Even Yankees brass were worried about Michael Kay-John Flaherty moment as YES voice reveals ‘scary’ illness

Michael Kay’s and John Flaherty’s bizarre interaction during Friday’s YES broadcast of the Yankees-Cubs game was so awkward that GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone were worried about a possible beef between the two.

But Kay poured cold water on the notion during his eponymous ESPN radio show on Monday and revealed that he was battling vertigo, which is why he was quiet on the bus ride to Wrigley Field — which Flaherty was needling Kay for.

“Unbelievable,” Kay said of the reaction to what seemed like an on-air spat. “Have you ever heard John and I do the games together? We kind of snark at each other. We’re good friends. We like each other a lot. John was getting phone calls from people, ‘What happened with you and Kay?’ Brian Cashman went up to [YES reporter] Meredith Marakovits the next day in the clubhouse and said, ‘What’s wrong with the two of them?’ [Sunday] I was getting on the plane, Aaron Boone said, ‘You and John OK?’ Yeah! I mean, it’s called kidding around.”

When co-host Don La Greca told Kay that the interaction did seem “uncomfortable,” Kay explained he was dealing with a “scary” bout of vertigo.

“We are fine, we’re friends. We laughed about it,” Kay said of him and Flaherty. “I was about as ill as I’ve ever been in Chicago. I had vertigo. I felt like I was walking on a boat. I was throwing up in the booth on Friday. The Cub doctor had to give me a neurological exam to see if I had a stroke. I couldn’t walk. I had no idea if I could do the game. I didn’t even know how I was gonna get dressed in the hotel. That’s why I was quiet on the bus. That’s what led to John saying that. But he knew ’cause he helped me onto the bus. I couldn’t walk.”

Flaherty jabbed Kay for not being “very talkative” on the bus to the field, saying he had a lot of time to think because Kay was quiet.

“So you’d rather me be chatty?” Kay responded. “I wasn’t feeling great.”

Flaherty, who La Greca said was at Kay’s wedding to illustrate how close they are, said he hadn’t seen Kay in a long time and figured they’d catch up.

“Interesting narrative that you’re putting together, because I’ve been told by executives that you prefer to work with [Ryan] Ruocco,” said Kay, referencing his backup play-by-play guy on YES.

“That’s why you two guys are matched up all the time. That’s just what I heard, I don’t know if there’s any truth to it.”

“I just put together that the road trips you don’t want to go on are the ones where I end up working with Ryan Ruocco because you don’t want to work the games on the road,” Flaherty replied.

Kay then said he doesn’t decide his schedule and he goes where he’s told, and after a long awkward silence, he added, “I’ll be very chatty tomorrow.”

The pair hugged it out on Saturday’s broadcast.