Vin Scully has been the play-by-play broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers since 1958. On Friday the Los Angeles City Council voted to keep Scully as a part of the city's history.
The council unanimously voted (12-0) to rename Elysian Park Avenue (Dodger Stadium's address) to Vin Scully Avenue, according to Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. Scully, who plans to retire after the 2016 MLB season, released a statement following the news.
"I am overwhelmed. I was raised in the streets of New York and to have a street named after me in Los Angeles is almost too much to comprehend," he said, via a Dodgers' press release. "I am eternally grateful to the Los Angeles City Council and especially Councilman Gil Cedillo. A path to Dodger Stadium is a path way to my heart. For 55 years it has been an honor to walk that road to one of the greatest entertainment centers in the world, a place that has brought so much joy to all of us. I thank God for this great honor."
The proposal was brought forth by City Councilman Gil Cedillo, who said after the vote, "Now is the time for us to recognize the greatness of this man."
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, special advisor Tommy Lasorda, three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, and former LA Dodgers Orel Hershiser, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, Eric Karros and Maury Wills were in attendance for the vote at City Hall.
"There's no better way to recognize such an iconic Dodger as Hall of Famer Vin Scully than naming a street after him," Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a team release, via ESPN's Doug Padilla. "We appreciate Gil Cedillo and city officials bringing this to the forefront and we look forward to the day when everyone can drive on Vin Scully Ave. when they enter Dodger Stadium."
Scully, who is the longest tenured broadcaster in the MLB, was inducted into the Broadcaster's wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 after receiving the Ford C. Frick Award, which is presented to broadcasters who make "major contributions in baseball."
The 88-year-old is entering his 67th consecutive season as the Dodgers' broadcaster.
You can read more about Scully and his countless achievements here.
