Orioles remove announcer from broadcast booth for noting team’s past struggles, reports say originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Baltimore Orioles indefinitely removed lead TV play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown from the broadcast booth for pointing out the team’s past struggles on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays, according to multiple reports.
The news was first reported by Awful Announcing.
During a July 23 telecast on MASN, which is owned by the Orioles, Brown noted that the O’s had won as many games at Tropicana Field in 2023 as they did in the past three seasons combined, adding that Baltimore entered this season having lost 15 straight series at the St. Petersburg, Florida, venue.
Brown’s comments were accompanied by a graphic further breaking down the team’s recent troubles at the Trop.
The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli reported, citing sources, that Orioles ownership took exception to Brown’s comments, believing they made the team “look cheap.” The AL-best Orioles have one of MLB’s smallest payrolls.
Brown, who began calling Orioles games in 2019 and has been the lead play-by-play voice on TV for the past two seasons, has not been featured on a telecast since the July 23 game. He moved over to the radio broadcast for Baltimore’s subsequent series in Philadelphia and has been completely off of Orioles broadcasts since July 26.
Ghiroli further reported that Orioles ownership “enacted a new policy mandating that their broadcasters wear only team gear when on-air, which has rankled some,” this season. One broadcaster “got in trouble” as a result of the policy, which led Brown to take over radio duties for the aftermentioned Phillies series, according to Ghiroli’s report.
The Baltimore Banter’s Andy Kostka reported, citing a senior Orioles official, that Brown would be calling games again “soon.”
Fellow MLB play-by-play voice Michael Kay, who calls New York Yankees games, said the Orioles’ reported punishment was an “awful look.”
Meanwhile, New York Mets play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen said the Orioles organization has “draped itself in utter humiliation” during a rant about what he called a “horrendous decision.”