John Sterling, Michael Kay To Call Yankees Game On YES

Sterling and Kay (Newsday/Audrey C. Tiernan)

John Sterling has been calling Yankees games since 1989, but as far as he can recall he never has worked one on television.

Neil Best at Newsday reports that will change on Monday when he joins his former radio partner, Michael Kay, in a reunion of sorts on the YES Network for a game against the Phillies – the first of two consecutive Mondays they will work together.

"It’s just a couple of exhibition games, which as we know mean nothing," Sterling said. "But you can say, ‘Well, are you looking forward to it?’ Of course, I am. It will be wonderful.

"Michael and I have become very good friends over the years. So it’s just like broadcasting with a friend, which is what I hope it sounds like."

Kay was a newspaper reporter when he joined Sterling in 1992, and he was with him for 10 years – and four world championships – until he joined the new YES Network in 2002 as its play-by-play man.

So the two have seen each other regularly at the ballpark over the past 20 years. But YES president John Filippelli suggested having them together again, and Sterling said he loved the idea. (Kay declined to be interviewed by Newsday for this story.)

This TV experience will not be like those, given these unusual times. Sterling will work Monday from YES’ Stamford, Connecticut, studios, while Kay does the game from his home studio.

Last season, Sterling and Suzyn Waldman called games from Yankee Stadium, whether or not the Yankees were actually playing there, and that is the plan entering 2021.

But Sterling hopes for a return to normalcy – and travel – sometime this season. "I’m a tremendous optimist," he said, "so I’m hoping by June or July or so."