Michael Kay to call Yankees wild-card series on ESPN radio

Nypost · Sep 24, 2026 · 695 words · By Christian Arnold

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What to know about Michael Kay to call Yankees wild-card series on ESPN radio

Michael Kay hasn’t called a Yankees playoff game in 25 years, but that changes on Tuesday when the Yankees television broadcaster returns to his roots of sorts inside the radio booth to call the Bronx Bombers’ AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on ESPN…

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The longtime voice of the Yankees has not been able to call a Yanks postseason game since he made the jump to television with the launch of YES Network in 2002, as national broadcasters take over exclusive television rights in the playoffs.

Common ground

In a phone conversation Thursday afternoon, Kay told The Post that ESPN’s vice president of digital & audio production Justin Craig had reached out to him to see if he would be interested in calling the national radio broadcast of the Yanks’ wild-card series.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Michael Kay to call Yankees wild-card series on ESPN radio?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Sterling passed away earlier this year at the age of 87?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/09/24/sports/michael-kay-to-call-yankees-wild-card-serie…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified

Claim 1: “Sterling passed away earlier this year at the age of 87”

VERIFIED

Strong authoritative evidence from Wikipedia and multiple news outlets (NY Post, Legacy.com) confirms John Sterling died on May 4, 2026, at the age of 87.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — John Sterling may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sterling

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — John Sterling (20 July 1806 – 18 September 1844) was a Scottish writer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sterling_(author)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — John Sterling (né Sloss; July 4, 1938 – May 4, 2026) was an American sportscaster, best known as the radio play-by-play announcer of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1989 to 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sterling_(sportscaster)

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “the Yankees television broadcaster returns to his roots of sorts inside the radio booth to call the Bronx Bombers’ AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on ESPN Radio”

CORROBORATED

Multiple news sources confirm that Michael Kay will return to the radio booth to call the AL Wild Card Series on ESPN Radio.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 New York Yankees season was the 123rd season for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. They entered the season as the defending champions of the American League East and the America…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_Yankees_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 New York Yankees season was the 124th season for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, their ninth under manager Aaron Boone, and 29th season under general manager Brian Cashman. Goi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_New_York_Yankees_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael Kay (born February 2, 1961) is an American sports broadcaster who is the television play-by-play broadcaster of the New York Yankees and host of CenterStage on the YES Network, and the host of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Kay

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Kay spent a decade as part of the Yankees radio broadcast team from 1992-2001, paired with broadcasting legend John Sterling”

CORROBORATED

Confirmed by multiple sources including Bronx Pinstripes and other web results that Kay spent a decade (1992-2001) on the radio team with John Sterling.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “I have a 35-year connection doing the Yankee games on radio and TV”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No specific evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the exact '35-year connection' claim, although his tenure from 1992 to 2026 aligns closely with this timeframe.

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Claim 5: “we got a chance to call five World Series, and four of them winners”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the pair called four World Series championships together, and other sources mention Sterling narrated five World Series titles.

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web search NEUTRAL — Voice of the Yankees Michael Kay '82 shares insights on the art of play-by-play, WFUV's impact, and advice for aspiring broadcasters.In that time, the pair called four Yankees World Series championshi…
https://now.fordham.edu/fordham-magazine/yankees-broadcaster…

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web search NEUTRAL — John Sterling, play-by-play announcer of the Yankees, stands with family...He was the narrator of five World Series titles, including the late 1990s dynastic run that included three straight champions…
https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/david-lennon/john-…

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web search NEUTRAL — NFL Week 5 Preview | The Michael Kay Show - 10/9/26. ESPN New York.Anthony Rizzo GOES OFF on Yankees after getting SWEPT by Rays: “Same thing OVER and OVER again!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IokymMzhAvc

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Claim 6: “Kay will call the game alongside Eduardo Pérez and Tim Kurkjian”

CORROBORATED

Confirmed by insideradio.com that Kay will handle play-by-play alongside analysts Eduardo Pérez and Tim Kurkjian.

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web search NEUTRAL — Eduardo Atanasio Pérez Pérez is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and current television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Pérez

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web search NEUTRAL — Kay, the longtime Yankees television voice on YES Network, will handle national play-by-play alongside analysts Eduardo Pérez and Tim Kurkjian. The series is scheduled to begin Tuesday at Yankee Stadi…
https://www.insideradio.com/free/michael-kay-returns-to-yank…

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web search NEUTRAL — Tim Kurkjian joins the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz to help find the most medicore 1990s MLB player, showing off his baseball knowledge before playing The Looks Like Game. Subscribe to ESPN on YouT…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HA6g4r1WYc

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Claim 7: “The longtime voice of the Yankees has not been able to call a Yanks postseason game since he made the jump to television with the launch of YES Network in 2002”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the 'drought' began with his 2002 move to the YES Network, and that he has not called a postseason game since then.

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Claim 8: “Michael Kay hasn’t called a Yankees playoff game in 25 years”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including the New York Post and other web results, explicitly state that Michael Kay hasn't called a Yankees playoff game in 25 years.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “the national broadcast will air on 880 ESPN in the New York market”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm the national broadcast will air on 880 ESPN in the New York market.

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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 24, 2026 · Kay will call the game alongside Eduardo Pérez and Tim Kurkjian and the national broadcast will air on 880 ESPN in the New York market, he said when he announced the news on “The...
https://nypost.com/2026/09/24/sports/michael-kay-to-call-yan…

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web search NEUTRAL — Listen online or download the iHeart App.
https://www.iheart.com/live/espn-880-7905/

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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 25, 2026 · If the Yankees advance, he won’t call more games, returning instead to YES pre- and post-game coverage. What It Means: Ultimately, Tuesday marks Kay’s first Yankees radio call since Ste…
https://barrettmedia.com/2026/09/25/michael-kay-yankees-wild…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.