The Houston Astros won 6-2 against the Baltimore Orioles in the seventh inning at Camden Yards, and baseball fans expressed their admiration by shouting “Free Kevin Brown.”
The Orioles announcer, Brown, was removed from team broadcasts for a comment he made during Baltimore’s series against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 23.
The TBS telecast of Tuesday’s game, which was won by the Astros 7-6 after Kyle Tucker scored a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning, featured stadium chants and signs with “Free Kevin Brown” written on them, as well as video footage from fans holding up signs.
According to insiders who were briefed by The Athletic, Brown is expected to return to the broadcast booth on Friday.
The historical context of the event.
During his MASN on-air broadcast, Brown highlighted that the Orioles won more games in 2023 at Tropicana Field than all three years combined. The team’s public relations workers were responsible for preparing the game notes on July 23.
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The game notes indicate that the Orioles have won three out of the first five games at The Trop this season, having won 33 of 21 games played in St. Petersburg from 2020-22 onwards.
The game notes contained information about Baltimore, but ownership objected to Brown’s reference, claiming that it made them appear cheap. Baltimore is currently ranked 29th in Major League Baseball in terms of payroll.
Brown, who began his radio broadcasting career in Baltimore as of 2019, is a familiar face on the Orioles’ televised events for the last two seasons. MASN underwent restructure prior to the 2021 season, which resulted in the departure of several key players like Gary Thorne, Jim Hunter, Rick Dempsey, and Mike Bordick from the network’s shared regional sports network in favor of younger talent.
Despite his comment, Brown has not returned to the MASN booth. However, he did make an appearance on the next series in Philadelphia, and his agent declined to provide a statement.
Orioles ownership has previously taken issue with what it views as critical comments. Public address announcer Ryan Wagner was fired hours before the home opener in 2021, with some of his tweets being a primary reason.
A MASN representative did not promptly reply to a comment request. The Orioles, who own MANR, chose not to respond.
According to multiple sources, the decision has resulted in a new rule that requires broadcasters to wear only team uniforms during live coverage, which has caused some to feel offended. Brown was forced to fill in on the radio after commenting on Rays series due to an error from another broadcaster. Broadcasters have also been previously penalized for mentioning former Orioles players who are no longer part of their team’s history.
The Orioles have topped the American League East by reaching 70 wins on Sunday, their best showing this season.
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Kenneth K. Lam / The Baltimore Sun and Tribune News Service, via Getty Images.