Broadcasters

Michael Kay is the Emmy Award-winning Yankees play-by-play announcer for the YES Network who also hosts the network’s CenterStage series and its various programming specials. The 2025 season will be his 34th year broadcasting Yankees baseball: the first 10 years on radio, the latter 24 on YES.

Kay was a part of YES’ Yankees team that won a 2024 New York Emmy Award for its season-long coverage, a 2023 Emmy Award for its pre-game shows and a 2022 Emmy Award for Single Game Coverage.

Kay’s Centerstage show won a 2020 New York Emmy for best Interview/Discussion show. He also won a 2015 New York Emmy Award for his play-by-play work on YES’ Yankees telecasts, and a 2017 New York Emmy for his CenterStage hosting duties. In total, Kay has earned 19 Emmy wins while at YES. He also won CableFAX Program Awards in 2011 and 2013 for his CenterStage hosting duties.

From February 2014 to December 2024, Kay co-hosted The Michael Kay Show, a sports talk show heard weekdays from 3 to 6:30 pm ET on ESPN Radio in New York, which was simulcast live on YES. On January 6, 2025, Kay began solo hosting his new eponymous show on the same station from 1-3 pm ET weekdays.

During the 2022 and 2023 MLB seasons, Kay co-hosted, with former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, special “KayRod Casts,” alternate broadcasts on ESPN2 that aired alongside ESPN’s traditional Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts.

In November 2016, Kay was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in October 2018. The following month, he was awarded the Lou Gehrig Sports Award by the Greater New York Chapter of the A.L.S. Association.

Kay received the Vin Scully Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting from WFUV Radio in November 2018; WFUV is the radio station for Fordham University, Kay’s alma mater. Previous recipients of the Vin Scully Award include Dick Enberg, Ernie Harwell, Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Verne Lundquist, Pat Summerall and Mike “Doc” Emrick.

He was inducted into the inaugural Hall of Fame class of the prestigious Bronx High School of Science in February 2018. Kay was awarded the Italian American Baseball Federation Media Award in December 2022. In 2005, Kay was honored in his home borough of the Bronx with an honorary street sign erected on the Grand Concourse in his name. In December 2023, Kay was honored as a National Honoree by the Stamford (Ct.) Old Timers Athletic Association.

Kay handled play-by-play duties for ESPN’s coverage of the Astros-Tigers and the Blue Jays-Twins American League Wild Card Series in 2024 and 2023, respectively. He also did play-by-play on the ESPN Radio Network for the 2016 Blue Jays-Rangers American League Division Series, the 2013 Tigers-Athletics American League Division Series and the 2008 Phillies-Brewers National League Division Series. He also was a frequent contributor to ESPN’s Emmy Award-winning Sports Reporters television show.

Before joining the YES Network in 2002, Kay worked at the MSG Network since 1989 as a Yankees reporter. In 1992, he added Knicks locker room reporter to his responsibilities and continued in that role until the 1998-99 season.

Kay was awarded the Dick Young Award for Excellence in Sports Media by the New York Pro Baseball Scouts in 1995. In 1998, he was on the MSG Network team that won a New York Emmy for “Outstanding Live Sports Coverage – Series.” In 1996 and 1997, he was a member of the MSG Network team that won New York Emmys for “Outstanding Live Sports Coverage - Single Program” for Dwight Gooden’s no-hitter and “The Battle for New York: Yankees vs. Mets.” He was also part of the Yankees/MSG Network production team nominated for New York Emmy Awards for six consecutive years.

In addition to his television work, the Bronx, NY, native worked as a Yankees analyst on WABC Radio from 1992 through the 2001 season, which concluded with the classic Yankees-Diamondbacks World Series. Kay was a winner of “Best Sports Reporter” honors at the 2000 New York Metro Achievement in Radio Awards. In 1998, Kay also began co-hosting Sports Talk with John Sterling and Michael Kay, a nightly sports radio call-in show which aired on WABC Radio during the winter months.

Shortly after graduating from Fordham University in 1982 with a B.A. in Communications, Kay worked at SportsPhone and as the public address announcer for the New York Pro Summer Basketball League.

In 1982, Kay landed the job as general assignment writer for the New York Post. Two years later, he began covering college basketball (1984-85) and then spent two years as the writer covering the New Jersey Nets. In 1987, he moved to baseball at the Post, serving as the Yankees beat reporter. While he was in that position, he got his first television job with MSG Network as host of the Hot Stove League segment of MSG’s SportsNight.

In 1989, Kay moved to the New York Daily News, where he was the Yankees beat reporter before taking the job as a Yankees broadcaster on WABC Radio in 1992. With that jump, Kay became the first newspaper reporter in any sport to make the move into the broadcast booth full-time, performing both play-by-play and analysis.

Kay stayed on the radio for 10 years, broadcasting the Yankees’ four World Series championships during that time, before moving to the television side to become the lead play-by-play man for YES in 2002.

Kay has been involved in the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.), a charitable organization whose mission is to assist baseball community members. He co-hosted the 2013 B.A.T. fundraising dinner in New York. Kay also was master of ceremonies at the 2013 Thurman Munson Awards fundraising dinner in New York.

Kay is active with the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of his mother, Rose, who passed away from the disease in 2006. He also teamed up with former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Girardi’s Catch 25 Foundation to organize annual charity dinners to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.

Kay and his wife Jodi Applegate have a daughter, Caledonia Rose Kay, born in January 2013, and a son, Charles Applegate Kay, born in November 2014.

Emmy Award-winning Meredith Marakovits was named the YES Network’s New York Yankees clubhouse reporter in March 2012. She reports on the team within the network’s Yankees game telecasts, pre- and post-game shows, Yankees Batting Practice Today and Yankees Hot Stove. She also periodically hosts the network’s Brooklyn Nets pre- and post-game shows.

Since 2023, Marakovits has hosted special Batting Practice All-Access shows from the Yankee Stadium field prior to select Yankees games. These All-Access shows consist of game previews, player interviews, pre-taped features, the answering of fan questions and more.

Marakovits has won nine New York Emmy Awards while covering the Yankees at YES, including two in 2023: one for her Yankees reporting duties and one for being an integral member of YES’ Yankees pre-game coverage. She also won an Emmy in 2024 for playing a vital role in YES’ season-long Yankees game coverage. In 2019, she was named to the “Top Women in Sports” list by the trade organization Cynopsis. The Cynopsis list recognizes female trailblazers in the sports industry; Marakovits was named in the On-Air Talent category.

Marakovits also appears on YES’ special Yankees programming and contributes to YESNetwork.com, the network’s Emmy Award-winning website, as well as YES’ various social media platforms. In January 2016, she travelled to the Dominican Republic to interview a number of Yankees players for YES’ Yankees Access show. She also hosted the weekly Joe Girardi Show on YES while Girardi managed the Yankees.

Marakovits frequently appears as a guest on MLB Network shows such as The Rundown and MLB Now.

Prior to joining the YES team, Marakovits worked for several Comcast SportsNet regional sports networks including SNY in New York, where she was an anchor and also contributed to SNY programs The Wheelhouse, Daily News Live and GEICO Sportsnite. At Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, Marakovits was a Philadelphia 76ers sideline reporter, as well as a contributor to Toyota Sportsnite. She was also a fill-in anchor at Comcast SportsNet New England.

On the radio side, Marakovits covered the Yankees and Mets for 1050 ESPN and contributed elsewhere to WFAN radio in New York. Preceding her work in New York, Marakovits served as the Phillies reporter for 950 ESPN Radio/97.5 the Fanatic in Philadelphia. While there, she covered back-to-back World Series, contributed to ESPN and ESPNews, and appeared on MLB’s first reality series, The Pen.

Earlier in her career, Marakovits served as the pre- and post-game host and field reporter for the Emmy Award-winning Lehigh Valley Ironpigs Television Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania; the IronPigs are the Phillies’ AAA affiliate. She also covered the Reading Phillies (AA affiliate) while there. Marakovits also worked for Service Electric 2’s sports division as a sideline reporter for college football, basketball, and indoor football broadcasts.

In December 2013, Marakovits’ alma mater, Allentown (Pa.) Central Catholic High School, inducted her into its Rockne Wall of Fame, for her athletic exploits. A Northampton, Pa. native, Marakovits is a graduate of La Salle University in Philadelphia, where she played volleyball and graduated in 2005 with a degree in Communications.

David Cone, the strikeout artist who endeared himself to New York Yankees fans for his numerous clutch performances and for hurling a perfect game in 1999, initially joined YES as a Yankees analyst in 2002. After pitching for the Mets in 2003 and then retiring from baseball, he re-joined YES as an analyst for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. After a year away from the mic, he came back again to YES in 2011 and has been with the network ever since. Cone has won five New York Emmy Awards while at YES.

Since 2022, Cone has been a game analyst on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecasts in addition to his YES duties. In 2019, he collaborated on a book with YES colleague Jack Curry called Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher, which was a New York Times best-seller.

Cone compiled a 194-126 record, 3.46 ERA and 2,688 strikeouts in his 17-year Major League career. He captured the American League Cy Young Award in 1994 and was a five-time All-Star (1988, 1992, 1994, 1997 and 1999). The Kansas City, Mo. native, known for coming up big in critical games, posted an 8-3 postseason record and played on five world championship teams: the 1992 Blue Jays and the 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Yankees.

The flame-throwing right-hander was drafted by his hometown Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 1981 amateur draft and made his Major League debut with the Royals in 1986. He played the next five and a half seasons with the Mets; in 1988, he ran up a 20-3 record, 2.22 ERA and 213 strikeouts, and on October 6, 1991, he struck out 19 Phillies in a game.

After short stints with the Blue Jays and the Royals (again), he joined the Yankees in 1995. His finest season in pinstripes was 1998, when he was 20-7 with a 3.55 ERA and 209 strikeouts. A year later, on July 18, 1999, he hurled a perfect game against the Montreal Expos, only the second inter-league perfect game in Major League history. Fellow Yankee Don Larsen’s World Series gem in 1956 was the first.

While with the Yankees from 1995-2000, Cone was 64-40 with a 3.91 ERA and 888 strikeouts. He pitched for Boston in 2001, sat out the 2002 season, and pitched briefly for the Mets in 2003 before retiring.

Jack Curry, who covered the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball at The New York Times for nearly 20 years as its Yankees beat writer and as a national baseball writer, joined the YES Network in February 2010 as a Yankees analyst, reporter, and program contributor, and as a columnist on the Emmy-Award winning YESNetwork.com.

He has won nine New York Emmy Awards at YES, including two in 2023: one in the Commentator/Editorialist category, and one for his work as part of YES’ Yankees Pre-Game coverage. Curry also earned an Emmy in 2024 as part of the YES team which won for its season-long Yankees coverage. In March 2024, Curry was announced as an inductee into the Irish Baseball Hall of Fame.

Curry has written or co-written four New York Times best-selling books: The 1998 Yankees: The Inside Story of the Greatest Team in Baseball History, published in May 2023; he collaborated in 2022 with YES colleague Paul O’Neill on a book entitled A Swing And A Hit; in 2019, he collaborated on a book with another YES colleague, David Cone, called Full Count: The Education Of A Pitcher; and in 2000 he co-wrote a book with Derek Jeter entitled The Life You Imagine: Life Lessons for Achieving Your Dreams.

Curry hosts the Yankees News & Views podcast, which launched in January 2024, featuring interviews with Yankees players and other key team personnel. The show is available on the Gotham Sports App and numerous other podcast platforms.

He has also hosted YES’ Yankees Access specials, which give viewers exclusive, off-the-field, behind-the-scenes looks at some of the most popular Yankees players. He has traveled to the Dominican Republic and Taiwan to report on Yankee feature stories, international travel atypical of regional sports networks.

Since November 2005, Curry has been a regular contributor to YES’ Yankees Hot Stove show. His television experience extends back to 1991, when he began contributing to Madison Square Garden Network’s Yankees pre-game show and weekly baseball magazine show.

While at YES, Curry also hosted JCTV: Jack Curry TV, the innovative YESNetwork.com original series which featured interviews with some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and the media.

Curry joined The New York Times in 1987 and became the Yankees beat writer in 1991. He was a national baseball writer at the newspaper from 1998 until December 2009. While at The Times, Curry authored more than 4,500 articles, covering 18 World Series, 11 All-Star Games, 10 MLB Winter Meetings and two World Baseball Classics. The New Jersey native also was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service Reporting at The Times in 1999 for co-writing a series on the demise of New York high school sports, and won multiple Publisher Awards at The Times, monthly awards that recognize the best journalism at the paper. Curry has also been the chairman of the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

In January 2013, Curry received the Broadcast Achievement Award from the New Jersey Sports Writers Association. Also, that year, he was named “Top Sports Analyst” by the New Jersey-based 201 Magazine.

Curry is a 1986 graduate of Fordham University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications.

Former New York Yankees catcher John Flaherty joined the YES team in the spring of 2006 as a field reporter, studio analyst and game analyst for YES’ Yankees telecasts. He has won eight New York Emmy Awards while at YES and has earned individual New York Emmy Award nominations in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023 for his YES work.

Drafted by Boston in 1988, Flaherty progressed within the Red Sox farm system before joining the parent club in 1992. He played 14 Major League seasons with five teams (Red Sox 1992-93, Detroit Tigers 1994-96, San Diego Padres 1996-97, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 1998-2002, and the Yankees 2003-05).

He is best known to many Yankees fans for his 2004 pinch-hit “walk-off” single that ended a 13-inning regular season game against the Red Sox. In 2005, he became Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson’s personal catcher, in addition to backing up starting catcher Jorge Posada.

During his MLB career, he had a .252 batting average in 1,047 games and collected 849 hits, including 80 home runs.

Flaherty is a New York City native and a graduate of George Washington University. He serves on the Access Foundation Board for Access: Supports for Living. In 2015, he was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2009, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, N.Y.

Former MLB third baseman Todd Frazier joined the YES Network in 2023 as a New York Yankees studio analyst.

During Frazier’s 11 years in the Majors, he played with the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Yankees, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. With the Reds, Frazier finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2012 and was named an All-Star twice (2014 and 2015). Frazier also won the All-Star Game Home Run Derby in 2015. He made postseason appearances in three seasons, twice with the Reds (2012 and 2013) and during his one year with the Yankees in 2017.

Frazier was also part of the 2020 U.S. Olympic team that won a Silver Medal in Tokyo, Japan.

In addition to YES, Frazier co-hosts the daily “Foul Territory” independent MLB digital show alongside A.J. Pierzynski, Erik Kratz and Adam Jones, on which the former players interview current MLB stars. Video versions of the show can be found on YouTube and Twitch, while Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms host an audio-only version of the show.

Frazier is also a game analyst on ESPN’s Little League World Series coverage. In 1998, Frazier led the Toms River East (N.J.) team to the Little League World Series title. He went 4-for-4 including a leadoff home run in the championship game and was also the winning pitcher. In five Little League World Series games that year, Frazier batted 9-for-15 with four home runs (one of which was a grand slam), drove in 10 RBI and scored 11 runs. He was inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence in 2022.

Former New York Yankees catcher Joe Girardi, who helped lead the Yankees to three World Championships in the 1990s as a player and later guided the team to the 2009 World Championship as a manager, re-joined the YES Network as a Yankees analyst in advance of the 2024 season. He previously had been a Yankees analyst for YES in 2004 and 2007.

In addition to managing the Yankees from 2008 to 2017, Girardi managed the Philadelphia Phillies from the 2020 season until June of 2022, and he also held that role with the Florida Marlins in 2006, with whom Girardi earned the National League Manager of the Year Award. Girardi also was the Yankees’ bench coach under manager Joe Torre during the 2005 season.

From 2022-24, Girardi served as a Chicago Cubs analyst on the Marquee Sports Network. Previously, he was an analyst with the MLB Network in 2018 and 2019. In addition, he was an analyst during the 2003 National League Division Series for ESPN Radio and provided the 2007 World Series pre-game analysis for FOX Sports.

In addition to his analyst work during his previous stints at YES, he won a New York Emmy Award for his hosting efforts on the network’s Kids on Deck series and was the star of The Joe Girardi Show.

A Peoria, Ill. Native, Girardi graduated from Spalding (Ill.) Institute in 1982 after earning All-State honors in baseball. He then played at Northwestern University, where he was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and three-time Academic All-American. He received his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern in 1986.

He was drafted by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 1986 amateur draft. He broke into the majors in 1989 with the Cubs and later played three seasons for the Colorado Rockies (1993-1995). Girardi was acquired by the Yankees prior to the 1996 season and played key roles as New York won the World Series in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

One month after departing the Yankees as a free agent in November 1999, Girardi signed with the Cubs and played three additional seasons for Chicago, making the National League All-Star team in 2000.

He played one season for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2003 before signing with the Yankees as a free agent in February 2004. Girardi retired at the end of spring training, then joined YES.

Bob Lorenz, who has won 19 Emmy Awards at YES, is the network’s primary studio anchor. He hosts the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets pre- and post-game shows, as well as the Yankees Hot Stove program. He also co-hosted the Emmy Award-winning Forbes SportsMoney show when it aired on YES from 2008 to 2024. In addition, Lorenz has play-by-play credits to his name at YES, including Yankees regular season and spring training telecasts, Staten Island Yankees games and Ivy League football.

Lorenz has won three New York Emmy Awards recognizing him as the top sports anchor in New York. Most recently, Lorenz was a member of YES’ Yankees team which won a 2024 New York Emmy for its season-long Yankees coverage. Forbes SportsMoney, which Lorenz co-hosted with Forbes’ Michael Ozanian, captured Emmy Awards in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016.

Prior to joining the YES Network in 2002, Lorenz served as an anchor for CNN/Sports Illustrated, which he joined in April of 1991. He hosted CNN’s signature weekly sports programming, including NFL Preview, College Football Preview, This Week in the NBA, SI Cover to Cover and Page One. He also hosted CNN’s weekly baseball show from 1992 to 1996; and from 1994 to 1996, hosted CNN’s College Basketball Preview and College Coaches Corner. In addition to those duties, Lorenz also worked on a variety of programs for CNN’s sister networks TBS and TNT, hosting Super Bowl specials and serving as back-up host on Inside the NBA on TNT.

Before joining CNN, Lorenz was a reporter and anchor at WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Fla. Joining WPTV-TV in 1988, he wrote, produced and anchored four weekend sportscasts. Lorenz earlier served as sports director at KIEM-TV in Eureka, Calif., was a writer at CBS Extravision in Los Angeles and an analyst/anchor for Citicable in Torrance, Calif.

Lorenz is on the Honorary Event Committee for the Connecticut chapter of Make-A-Wish and has emceed its annual Make-A-Wish Ball. He has also emceed the Annual Miracle Ball, which raises money and awareness for the Miracle League of Westchester County in New York.

He holds a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Southern California.

Former relief pitcher Jeff Nelson, who enjoyed a 15-year MLB career that included two stints with the New York Yankees, joined the YES Network as a Yankees studio and game analyst in 2019.

Nelson played with the Seattle Mariners (thrice), Yankees (twice), Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. The Yankees made postseason appearances in all six seasons Nelson was with the team, making it to the World Series five of the six years and winning World Championships in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Nelson was named an All-Star in 2001 with the Mariners.

He had a 3.47 ERA with 334 strikeouts while with the Yankees. Nelson appeared in a total of 798 career games, 391 with the Yankees.

Nelson also serves as an analyst for FanDuel Sports Network Florida.

Emmy Award-winner Nancy Newman, who joined YES in 2003, is a host for the network’s New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Nets pre- and post-game shows and the lead anchor for its Yankees Batting Practice Today show.

In addition, Newman is the host of the network’s Yankees Magazine program, which goes behind the scenes and in the community with the Yankees. During her tenure at YES, she has also served as its Yankees clubhouse reporter, its sideline reporter for Ivy League football and New York Football Sunday and the host for its Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl college football coverage.

Since 2019, Newman has served as emcee of the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Troy, NY. Newman has won seven New York Emmy Awards while at YES.

Prior to joining the YES Network, Newman held a variety of sports broadcasting positions with the CNN Networks from 1992 to 2002. She hosted CNN Sports Tonight and Latenight as well as CNN Sports Sunday and CNN’s Goodwill Games Preview. Newman also hosted and worked on programs for CNN’s sister networks, including CNN Sports/Illustrated and CNN Headline News, for which she anchored sports. She served as an occasional reporter for CNN’s weekly MLB and NFL preview programs and appeared as a panelist on CNN’s Burden of Proof discussing the NHL. In 2000, she hosted Turner Sports’ Emmy-Award-winning coverage of the NHL Atlanta Thrashers inaugural season.

Newman also worked for NBC, having served as an events reporter for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Newman came to CNN from The Sports Network (TSN), where she worked from 1990-1992 covering Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL and horse racing. Newman’s reporting there garnered a 1991 Sovereign Award for Outstanding Broadcast.

In 2019, Newman emceed the National Down Syndrome Society’s (NDSS) annual gala as it partnered with the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) at Gotham Hall in New York City. In 2015, Newman emceed The Green Sports Alliance Awards at Yankee Stadium, honoring the New York Yankees for their dedication to environmental leadership.

Newman earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Toronto which, awarded her its Boundless Voice honor in 2011.

Paul O’Neill is in his 24th season as a New York Yankees analyst for the YES Network. He has earned five New York Emmy Awards for his work at YES.

O’Neill played Major League Baseball for 17 seasons, from 1985 to 2001. He appeared in six World Series and earned five World Series rings, one with the Cincinnati Reds and four with the New York Yankees. He also played in five All-Star games.

The Yankees honored him on August 21, 2022, by permanently retiring his No. 21 during “Paul O’Neill Day” at Yankee Stadium.

O’Neill began his MLB career in 1985 with the Reds. After eight seasons with Cincinnati, O’Neill joined the Yankees in 1993, with whom he won the American League batting title in 1994 with a .359 average. From July 23, 1995, until May 7, 1997, O’Neill played 235 games in right field without making an error. In 1997, he led the American League in hitting with men on base with a .429 average. On Aug. 25, 2001, O’Neill became the oldest Major Leaguer to steal 20 bases and hit 20 home runs in the same season.

He was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame in November 2017. In 2008, O’Neill was named “Father of the Year” by The National Father’s Day Council at its 67th Annual Father of the Year awards dinner in New York.

Justin Shackil begins his sixth season covering the Yankees for YES Network, serving in a variety of roles, including clubhouse reporting and studio hosting. In addition to his baseball duties at YES Network, Shackil has called play-by-play for Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty and college basketball broadcasts.

On radio, Shackil worked on the WFAN Yankees Radio Network for three seasons as a fill-in play-by-play announcer and postgame host. Shackil has also worked for the New York Yankees since 2015, hosting the team’s in-stadium pre-game shows and working with its in-house production team. In addition, he has co-hosted the Toeing The Slab pitching podcast with David Cone and YES researcher James Smyth. Shackil currently serves as a host and blow-by-blow announcer for Matchroom Boxing on DAZN.

His additional work credits include hosting for NBA Entertainment, SiriusXM Sports, Westwood One and radio play-by-play for the Double-A baseball teams: Mobile BayBears, Tennessee Smokies and Trenton Thunder. Shackil graduated from Fordham University in 2009.

Chris Shearn joined the YES Network prior to its 2002 launch. He anchors YES’ Yankees Batting Practice Today show, providing Yankees updates from YES’ studios, interacting with YES’ on-site announcers, and introducing features, interviews and other segments of the program. Shearn also periodically hosts YES’ Yankees and Nets pre- and post-game shows and works occasionally as YES’ Yankees and Nets reporter. Shearn was a member of the network’s Yankees team which won a 2024 New York Emmy Award for its season-long Yankees coverage.

Previously at YES, Shearn handled play-by-play duties for YES’ New York Liberty telecasts, and co-hosted the New York Post’s Yankees-centric podcast with former Yankees pitcher and current YES analyst Jeff Nelson. He also did play-by-play for YES’ Ivy League and Yale football and basketball telecasts. He also has covered Yankees spring training for YESNetwork.com and won a New York Emmy for his on-air work for the website.

Shearn came to the YES Network from MSNBC, where he served as producer, editor and tape producer for programs such as Attack on America and America at War. He was also an editor for The News with Brian Williams and produced coverage of Super Bowl XXXV. He was also a sports anchor and producer for MSNBC. Earlier, he had worked for SNS/Major League Baseball Productions.

Shearn grew up in South River, NJ and graduated from Rowan College of New Jersey in 1995 with a B.A. in Communications. He was inducted into the Rowan College Radio 89.7 WGLS FM Hall of Fame in 2013.

Ryan Ruocco, who joined YES in 2007 as a statistician for the network’s New York Yankees telecasts, holds down various roles within the network’s Yankees coverage. He backs up YES’ play-by-play man Michael Kay, fills in hosting YES’ Yankees Pre- and Post-Game Shows and periodically handles clubhouse reporting duties. Ruocco also shares play-by-play duties with veteran Ian Eagle on YES’ Brooklyn Nets telecasts.

Ruocco has won six Emmy Awards while at YES. He was a part of the YES team which won a 2024 Emmy in the Live Sporting Event/Season category and was a member of the YES team which won a 2022 Emmy in the Live Sporting Event/Game category. Ruocco also earned individual New York Emmy nominations in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 for his work at the network.

In addition to his YES work, Ruocco is one of the primary NBA play-by-play voices on ESPN, is the lead play-by-play announcer for the network’s women’s college basketball package and is the lead play-by-play announcer for the WNBA on ESPN. Ruocco is also executive producer of the 2024 documentary Sue Bird: In the Clutch.

He also handled periodic NFL play-by-play on ESPN Radio, college football and college basketball play- by-play on ESPN’s television networks, and he co-hosted ESPN Radio New York’s mid-day show.

Ruocco also co-hosted the popular R2C2 podcast with former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia from 2017 to 2023.

Prior to joining YES, Ruocco handled basketball and football play-by-play at WFUV, Fordham University’s radio station while he was a student there. He also hosted WFUV’s One on One, New York’s longest-running sports call-in show. In 2008, he received Fordham’s prestigious Marty Glickman Award, named for the legendary play-by-play announcer.

Ruocco, who grew up in Fishkill, N.Y., graduated on the Dean’s List from Fordham in 2008 with a B.S. in Communications.

Dave Valle, a veteran of 13 MLB seasons, joined the YES Network as a New York Yankees studio analyst in 2024.

He was a catcher with the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and Texas Rangers throughout his career. Valle was selected in the 1978 MLB Draft by the Mariners as a 17-year-old out of Holy Cross High School in Flushing, Queens and made his Major League debut in 1984 with the club.

Valle led the American League in fielding percentage while with the Mariners in 1990. In 1993, Valle caught the second no-hitter in Mariners’ history; Chris Bisio was the Seattle pitcher who tossed the gem that day. Valle retired as a member of the Rangers in 1996.

Valle has been a baseball TV and radio analyst for 27 years with the Seattle Mariners, ESPN, the MLB Network, and the Texas Rangers. He was a part of the inaugural broadcast team when MLB Network began in 2009 and spent 13 years there as a studio analyst.

Valle created a foundation called Esperanza International in 1995. Esperanza works in the Dominican Republic providing economic development, education, and clean water to the most vulnerable people on the island. Since 1995, Esperanza has provided over 100 million dollars in loans to those in need, along with 360 schools and more than 100 water purification projects throughout the island.

Award-winning broadcaster Suzyn Waldman begins her 39th year either covering or broadcasting the New York Yankees, and her 21st season as the Yankees’ radio color commentator.

Inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2022, Waldman has spent nearly four decades overcoming the obstacles that go along with being a female sports broadcaster, and has been an inspiration and mentor to two generations of young girls and women wanting to enter the sports arena.

In 1987, Waldman became the first voice heard on New York’s WFAN-AM — the first all-sports station in the country — creating the job of the radio beat reporter, covering the Yankees and Knicks. Her news-breaking reports, exclusive interviews and controversial opinions won her countless journalism awards, including the International Radio Award for Live and Emotional Reporting from the upper deck in Candlestick Park during the San Francisco earthquake.

The word “first” precedes the name Suzyn Waldman in every facet of her television and radio career. She was the first woman to work on a nationally televised baseball broadcast (for the Baseball Network) and the first to provide TV play-by-play for a Major League team, broadcasting New York Yankees games for WPIX, MSG Network and WNYW/FOX5 in the mid ‘90s. She is the first woman to host an NBA pre- and post-game show, provided play-by-play for the WNBA on Lifetime TV, and was an analyst for St. John’s Basketball and the NIT for MSG and WFAN. She was the first woman to broadcast a World Series, and her scorecard and microphone are among other artifacts of her career in the “Women In Baseball” exhibit at Cooperstown.

She has been honored by countless organizations, including the Thurman Munson Foundation, the March of Dimes, the Jimmy Fund of Boston, the Gracie Awards, American Women in Radio and TV, the US Federal Women’s Foundation, and was the first recipient of the Women’s Global Health award from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at the United Nations for her work speaking with and inspiring fellow breast cancer survivors. She has been named one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Radio” 12 straight years by Radio Ink Magazine, and in 2016, was inducted, with her former longtime radio partner, John Sterling, into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame. On January 25, 2025, at the 100th New York Baseball Writers’ Dinner, Waldman and Sterling received one of baseball’s highest honors, the William J. Slocum/Jack Lang Award for “Long & Meritorious Service.”

A native Bostonian with a B.S. in Economics and an Honorary Doctorate of Journalism from Boston’s prestigious Simmons University, Waldman spent 15 years on the Broadway Musical stage and performed in countless Night Clubs around the world.

She is proudest of two things in her long and varied career: her two years in theater starring opposite the late Richard Kiley in Man of La Mancha, and her bringing together George Steinbrenner and Yogi Berra after 14 years of not speaking. She lives in Westchester County with her German Shepard, Margo.

Two-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Dave Sims embarks on his first year as the New York Yankees’ radio play-by-play announcer and his 23rd season broadcasting Major League Baseball.

Sims joins the Yankees radio booth following an 18-year tenure with Seattle (2007-24), where he primarily served as the Mariners’ television play-by-play announcer, while occasionally calling games on the radio. He has also worked in numerous other play-by-play roles, including calling Major League Baseball, college basketball and college football for ESPN and FOX, as well as NCAA Tournament games for Westwood One. From 1998-2014, Sims handled NFL play-by-play duties, serving as the lead voice of Westwood One’s coverage of Sunday Night Football from 2006-12.

Despite being born and raised in Philadelphia, Sims’ arrival this season marks a homecoming, as he began his career in 1975 as a sportswriter for the New York Daily News before going on to become a weekend sports anchor at WCBS-TV (1995-98). He also hosted local talk shows on WNBC-AM (1986-88), MSG Network (1986-93) and WFAN-AM (1989-93).

Sims has received a multitude of accolades throughout his career. Most recently, he was named one of 10 finalists for the 2025 Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually by the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for excellence in baseball broadcasting, and for three consecutive years from 2018-20, he was named “Washington Sportscaster of the Year” by the National Sports Media Association. Additionally, he was the recipient of the American Football Foundation’s “Outstanding Sportscaster” honor in 2003 and was presented with the Big East Media Award in 2005.

In 2012, Sims etched his name in sports broadcasting history, becoming the first (and only) television broadcaster to call two perfect games in a single season, as he was behind the mic for Phillip Humber’s perfect game with the White Sox on April 21, 2012, at Seattle and Félix Hernández’s perfect game for the Mariners on August 15, 2012 vs. Tampa Bay.

Sims has also been a dedicated advocate for the Black community, notably leading the June 2020 panel “Black Voices in Baseball” to honor Juneteenth and raise awareness for Black Lives Matter amid widespread protests for racial equality. Sims also frequently hosted the Mariners’ Jackie Robinson Day Roundtable.

In July 2024, along with his two sons, Jarett and Jordan, Sims debuted the Hey Now! Podcast, offering listeners a weekly exploration into the key moments that have shaped some of the most successful careers in sports and entertainment. Distinguished figures from the industry who have made guest appearances on the weekly show include Sims’ new broadcast partner Suzyn Waldman, Yankees Manager Aaron Boone, Hall-of-Famer Ken Griffey Jr., and fellow play-by-play announcers Mike Breen and Jim Nantz. Sims also previously co-hosted SiriusXM’s Basketball & Beyond with Coach K alongside legendary Duke University men’s basketball coach and two-time Basketball Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski from 2005-23.

Sims graduated from Bethany College (W.Va.) in 1975 with a BA in Mass Communications, and in 2019, he was appointed to the school’s Board of Trustees. From 1998 to 2007, Sims and his wife, Abby, operated “AthletiSense,” a media coaching program for athletes that worked with football and basketball programs from numerous conferences across the country. They have two sons and two granddaughters.

Emmanuel Berbari begins his third season on the WFAN Yankees Radio Network, this year as the primary postgame show host and play-by-play fill-in. His work on the Yankees’ Flagship radio began behind the scenes (2018-21) and expanded into on-air roles as a talk show host and update anchor. On Sept. 15, 2023, at just 24 years old, he made his MLB play-by-play debut on Yankees Radio.

On the television side, Berbari frequently appears on SportsNet New York (SNY) as an on-air contributor and serves as a play-by-play voice for FOX Sports’ coverage of Big East Basketball. He also currently covers the MAAC, Atlantic 10 and is the “Voice of the Saints” at Siena College. Emmanuel has also previously worked in numerous play-by-play roles, including stops with the Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees High-A affiliate; 2022-23), the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod Baseball League (2020-21), Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League (2017-18) and others on ESPN’s digital platforms.

He has been awarded numerous accolades in his career thus far, receiving five awards from the New York State Broadcasters Association and Associated Press. Berbari also is a two-time All-American as part of the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America (STAA) Jim Nantz Award.

A 2021 Fordham University graduate with a BA in Broadcast Journalism, Emmanuel served as Sports Manager of the university’s NPR affiliate, WFUV. In this role, he was the lead play-by-play announcer for Fordham Athletics and became the first person to win the Marty Glickman Award for Excellence in Play-By-Play three times.

The Greenlawn, Long Island (N.Y.) native gained his first professional baseball experience covering the Yankees as a full season beat reporter in 2019.

Rickie Ricardo is in his 12th season as the New York Yankees’ Spanish language play-by-play announcer. Prior to joining the Yankees’ WADO broadcast team, Ricardo spent seven years in the same role for the Philadelphia Phillies, broadcasting their World Series win in 2008 and postseason run in 2009.

Additionally, Ricardo has been the Spanish radio play-by-play voice of the Philadelphia Eagles for the last 14 NFL seasons. He is also a radio sports talk show host on New York’s WFAN Radio and Philadelphia’s 94WIP-FM Sports Radio.

Ricardo has spent over 40 years in broadcasting, appearing on various stations in New York, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Miami. In 2005, he became the daily beat reporter covering the Florida Marlins for Clear Channel radio. His career also includes international radio broadcasting with the 2008 Caribbean Series in the Dominican Republic and the 2009 Caribbean Series in Mexicali, México.

A 1980 graduate from the New York School of Broadcasting, Ricardo currently resides in West New York, N.J. and Orlando, Fla.

Since 1995, Francisco Rivera has been involved in baseball as a color commentator and play-by-play announcer, including 20 years in the Yankees’ broadcast booth.

A native of Morovis, Puerto Rico, he covered the Philadelphia Phillies for “Radio Tropical” from 1995 to 1998 and worked the American League Championship Series in 2003 and 2004 for WADO.

Rivera received his Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Literature from Rutgers University and graduated from the Cambridge University-affiliated Miguel Angel Torres School of Communications in Manhattan in 1978.

He began his communications career covering NBA basketball for WADO and was later one of the pioneers of the talk show WADO Deportivo, where he worked until 2003.

Francisco is married to Ivette Rodriguez and has two daughters, Melissa and Lorraine.