Michael Kay sat in a broadcast booth at a pitch-black Yankee Stadium late Wednesday, his eyes locked upon a glowing monitor with a live feed of the events transpiring some 1,500 miles away at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. His right leg shook uncontrollably, each second pulsing with anxiety and adrenaline.

There were two outs in the ninth, and Kay had not decided what to say if Corey Kluber completed the no-hitter, the Yankees' first since David Cone's 1999 perfect game against the Expos. The Rangers' Willie Calhoun chopped a ground ball to shortstop Gleyber Torres, and Kay exulted into his YES Network microphone: "On a Wednesday night in Texas, Kluber becomes part of forever!"

"I've always used the phrase 'becomes part of forever' when somebody goes into the Hall of Fame, so that was probably in the recesses of my mind," Kay said. "I used that even when I was writing. I don't think I've ever used it on a broadcast, but it just came out. If you play back that broadcast to somebody who didn't know what was going on in the world, they'd never think that I wasn't in Texas."

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In a video captured by YES stage manager Audrey deWys, Kay made the call as Paul O'Neill raised his right fist in the air. O'Neill has been offering commentary remotely from the basement of his Ohio home since last July. He said that Kluber's gem brought back memories of iconic games in which he wore a uniform.

"Believe it or not, as the game went on, I was getting nervous," O'Neill said. "There are so many things that you forget once you're retired as long as I have been: how you felt at certain times during perfect games and no-hitters as a fielder, how you want to position yourself to make the play. It gets to a very personal level; you don't want to be the guy that isn't ready or messes it up."

When the broadcast went dark, O'Neill climbed the stairs and could not go straight to bed; his adrenaline spiked, he had more to say about Kluber.

"You just called a no-hitter," O'Neill said. "I had to go down and talk with my wife [Nevalee]. I've been in that position before; you remember how fun it is and how important it is for somebody's career. The natural emotion of people going out and congratulating him, you can't fake that."

In the WFAN booth, John Sterling watched on a monitor as he relayed: "Torres throws to first, in time! Ballgame over! Corey Kluber has pitched a no-hitter!"

"I found it very, very exciting," Sterling said. "I was surprised how excited I felt, and I loved what he did. When I left, I left very happy. And when I walked out, I walked to the elevators by the left-field foul pole, and there was complete darkness. There was no one in the stadium; it's kind of weird."

As Kluber rattled off the final outs, radio analyst Suzyn Waldman said she felt butterflies, tracking the action on a small screen.

"I almost jumped out of my chair when Tyler Wade caught that ball in the ninth," Waldman said. "Emotionally, I'm wherever the game is, so I felt like [I was] there even though I wasn't. It's acting; that's what you do on stage. I'm not really Aldonza [from 'Man of La Mancha']. I was pitching along with him; I had tears in my eyes for him."

Kluber’s no-hit bid was mentioned as early as the fourth inning on the radio and television broadcasts. Kay and Sterling both reject the concept of a "jinx," pointing out that they spoke openly about the progress of Cone's perfect game -- Cone even heard their radio broadcast in the middle innings, which was piped through the Yankee Stadium clubhouse speakers.

"I don't know if there's a more ridiculous and asinine thing, that they don't expect an announcer to do his job, as if I'm this lucky charm or talisman," Kay said. "Vin Scully once said, 'You have to mention it. You're reporting what's going on.' How is it possible that I called six no-hitters and every single one I mentioned it?"

Added Sterling: "When I was a kid, Mel Allen used to bend himself into a pretzel: 'Well, there are four hits in the game and they're all by the Indians,' that sort of thing. My line on the air is, if I can influence the game, I want to be paid a whole lot more. I'm here; I'm open. Hire me and I'll put my voodoo on the game."

All involved on the broadcast side are thrilled to have played a part in delivering Kluber's achievement, though there are pangs of regret in not having been able to witness it in person. Sterling said that he typically presents his scorecard to players after achievements, but in Kluber’s case, they have yet to even shake hands.

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That personal connection is the most significant difference between Kluber's no-hitter and the historic games enjoyed by former Yankees Jim Abbott, Dwight Gooden, David Wells and Cone. To date, the media covering the Yankees have yet to speak with Kluber without the assistance of technology, though there is hope that will soon change.

"You root for these guys," O'Neill said. "And I don't know Corey Kluber; I've seen his interviews. I respect the way he is as a player, what he says, his focus and his emotion. I'm anxious to have a conversation with him when we get back to the ballpark."