Michael Kay called games for the New York Yankees from 1992-present. Part of the Judge Era (2017--Present) era.
Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit landed in the left-field seats on July 9, 2011, and the guy calling it wasn't even supposed to be the emotional one in the building. "That's drilled, deep to left field, going back... looking up -- See ya! 3,000! History with an exclamation point!" Michael Kay said it, then admitted afterward he'd basically dreamed the line the night before (of course he had -- the man's been living and breathing this team since he was writing Nets recaps for the New York Post).
That's Kay in a nutshell. He's been the Yankees' television play-by-play voice on YES Network since the network launched in 2002, and before that he spent a decade on WABC radio next to John Sterling. Add it up and he's been in a Yankees broadcast booth, in some form, since 1992 -- through four championships on radio, a fifth on TV, two perfect games, Jeter's whole career, and now the entire Aaron Judge era. That's not a broadcaster who covers the Yankees. That's a broadcaster who basically grew up with them on the clock.
From the Bronx to the Booth
Kay was born February 2, 1961, and raised in the Bronx -- close enough to the Stadium that rooting for the Yankees wasn't really a choice so much as a birthright. He went to Fordham University and came out with a degree in communications, then landed at the New York Post in 1982 as a general assignment writer. He worked his way up (college hoops, the Nets, whatever the paper needed), and by 1987 he'd taken over the best beat in town: the Yankees.
He jumped to the Daily News in 1989, still covering the club, and in 1992 made the move that actually mattered -- off the beat and into the booth, joining Sterling on WABC radio. Sterling had the play-by-play chair locked down (he'd been calling games since 1989 and would keep doing it for another three decades), so Kay settled in as the color voice. Not a bad seat. He held it for ten seasons.
| Yankees Broadcast Tenure | 1992-present (radio 1992-2001, TV since 2002) |
| Radio Partner | John Sterling, WABC Radio, 1992-2001 |
| TV Role | Lead play-by-play announcer, YES Network, since its March 2002 launch |
| Also Hosts | CenterStage (YES Network, since 2002); The Michael Kay Show (weekday sports radio, since July 2002) |
| Signature Call | "Going back, at the track, at the wall... See ya!" |
| New York State Baseball Hall of Fame | Inducted November 2016 |
| Perfect Games Called (Radio) | David Wells, May 17, 1998; David Cone, July 18, 1999 -- color alongside Sterling both times |
Ten Years on Radio, Then the Move
The radio years weren't a warm-up act. Kay and Sterling were in the booth together for four championships -- 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 -- and for both of the perfect games the Yankees threw in that stretch. David Wells got his on May 17, 1998. David Cone got his on July 18, 1999, a Yogi Berra Day afterthought that turned into the actual headline. Sterling had the play-by-play call both times. Kay had the color chair, which meant he got to sit there and watch history happen in real time twice in fourteen months (must be nice).
Then 2002 hit and everything shuffled. YES Network launched that March, the Yankees moved their local TV rights over, and Kay went with them -- as the network's lead play-by-play voice, the chair he's held ever since. Sterling stayed on radio. The partnership that defined the '90s split down the middle, one guy on TV, one on the AM dial, and somehow both stuck around forever.
He didn't just get the play-by-play gig. YES handed him "CenterStage," a one-on-one interview show, at the network's launch too, and he's hosted it ever since. On top of that he's had his own drive-time sports radio show since July 2002 -- decades of afternoons filled with Yankees talk, no off button in sight.
The Judge Era, Every Bit of It
Kay's tenure is long enough that it's actually easier to name the Yankees eras he hasn't called than the ones he has. He was there for the late-'90s dynasty on radio. He was there on TV for the 2009 title. And he's been in the chair for the entire Aaron Judge era, from Judge's rookie cup of coffee all the way through the Captain years.
The biggest call of that stretch came on October 4, 2022, in Arlington, Texas, when Judge sent his 62nd home run of the season into the seats to break Roger Maris's American League record. Kay skipped his usual "See ya!" for the moment -- too big for the catchphrase, apparently -- and went with "There it goes, soaring into history!" As Judge rounded the bases, Kay closed it out clean: "The AL king, case closed!"
Twenty-two words. That's all it took to put a bow on a 61-year-old record. Not bad for a guy who was writing Nets recaps for the Post back when Judge's parents hadn't even met yet.
Key Moments
Born in the Bronx
Michael Kay is born and raised in the Bronx, growing up a Yankees fan before eventually covering, then calling, the team he grew up rooting for.
Takes Over the Yankees Beat
After starting at the New York Post in 1982 out of Fordham University, Kay becomes the paper's Yankees beat writer.
Joins John Sterling on WABC Radio
Kay leaves the Daily News beat to become the Yankees' color radio voice on WABC alongside play-by-play announcer John Sterling.
Calls Wells's Perfect Game
Kay provides color commentary on WABC radio as David Wells throws a perfect game against the Twins.
Calls Cone's Perfect Game
Kay is back in the radio booth for David Cone's perfect game against the Expos on Yogi Berra Day at the Stadium.
Moves to YES Network Television
When the YES Network launches, Kay becomes its lead Yankees play-by-play announcer and also starts hosting the interview show CenterStage.
Calls Jeter's 3,000th Hit
Kay's call, "History with an exclamation point," marks Derek Jeter's milestone hit, a home run off David Price.
New York State Baseball Hall of Fame
The New York State Baseball Hall of Fame inducts Kay, recognizing his three-plus decades on Yankees broadcasts.
Calls Judge's Record-Breaking 62nd Home Run
Kay's call, "The AL king, case closed," marks Aaron Judge breaking Roger Maris's American League single-season home run record in Arlington, Texas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Michael Kay, the Yankees broadcaster?
Michael Kay (born February 2, 1961, in the Bronx) is the lead television play-by-play announcer for Yankees games on the YES Network, a role he's held since the network launched in March 2002. Before that, he spent a decade (1992-2001) as the color commentator alongside John Sterling on WABC radio, after starting his career as the Yankees beat writer for the New York Post and Daily News.
How long has Michael Kay been broadcasting Yankees games?
Kay has been in the Yankees broadcast booth in some form since 1992 -- first ten seasons on WABC radio, then as the YES Network's television voice since 2002. That's well over three decades covering the club, spanning four championships on radio, a fifth on TV, and the entire Aaron Judge era.
What is Michael Kay's signature home run call?
Kay's catchphrase is "Going back, at the track, at the wall... See ya!", used for home runs since his radio days and carried over to his TV work on YES. He set it aside for Aaron Judge's record-breaking 62nd home run in 2022, opting instead for "There it goes, soaring into history!"
Did Michael Kay call any perfect games for the Yankees?
Yes. Kay provided color commentary on WABC radio, with John Sterling on play-by-play, for both David Wells's perfect game on May 17, 1998, and David Cone's perfect game on July 18, 1999.
Still in the Chair
Kay's still calling games in 2026, more than two decades into the TV chair and more than three decades total since he first sat down next to Sterling. He's outlasted broadcast partners, playoff heartbreaks, a new Stadium, and enough Judge home runs to fill a highlight reel that never seems to stop growing. The kid who wrote Nets game stories for the Post in the mid-'80s is still in the booth, still reaching for "See ya!" every time a ball clears the wall in the Bronx.