Bob Costas is retiring as MLB's play-by-play voice after a 44-year career in the booth

Bob Costas is retiring after a more than 40-year career as an MLB playcaller.

Costas confirmed the decision to The Athletic but declined to comment, telling Andrew Marchand that he would “prefer to discuss the decision and his MLB play-by-play career at a later date.”

The final call of Costas' play-by-play career came at the end of Game 4 of the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees defeated the Royals and advanced to the American League Championship Series (which they would also win).

Costas, 72, played in the MLB for 44 years, most of them with NBC. He started there in 1980 and over the years provided play-by-play for three World Series and 10 championship series. He also expanded beyond baseball, most notably hosting NBC's Olympic coverage for several years. He began hosting games for TBS in 2020 after his contract with NBC expired in 2019.

Costas will also step away from broadcasting games on MLB Network, where he has served since the network began broadcasting in 2009.

According to Marchand, Costas made the decision to step away from play-by-play work before the start of the 2024 season, which happened to coincide with the end of his contract with TBS.

While Costas is retiring from broadcasting baseball games, he isn't done broadcasting just yet. He will continue to work as an analyst and commentator on MLB Network and will continue to serve as the voice of the Baseball Hall of Fame.