It was easy to listen to Vin Scully, a home companion for Dodgers fans in Brooklyn and Los Angeles for 67 years.

In calling ordinary games over the breadth of a baseball season, he brought knowledge and flair, wit and an ability to entertain without losing sight of his reason for being in a broadcast booth. He was fortunate to be present as history and baseball often collided, as they did so memorably when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1974. His words were iconic, but, just as importantly, he knew when to let silence tell the story, as he did after Kirk Gibson hit his home run to win Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.