Ken Singleton says ‘it’s official,’ details why he’s staying in Yankees’ TV booth instead of retiring

BALTIMORE– Ken Singleton really did plan on retiring after 22 years of calling Yankees games on television. He’s 71. Yankees mailbag: Happ or Severino in Wild Card? McCutchen coming? He wants to do more golfing, He wants to spend more time with his grandchildren. Yankees Nation changed his mind, and two weeks after NJ Advance Media reported on Aug. 9…

BALTIMORE— Ken Singleton really did plan on retiring after 22 years of calling Yankees games on television.

He’s 71.

Yankees mailbag: Happ or Severino in Wild Card? McCutchen coming?

He wants to do more golfing,

He wants to spend more time with his grandchildren.

Yankees Nation changed his mind, and two weeks after NJ Advance Media reported on Aug. 9 that Singleton would be returning in 2019 with a lighter work schedule, the final details to his new contract have been worked out.

“It’s official,” Singleton said Friday before working the Yankees’ 7-5, 10-inning win over Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park. “I guess I’m not done yet and the response from fans was the No. 1 reason.

“I got plenty of letters from people saying they’re sad I’m leaving, they wish I would I stay. On Twitter … ‘Please stay, don’t go.’ Eventually I thought if they want me to come back, I’ve got to come back.”

Singleton will work just 18 regular-season games next season – six road games each in Baltimore and Tampa Bay, areas that he owns homes – plus two other series and about 10 spring training games.

“I basically wanted to keep it under 30 games (counting spring training),” Singleton said.

That was no problem for YES president of production John Filippelli, who is thrilled Singleton is returning.

“Flip came to me and said we can work something out here,” Singleton said.

Singleton previously cut his workload a few times in recent years. After working all 162 games for several years, he dropped to 115 in 115, then to 95 in 2016 and then to 55 this year.

“I’m easing into retirement,” he said with a laugh.

Singleton said his latest contract negotiations were a piece of cake.

“It wasn’t about money,” he said. “Everything’s all paid for. The kids are out of school. This is money for the grandkids.”

Singleton says that “it took a while” for Yankees fans to embrace him when he during their broadcast team in 1997 because he was a star outfielder for the rival Orioles from 1975-84.

“A lot of them remembered,” said Singleton, who hit .294 in 61 career games at Yankee Stadium . “As George (Steinbrenner) told me, ‘You did a lot of bad stuff to the Yankees.’ I told him I was just doing my job. He said, ‘You did. You did it well … you and that Eddie Murray guy.’ It was a compliment to me.”

Singleton has been a star in the TV booth, too, and he’s still on the top of his game despite being a part-timer. Part of the reason for that is he follows the Yanks closely even when he’s not doing their games.

“My wife knows when baseball season starts I’m in the mode,” he said. “She knows when 7 o’clock comes around, I’m heading into the man cave. And if we go somewhere, with an iPad you can watch the team wherever.”

Singleton loves watch the current crop of Yankees and he’s excited about what they potentially could accomplish over the next few seasons with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Gary Sanchez and Miguel Andujar heading a lineup that’s loaded with star sluggers.

“My decision to come back … it doesn’t hurt that the Yankees are good,” Singleton said with another smile. “My goodness, I’ve been here 22 years and they’ve had a winning record every year; The Jeter years back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, they were special teams. This team has a chance to be that, too.

“The Yankees always try to win. You look around baseball and to me there are teams that aren’t really trying. But the Yankees, they play against their own history as much as anybody else. They have a history to maintain.

“I think every player in that room knows what the Yankees history is. The managers and coaches and front office are all aware of it. And certainly the fans are aware. They want to win. That’s the way it’s been since the Babe Ruth days. That’s the reason it’s fun to cover these guys.”

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.