Baltimore Orioles announcer Kevin Brown was reportedly suspended for benign on-air comments discussing the team’s former losing ways.
Awful Announcing reported on Monday that the Orioles suspended Brown indefinitely after a July series against the Tampa Bay Rays in which he made the comments in question. He hasn’t been on the air since July 26. He made the comments during a pregame segment on July 23.
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The Athletic confirmed that Brown was suspended and that his ban was because of his July 23 commentary. Here are the comments that reportedly got Brown suspended:
“It’s been a minute,” Brown said. “The Orioles split a two-gamer with the Rays in June. They had lost their last 15 series here at Tropicana Field. You have to go back to when our now-colleague Brad Brach picked up the win in the series finale June 25, 2017 — the last time the Orioles won a series here in St. Pete.
“Already gone 3-2 at the Trop this year after winning 3 of 18 the previous three years combined.
Brown made the comments while graphics on the broadcast supported the stats he cited, showing that the Orioles were 0-15-1 in their previous 16 series against the Rays. The Athletic reports that the same stats were also cited in the team’s game notes that day.
“The Orioles have won three of the first five games at The Trop this season after winning three of the 21 games played in St. Petersburg from 2020-22,” the game notes read, per The Athletic.
A source told the Athletic that the Orioles suspended Brown because ownership thought his comments made the team sound cheap. Baltimore is in first place in the AL East this season and entered Monday with the second-best record in baseball, trailing only the Atlanta Braves. It’s a stark contrast for a franchise that failed to place better than fourth in the division the previous six seasons, a span that includes four last-place finishes. They’re winning this season despite having baseball’s 29th-ranked payroll.
The Orioles denied in a statement to Awful Announcing that Brown had been suspended. They also announced that Brown will return to the booth.
“We don’t comment on personnel matters,” an Orioles official told Awful Announcing, adding: “We look forward to hearing Kevin’s voice soon.”
Brown has not publicly addressed his absence or the reports of a suspension. He declined an interview request with The Baltimore Banner Monday.
