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Alex Rodriguez played shortstop and third base during his career, but his analogy about his new partner Michael Kay came from out of deep left field.
A-Rod and Michael Kay, the Yankees’ play-by-play broadcaster and afternoon drive host for ESPN New York, are teaming up for ESPN’s “KayRod Cast”, which will see the duo conduct a sidecast on ESPN2 — similar ESPN’s Manningcast for the NFL — covering some of the Mothership’s “Sunday Night Baseball” telecasts this season.
The former Yankees slugger dropped a doozy of a comparison when asked by The Post’s Andrew Marchand on a media Zoom Wednesday promoting the program why this partnership will be better for him than working with Matt Vasgersian and Jessica Mendoza on the main broadcast was.
“I think this is the most natural for me. I’ve been very, very lucky to work with a couple five-tool players, Kevin Burkhardt being one of them and Matt Vasgersian being the other, and now I get to work with a very close friend, and someone who I think — I was trying to think about this the other day, and what Michael Kay reminds me of is Pedro Martinez,” A-Rod said.
He explained his rationale.
“The reason why is because every time I faced Pedro Martinez it was like he can read your mind, and whatever I was thinking he would throw me the opposite pitch and I would never hit it,” Rodriguez said. “What I mean by that is Michael has this kind of savant way about him that he knows exactly what to talk about next or what question to ask.”
Rodriguez continued to emphasize that the pair has great chemistry.
“I don’t know if you saw maybe three, four years ago, I had a great time, I had an opportunity to do a game with Michael and with David Cone [on YES], and we were the best — it was Yankees versus Dodgers in Dodger Stadium, and I think it was the best four innings I’ve ever done on TV because I was in the middle of two very close friends, and it was going back and forth,” he said.
“And Michael knows exactly how to set me up because he knows me so well, so I think this format will do well for me.”
Rodriguez made another wild, random revelation, saying he wants his daughter to attend the University of Michigan. For the task, he enlisted an elite recruiter — none other than legendary quarterback Tom Brady.
“I’m having Tom Brady talk to her to try to convince her to go to Michigan,” Rodriguez said, in a tone that suggested this was not anything out of the ordinary.
Additionally, The Post asked Kay what accomplishment meant more to him: Becoming the Yankees’ play-by-play broadcaster, or finally beating Mike Francesa in the ratings book after eons of competition?
“Well, as it was brought up earlier, I’m pretty competitive,” Kay said. “That was something that I wanted to do, but I didn’t even think I would have a talk show. I didn’t know who Mike Francesa was when I was nine years old, and since I was nine years old growing up in the South Bronx, all I ever wanted to do was be the voice of the Yankees.
“To reach that, when I walked into that booth on Friday for Opening Day, I never lose sight of that. I never forget how special it is, and every year I spend in that booth is an added gift. Although beating Mike Francesa was certainly gratifying and nice, nothing compares to having gotten the job that I dreamed about having since I was nine.”
The “KayRod Cast” debuts this Sunday, April 10 on ESPN2 for Yankees vs. Red Sox.
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