Aaron Judge has been without a home run in his last six games. This has led to anxiety among fans amid heightened expectations over the question if slugger can equal or go past Roger Maris’ single-season AL home run record. Michael Kay, who has been the Yankees voice for 35 years, is not immune to it.
The Yankees have eight more games left and this is the only window for their power hitter to script a historic season. And YES Network play-by-play man Michael Kay can’t wait to call that historic moment.
He was earlier turned down an offer to appear on Apple TV+, which was subject to heightened criticism for many mistakes of its announcers made during the Friday telecast.
As Judge experiencing a six-game home-run drought, this has increased the anxious moments. But despite the raging anxiety, all are sure that there is no chance that it won’t happen, and Judge will end the 2022 season with 60 home runs.
Over the last few days, opposing pitchers have started giving Judge the Barry Bonds treatment, which means they don’t give the Yankees star much to hit and walk him instead.
Michael Kay says that even after three decades of calling Yankees games, he still gets a little nervous when Judge steps up to the plate.
According to the voice of the Yankees:
“I’m honestly more anxious about this than other calls, and I’m not quite sure why. I’ve had the privilege of other big calls having done the Yanks for 31 years, but there is something about the historical significance of this that has ramped up the butterflies. As for pressure, yes, you feel it. With the increased presence of social media, you have an entire planet of media critics, and it just seems people would pounce if there is a misstep, but it is what it is and you deal with it.”
Michael Kay said that he was simply going to do what he’s always done and let the occasion call itself. This is sharply in contrast to other broadcasters, who claimed that they had a plan all sketched out in their brain of what they’ll particularly say in this circumstance and that they were prepared to say it.
The broadcaster told:
“I don’t like to script it because it’s a recipe for disaster. You can’t really script it because you don’t know what type of homer it will be and what the ramifications are for the game. That being said, I usually have guardrails I set up, things I would like to get in the call, but that could all go away when the homer is hit. I think the homer dictates what you say.”
In the last game in Toronto on Tuesday night, Judge was walked four times. Tonight, New York will play the last game of this series. Then they will return home to play the Baltimore Orioles in their last home series of the regular season. In the last three days of the regular season next week, the Yankees will play four games at Texas.
Do you have similar anxious moments as Michael Kay when Judge is at bat?
