentary of Mookie Betts' 2018 grand slam against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Though if you asked Red Sox fans what their favorite recent moment was, they would probably say when the late Jerry Remy threw out the first pitch to Eck prior to the 2021 Wild Card Game at Fenway Park. It was one of Remy's last public appearances and certainly a tribute to the lasting friendship they shared.

No one will ever replace Jerry Remy, and Eckersley knew that too. He never tried to be Jerry, he was always just himself.

Perhaps that's partially a testament to authenticity of Red Sox Nation and Eckersley himself.

How a smooth talking kid from Oakland, California known for winning with the A's found was adopted by fans on the other side of the country. How someone with 1980's hair stayed relevant in 2022 with comical expressions and well-times jokes.

Eckersley will certainly be missed in the booth, but I know I speak for many Red Sox fans when I say happy trails to a Red Sox legend.