The best moments of Vin Scully's career

Scully’s career has been marked by incredible calls, but he was best at knowing when to get the heck out of the way of the moment. When Dodgers legend Sandy Koufax spun perfection, he let the craziness of the crowd take over for 38 seconds while he just sat back, letting the listeners soak in the sixth perfect game of the modern era.

Vin Scully was five years old when Babe Ruth hit his 714^th home run, but he was neither a baseball fan nor present in the ballpark when it happened. He was there when Hank Aaron belted his 715^th dinger in Atlanta to break Babe Ruth’s record though.

Scully knew when to ramp up the emotion for a big moment. Bill Buckner’s World Series blunder got Scully worked up and was the exclamation point to one of the most miserable times in Red Sox history.

“In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened.” Calls don't get much better than that.

Scully has been in the booth three times when a perfect game has been thrown, so it comes to no surprise that one of them was the only postseason perfect game ever. Only he would be so lucky.

One of the benefits of watching baseball year after year is witnessing the greats of each era dominate the game. After seeing Don Larsen, Sandy Koufax and Fernando Valenzuela, to name a few, Scully was around to call the first no-hitter of Clayton Kershaw’s future Hall of Fame career in 2014. Even after experiencing the best moments in baseball, Scully never failed to be amazed when a great player reached new heights.

Scully’s 67 seasons with the Dodgers were filled with a number of firsts. One of those was the first no-hitter thrown by a Japanese-born pitcher in 1996 — in the thin air of Colorado no less.

Vin Scully in the World Series with a one-legged hitter seems to produce great results. People remember Kirby Puckett’s moon shot to force Game 7 in the 1991 World Series, but no one talks about Gene Larkin’s single with an injured knee to actually win the World Series. To no one’s surprise, Scully was on hand to call the one of the greatest championship rounds in MLB history.

Not one to be blinded by homer-ism, Scully admired achievements of the visiting team as much as his team. McGwire was on another home run assault in 1999 when he visited Chavez Ravine. He hit an absolute moon shot out of the stadium, and Scully could not contain his amazement.

Bench-clearing brawls are a part of the game, but no one can describe the scene quite like Scully did in 2013 when the Dodgers and Padres came to blows.

It takes a lot to shock Scully, but seeing California Angels hitter Jack Howell smash a ball into the stands while sawing off his bat in 1987 threw the veteran broadcaster for a loop.

Walk-off home runs are one thing; witnessing an out-of-the-park blast to win a World Series is another. Scully was in the building to call the second ever walk-off home run to win the 1993 championship. While Carter punctuated the moment on the field, Scully added his own magic from the booth.

There was a singular voice that announced the crowning of the champion on the radio. In 1995, that man was Vincent Scully.

Many people forget that Scully’s ability to be in the right place at the right time was not limited to just baseball. That voice you hear when watching “The Catch” every year (or every day for some 49ers fans) is none other than the baseball play-by-play legend.

There has only been one grand slam in All-Star Game history. Guess who was there calling the game when it happened in 1983?

Vin Scully needs to do his own bad lip reading. The Internet and humanity need this.

The Dodgers found themselves down 9-5 in the ninth inning with little hope of coming back. Then, they came back with four straight home runs to tie the game in what was one of the most improbable comebacks of the 2006 season. Los Angeles would eventually win the game under the watchful eye of Scully.

Fernandomania took the country by storm in 1981 when Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela started the season with eight straight wins. By 1990, Valenzuela had lost some steam, but he still had some magic in that left arm of his. Scully was there to call the first no-hitter thrown by a Mexican pitcher and the only day when two no-hitters were thrown (the other was Dave Stewart with the Oakland Athletics).

Not one to show his age, Vin Scully keeps up with all the trends that are in with the cool kids. On this night, Scully marveled at the beard revolution that has taken Major League Baseball by storm.

The Dodgers honored a veteran at each home game in 2016, and on a nondescript afternoon game, Corporal Noboru “Don” Seki of the decorated all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team was the honoree. The great storyteller that he is, Scully told his own account of Pearl Harbor and why veterans like Seki deserve to be honored for their sacrifice.