When the New York Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox in a Wild Card Series this fall, fans across the country heard the good news from a familiar voice.
For the first time in 25 years, Fordham grad and WFUV Sports alumnus Michael Kay ’82 called a Yankees playoff game on the radio. The last time he did that was Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, alongside John Sterling, who died in May and was Kay’s radio partner for a decade. In that time, the pair called four Yankees World Series championships.
Since 2002, Kay has been the Yankees’ lead television play-by-play announcer on the YES Network, which doesn’t broadcast playoff games. In the postseason, he joins his YES colleagues, including fellow Fordham grad Jack Curry ’86, for the network’s pregame and postgame shows.
This year, ESPN Radio tapped Kay to call the Wild Card matchup, giving him several opportunities to flex his signature “See ya!” home run call for the Bronx Bombers.
How did it feel to be back in the radio booth to call a Yankees playoff series?
It was great. Very nostalgic. I’ve done some radio for ESPN, some playoff series over the years, but never a Yankee series, so to be in the booth in Yankee Stadium for a Yankee–Red Sox game, it was extraordinarily fun.
Could you talk about the differences between TV and radio play-by-play, and why many fans consider radio the higher art form?
Well, it’s a completely different art form, if you want to call it that. On TV, the pictures are telling the story. You just have to sprinkle in things to enhance the picture. But on radio, you are the picture, you are the camera. So, you’ve got to be unbelievably descriptive. The only way people are going to see it is if you describe it. So, if there’s a ground ball to third, on TV, I could say, “Third base, McMahon, over to first.” On radio, it might be, “It’s a ground ball, short hop to McMahon. He picks it up, throws sidearm to first.” It’s just got to be much more descriptive.
You’re part of a legendary line of WFUV alumni in sports broadcasting. When you get to the ballpark this afternoon and look around, how cool is it seeing your fellow Fordham grads on air and behind the scenes?
Yeah, it’s great. I mean, we have a chain where we talk to each other a lot, and we’re all quite proud of where we came from. We’re also quite proud of Fordham, and we try to pay it forward, like when Ryan Ruocco ’08 was my statistician. To see where he’s gone—it’s a big source of pride. I know that Mike Breen ’83 feels the same way.
It’s just an amazing lineage that has come out of FUV. We always hold ourselves up against Syracuse, because it is looked at as the gold standard in broadcasting, and we think that we’re just as much of a gold standard—Giants broadcaster Bob Papa ’86, Ryan Ruocco [ESPN’s lead play-by-play announcer for the WNBA], and Chris Carrino ’92 with the Nets. It goes on and on. And Mike Breen, obviously, is a source of so much pride for all of us.
Current WFUV journalists will be covering the game at the stadium tonight. What advice do you offer those Fordham students who might be dreaming—as you and Mike Breen did—of calling games at the highest level?
Well, the first thing I say is, “Don’t call me Mr. Kay! Just call me Michael.” Beyond that, I tell any young person who wants to get into this business that you’ve got to work harder than anybody else. There are outliers talent-wise, but when you get to a certain level, everyone is talented. The ones who accept every single assignment and are there at every moment—those are the ones who are going to get noticed and promoted. The only thing that you can really control is your work ethic. Nobody should ever outwork you, because that’s inexcusable.
Former Fordham baseball star Nick Martinez is pitching for Tampa Bay tonight. What’s your impression of the season he’s had this year?
Oh, he’s been amazing. I’ve had an opportunity to talk to him whenever Tampa Bay is in town. He’ll tell the visiting clubhouse guy, “Tell Michael to come down,” and we’ll shoot the breeze. He’s just a great guy, and I’m so proud of the success that he’s had coming out of the Fordham baseball program, which has always been really excellent. He’s just another one in the lineage starting with Frankie Frisch. It’s a great source of pride when anybody from Fordham does well in any walk of life, and just to see him on the big stage is a thrill for all of us who went to Fordham.
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Is there any chance we’ll hear you on radio for another playoff series this year?
No, it turned out to be two and done. When ESPN asked if I would be willing to do the Wild Card Series, I was overwhelmed and thrilled, but I knew that it was just for that one series.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
