Scully calls final game in Hall of Fame broadcasting career

“It was as if it was ordained”, Scully said during San Francisco’s 7-1 win that secured the Giants the second NL wild card.

“I remember Vin Scully as a kid”, Baker said, “with me and my transistor radio cutting the lawn in the backyard and listening to the Dodger games and dreaming one day of being a Dodger”.

It’s measure of Vin Scully’s huge popularity that nobody seemed to mind him uttering that sentence in enemy territory.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Moore throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016.

But as the live broadcast resumed, Scully was all baseball, painting a word picture of an angry sky, pockets of blue appearing, and a 62 degree stadium.

It’s the easy thing to say, the cool thing to say, that Vin Scully has “dropped the mic” on his 67-year career, and many have said exactly that after Scully’s final game Sunday in San Francisco. Of course it is an even year and the Giants have three even year World Series championships on proud display at AT&T Park.

Vin Scully has signed off for the last time, ending 67 years behind the mic for the Dodgers. And the Dodgers get to spend the next few days preparing for a division series showdown with the NL East-winning Nationals, while the NL Central-winning Cubs – winners of 103 regular season games, their fourth-best finish ever – get to spend the week preparing for the victor of the Mets-Giants showdown.

Scully’s final home game: clincher for Dodgers.

You, the amalgamated Giants fan, may now knock on an entire forest, going from tree to tree in hopes of finding the good fortune that they have evaded, and that has evaded them, since Bastille Day. The Giants clinched a playoff spot to touch off an on-field celebration. He was meekly the play-by-play announcer even on his days with NBC and doing national work, which he didn’t particularly care for, as he could not properly get to know and really engage with the viewer or the team.

Between innings, the Giants played short tributes to Scully, including highlights of his career.

I was in my mid-teens when my family first got MLB.TV and it soon became part of a routine.

“He’s the greatest broadcaster ever”, Woodson said.

The cameras then pointed to the flags whipping on the roof of AT&T Park – showing the Dodgers’ banner one rung above the Giants’ – and the brisk San Francisco winds into the microphone sounded as if the heavens were giving Scully a thunderous ovation.

Scully says he always makes time to visit with them while in town and “as my mother used to say, chew the fat”. Upon being introduced I nervously said something to the effect of “Hi, Mr. Scully, it’s nice to meet you”.

“They’ve been terrific”, he said. Scully then sang along with “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”, laughingly mouthing “Dodgers” during the “root, root, root for the [home team]” verse.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve won the AL batting title (.338) for the second time in three years, although Houston lost 8-1 to Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The umpiring crew turned to face Scully’s booth and saluted him before first pitch. My favorite Dodger, I’ve told everybody, is Tommy Davis, he wore No. 12 and I dreamed of being a big leaguer and I ended up wearing his number and playing his position and my brother could emulate Vin Scully.