'Unbelievable' summer: Fishkill's Ryan Ruocco filled in for iconic Yankees voices
Ryan Ruocco was like many young Yankees fans growing up in New York, watching his favorite team and listening intently to the broadcast.
Except, the Fishkill native thought from age 10 that his future in pro sports would likely come as a media member, so he often turned his radio up and listened to John Sterling and Michael Kay, then the Yankees radio broadcast duo. They became role models from a distance.
A decade later, those men became mentors and colleagues as Ruocco entered the broadcasting industry. He now is a rising star there, a 32-year-old calling Brooklyn Nets and New York Yankees games for the YES Network in addition to nationally-televised NBA and WNBA games on ESPN.
In July, Ruocco described his career to this point as “dream come true stuff.” And this summer offered a series of pinch-me moments as a confluence of circumstances allowed him to fill the roles of both his idols.
First, Ruocco was chosen to relieve Sterling during a four-game stretch in early July as the 81-year-old recuperated from illness. Ruocco handled the radio play-by-play duties on WFAN as Sterling’s streak of 5,060 consecutive games was snapped. Days later, it was announced that Kay required vocal-cord surgery, which sidelined the Yankees' lead television broadcaster for six weeks.
Ruocco typically calls a handful of Yankees series each season in a backup role, but he was tabbed as the primary substitute during Kay’s absence.
That's how a kid from Fishkill became the temporary voice of a legendary franchise this summer — on two platforms — to rave reviews.
What was it like stepping in the shoes of two icons, even if it was just briefly?
“It was unbelievable. I love doing baseball games, so I knew I would have a blast, but as good as I anticipated it being, the experience was even better. Feeling as connected to this team as I do, and getting the feedback from the fans and the love, it made me feel really good. The awesome run the Yankees are on this year also contributed to it. Being able to document some of that and hearing that it was appreciated, that felt great.”
You’ve done high-profile games on national TV. But were there any moments of nervousness covering the Yankees, given who you were substituting for?
“The beginning of the first game doing radio (on July 4), I felt a little nervous. In my experiences in this business, the first time you do something, you might feel a little nervous right before going on air, in anticipation. But as soon as I was on with Suzyn (Waldman), it went away. We had a good vibe. The rest of the way, I was confident and knew I was prepared and could handle the responsibility. It was mostly excitement for me. You just immerse yourself in the performance, try to crush it, and enjoy it.”
You and Kay are New York natives, Fordham University alumni, and you got your start at YES being his statistician. Did your relationship with him add any significance to the experience for you?
“I always have incredible reverence for the position. It's the Yankees and you're speaking to an enormous fan base. I admire the way Michael has done the job. Any time I've filled in for him, I’ve wanted to uphold the standard. I always want our crew and our bosses to feel like it was a seamless transition. Michael and I texted about his health and how the recovery was going, and when Joe (Panik) was a free agent, about the possibility of him signing with the Mets. But we didn’t talk about my performance.
“Michael has been honest and said it wasn’t easy for him to be out and watch other people do his job, so I wasn't surprised that he didn’t want to talk about work.”
What was the fan response to your performance?
“I was blown away by how many people shared incredibly kind words. Being a diehard Yankees fan myself, I have an appreciation for the fan base. It means a ton to have the fans think that way about you. I don't look at social media during games, but I do afterwards, and I was overwhelmed with the support.
“Sometimes it takes a while for people to accept something different, even if it's just for a short while. I used to read fan forums when I first started doing Nets games. I was like 23 or 24 (years old) and I was getting crushed. But I believed that if they gave me a chance, they could eventually appreciate me. Over time, I thought they'd see what my bosses saw. When I first started filling in on Yankees games, five years ago, I saw a lot of comments like, ‘Oh, I don't know if he can do baseball.’ But in the last couple years, it's been extremely positive. I’ve seen some of the recent comments with projections for my career and it’s definitely flattering.”
What is your ideal career projection?
“I wanna maximize my opportunities and be able to say I got as much out of my career as I could. I’d love to be a Hall of Fame broadcaster. That's been a dream of mine since I was in college. Sometimes when you become focused on a singular goal, in terms of a particular job, that might not be the best thing that's possible for you. Would being the voice of the Yankees someday be amazing? Absolutely. Would I love to eventually be the voice of the NBA finals or a prominent voice in boxing? Of course, that’d be great. But I believe your career goes the way it should by losing yourself in the work, taking advantage of opportunities and letting the rest take care of itself.”
You seemed to have an easy rapport with the analysts during broadcasts, particularly David Cone and Paul O’Neill. Does that come naturally or is it a challenge when filling in?
“One of the things that's helped me was being in the booth with them for years before I did games. I did stats for Michael from 2007 to 2010, and part of 2011. So I had gotten to know (the analysts) a while ago and built a chemistry with them. Then, doing games here and there, I got to know them better. David and I have a really strong friendship. I know topics he's interested in and different things we can buzz on, humor-wise. Over time, you learn each other’s speech cadence and pauses, so you know when to interject. David is one of the smartest people I've met. I think he’s the perfect fusion of analytics and old-school baseball mentality.
“With Paul, we've always had a good relationship. I always admired the way he can turn nothing into something. He's got a natural humor and ease. I've watched Michael do an unbelievable job to bring out those parts of Paul's personality. With him, you can say anything and he'll just go. I can say, ‘Paul, you haven't eaten today,’ and he'll give you five minutes of funny content. He’s an amazing, new-age Phil Rizzuto. He allows me to bring out the silly side of myself.
“I’m fortunate to work with excellent analysts, in all the sports. I go in knowing that whoever I’m doing a game or boxing match with, it’s someone I genuinely respect and know they’ll come prepared.”
How often do you reflect on your career ascension?
“I’ve been able to fulfill some of the dreams I’ve had since I was a kid. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and thankful that the bosses at YES have always believed in me. They really put me in good positions to be ready for the opportunities that came up this summer. They had a vision for me before I had it for myself. John Filippelli came to me five years ago, when I was just doing Nets, and said he wanted to get me doing Yankees. Then, when I was just doing studio work, he said he wanted to get me to games. If they hadn't pushed me into the deep end of the pool, maybe it would've gone differently for me this summer. But I've always had opportunities and known that I was believed in.”
What do you think of your buddy Joe Panik’s resurgence with the Mets?
(Editor’s note: Ruocco and Panik are close friends. The two are from neighboring towns in Dutchess County and Ruocco grew up playing baseball with Joe and his older brother Paul Panik.)
“I'm so happy for Joe. I feel strongly that he's still got a lot of great baseball left in him. I think he needed a change of scenery, and a change of ballpark. Talking to people in San Francisco, they say that (Oracle Park) wears on hitters, especially lefties — unless you're Barry Bonds. It’s got difficult dimensions and, over time, several of the Giants’ numbers have gone down. I thought Joe needed a change and he would be better in meaningful games. The Mets are in a playoff race, and I think that helps. For anyone doubting that he's still a quality major-league second baseman, this period should answer those questions.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
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