Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty
Major League Baseball teams, coaches and players, as well as the the larger sports community, are remembering longtime Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scullyafter news of his deathat 94.
On Tuesday, the Dodgers confirmed Scully had died on its official Twitter page, changing their header to a photo of the late legend, and switching their profile photo to his first name with a microphone.
“He was the voice of the Dodgers, and so much more,” the teamsharedin a statement. “He was their conscience, their poet laureate, capturing their beauty and chronicling their glory from Jackie Robinson to Sandy Koufax, Kirk Gibson to Clayton Kershaw.”
The organization went on to salute Scully as “the heartbeat of the Dodgers — and in so many ways, the heartbeat of Los Angeles.”
“He was the best there ever was,” Dodgers ace Clayton Kershawtold reportersafter Tuesday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants. “I think, just when you think about the Dodgers, there’s a lot of history here and a lot of people who have come through, just a storied franchise all the way around, but it almost starts with him honestly.”
For more on Vin Scully, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
“When you think about Vin, he’s right there with Jackie [Robinson], obviously it’s a different thing, but just as far as the history of our organization, Vin’s been through it all,” Kershaw continued. “Just such a special man. I’m grateful and thankful I got to know him as well as I did and I’m thankful I got to be around for his retirement, I got to see that and be there for that. Just a tremendous life and legacy that he led, I’m thankful I got to know him.”
“He was a friend, and he inspired me to be better. There’s not a better storyteller,” Dodgers manager Dave Robertstold SportsNet LAabout Scully after the Dodgers' win over the Giants. “I think everyone considers him family. He was in our living rooms for so many generations. Dodger fans consider him a part of their family. He lived a fantastic life, a legacy that will live on forever, and for me to look back on my decades of knowing him and considering him a friend, it’s an honor.”
“I think if I could put it in one word, he was a gentleman, and that means a lot,” Roberts continued. So yeah, he was the voice of baseball, but how he interacted with fans, how he made baseball games come to life, he was always a gentleman."
In tribute to Scully, Major League Baseball shared a tribute video toTwitterfeaturing Vin Scully’s final sign off after his last Dodgers broadcast on Oct. 2, 2016.
“Vin’s impeccable delivery and incredible storytelling skills left an indelible mark on the sport that he fell in love with as a young fan of the New York Giants,” the Giants wrote in a statement shared toTwitter. “His legendary, Hall of Fame career witll forever have a lasting legacy on sports fans across the world.”
Gary Leonard/Getty
“I think people around here, in the Bay Area and across the country can appreciate what Vin Scully meant to the game,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler toldNBC Sports. “He was a pretty present voice in my childhood, just as importantly I think he made one of the most impactful broadcasting marks on the industry ever. We lost a great one.”
Texas Rangers manager and former Dodgers coach Chris Woodward toldMLB.comthat “it meant the world to me” to hear Scully talk about him the first time he played the Dodgers in his MLB career with the Toronto Blue Jays.
“It was really a goosebump moment for me just hearing [Scully] say my name,” Woodward, 46 told MLB.com.
Several MLB teams, including theBoston Red Sox,St. Louis Cardinals,Colorado Rockies,San Diego Padresand more extended condolences to Scully’s family and the Dodger organization in replies to retweets of the Dodgers' original tweet announcing Scully’s death.
“Vin’s voice served as the perfect backdrop to some of our game’s most beloved moments,” the Los Angeles Angels wrote onTwitter. “His legacy and passion for storytelling will live on in the hearts of fans worldwide.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
“The soundtrack of our city is silent tonight,” wrote the Clippers on Twitter, while Rams star wide receiver Cooper Kupp honored Scully as “the voice of L.A.” in aTwitter post.
Jimmy Kimmelshared a clip toTwitterof Scully’s 2016 appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live, in which Scully narrated a video of Kimmel’s home run at an MLB All-Star Celebrity Game.
“No one was better at any job than Vin Scully was at his,” Kimmel wrote. “And, a lovely man on top of that. It’s a beautiful night and we will miss you.”
Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Second GentlemanDoug Emhoffcalled Scully “a legend in and out of the booth” in aTwitter post, in which he credited Scully’s career with making the Dodgers franchise “more than a team” for “those of us born in Brooklyn and raised in L.A.”
Multiple media personalities and celebrities recognized the tributes of both Scully and NBA icon Bill Russell, who alsodied this week.
Longtime basketball commentator Dick Vitale wrote onTwitterthat Scully and Russell “both were AS GOOD AS IT GETS in what they did. May they RIP.”
Scully first began covering Dodgers games in 1950, when the team was located in Brooklyn. In 1953, he was the youngest person to broadcast a World Series game. He followed the team to Los Angeles in 1958 and “played a pivital role in introducing Los Angeles to baseball,” according to the Dodgers' statement Tuesday.
His cause of death is not known at this time.
source: people.com
