Mostly smooth sailing in Michael Kay-John Sterling booth reunion
Socially distanced fans watch a spring training game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on March 15, 2021. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
TAMPA, Fla. — Broadcasters Michael Kay and John Sterling were reunited on Monday as they called the Yankees’ 4-2 victory over the Phillies on YES.
"It is a reunion 20 years in the making," Kay said at the beginning of the broadcast.
Kay and Sterling were the Yankees’ radio play-by-play team from 1992 through Game 7 of the 2001 World Series before Kay left to become the play-by-play announcer on YES. Sterling has been the radio voice of the Yankees since 1989.
Kay asked Sterling what he’s been doing over the last 20 years.
"Well, basically, I’ve been doing two things," Sterling said. "I’ve been watching you on YES and saying, ‘That’s baseball, Suzyn.' "
(Sterling was poking fun at himself for one of the favorite phrases he uses with his current broadcast partner, Suzyn Waldman.)
There were some awkward moments in the top of the first when the announcers talked over each other. The rest of the afternoon went as smoothly as could be expected when one announcer (Kay) is in his home studio and the other (Sterling) is in the YES studio in Stamford, Connecticut.
Neither was able to break out his signature home run call as the Yankees didn’t go deep. Sterling did get to utter his famous ''thuuuuh Yankees win!'' but did it in a very subdued tone.
"Exhibition," he explained as Kay laughed.
Sterling and Kay will do it again next Monday night when they call another Yankees-Phillies spring training game on YES.
Trainer’s room
Zack Britton had surgery to remove a bone chip from his left elbow. Britton could be out three to four months . . . Miguel Andujar has a muscle strain in his right hand, manager Aaron Boone said, and "a little bit of a nerve issue there that they’re going to follow." Andujar, who saw a specialist, is day-to-day . . . Robinson Chirinos will have surgery on Tuesday to repair his fractured right wrist and will be out four to six weeks.
Severino speaks
Luis Severino, who threw his first bullpen session on March 9, said he will be settling into a two-day-a-week throwing routine as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.
Severino threw only fastballs in the 20-pitch outing. He will do the same when he throws again on Tuesday.
"Maybe later on we’re going to introduce some breaking pitches," said Severino, who hopes to be back by midseason. "I want to throw breaking pitches and see how it feels. Not [just] the same day, but also the next day, to see how my arm is recovering from throwing those pitches."
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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