Steve Stone kept White Sox fans hanging in suspense on Thursday. Many speculated that the 77-year-old was nearing retirement after enduring a second consecutive 100-loss season from the White Sox television booth. Stone then posted a message on social media Wednesday night saying he had “something that some of you are interested in hearing” that he would reveal at 1:00 pm.
On Thursday 1:00 pm came and went without an announcement. The former Cy Young winner then posted another message saying that the announcement had been pushed back to the second inning of Thursday’s game. It was worth the wait. Stone signed a multi-year contract to remain the White Sox color analyst.
This is a massive pickup for the White Sox after losing one of the best play-by-play announcers in sports, Jason Benetti. There are very few people on earth who have more knowledge of the game than Stone and even fewer that can articulate that knowledge on a television broadcast. In 2023 he was named a Ford Frick Award finalist, an honor handed out annually by the Hall of Fame for “major contributions to baseball.”
Stone spent 11 seasons in the show, pitching for the Giants, White Sox, Cubs, and Orioles. He earned a Cy Young and All-Star selection in 1980 with the Orioles, one year before his final season in the MLB. The 2025 season will mark his 18th in the White Sox television booth, however, Stone says he will work a “more limited schedule.”
Stone and his play-by-play partner John Schriffen will be the voice on the White Sox new television home Chicago Sports Net, a recently created station that will replace NBC Sports Chicago. Stone said on Thursday’s television broadcast that he inked a multi-year deal with the White Sox because he wants to retire with the team.
“Since I’ve been here, since 2008, it has felt like a family to me and so I wanted to make sure when my career is over it ends as a member of the Chicago White Sox family,” Stone said.
The announcement comes a week after Stone appeared on 670 The Score and said he was “unsure what the future holds.”
“Steve is recognized as one of the best in the business, and we are so fortunate to have the White Sox be his home,” White Sox chief revenue and marketing officer Brooks Boyer said in a statement. “His expertise and presence in the booth add depth and knowledge to every broadcast. Steve is treasured by White Sox fans, and we look forward to many more seasons of the iconic Steve Stone on the White Sox broadcast.”
