Dennis Eckersley to retire from NESN after the season
Since 2003, former Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley was in NESN’s broadcast booth as the color commentator for Boston’s games. But this fall, Oct. 5 is going to be the last time Eckersley takes the booth, per Chad Finn of the Boston Globe.
“There are times in your life when you realize you’ve got to get on with it,” Eckersley said, via Finn. “Having grandkids in the Bay Area and visiting them in the offseason, that pushed me along. I just knew, you need to go and be with the kids. Those formative years, you need to be there.”
Eckersley is 67 years old. After being fully invested in baseball for the past 50 years of his life, he’s taking a big step back.
“There’s only so much time,” Eckersley said, via Finn. “How can you not see that in front of you without thinking, ‘Wait a minute, man.’ There have to be other priorities. You need to think of other people.”
According to Eckersley in the article, NESN gave him the chance to return to the broadcast booth for a few select games next season.
“I can’t do that. You’ve got to be all-in to do this job,” he said, via Finn.