Kevin Brown, the play-by-play announcer for regional broadcasts of Baltimore Orioles baseball on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, has agreed to a multiyear extension to retain his role. Brown is in the midst of his sixth season as part of the Orioles broadcast team and the third in which he is the primary play-by-play announcer for the team’s games on MASN. In 2019, he started working with the team on its radio broadcasts and made select television appearances as well. Before the start of the 2024 regular season as the team was in its sale process, Brown signed a one-year contract extension.
One year ago, Brown was suspended by the Orioles, albeit under a previous ownership group, purportedly because of his conveying the team’s shortcomings on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays. Fans and broadcasters around the league advocated for Brown and demonstrated their support with on-air messages and chants at ballparks urging for him to be released from his suspension. The team was sold to a group led by David Rubenstein at a valuation of $1.725 billion this past March, rendering it the third-highest sale in baseball history, and has remained competitive as it looks to win the American League East division for the second consecutive season.
“When he joined our broadcast team six years ago, we knew Kevin Brown would quickly become a household name,” Greg Bader, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Baltimore Orioles, said in a statement. “His knowledge and passion for the game, paired with his lighthearted personality and genuine relationships with his colleagues in the booth have turned each Orioles game into can’t miss television. We are grateful to have Kevin on our team and look forward to him calling winning Orioles baseball for years to come.”
Outside of his work with the Orioles, Brown calls games at the national level, including the Statcast-driven alternate broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN2 and MLB postseason games on ESPN Radio. Additionally, he is behind the microphone for several collegiate sports broadcasts on ESPN platforms in basketball, softball, football and hockey in addition to the Women’s College World Series for the past four years.
The Syracuse University graduate began his career working for the Syracuse Chiefs, the then-Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, for six years where he started as the assistant director of broadcasting and media relations. He was later promoted to the director role while also serving as the lead voice of the team on television and radio.
“I’m humbled and honored to be a part of this next chapter of Orioles baseball,” Brown said in a statement. “My incredible colleagues in the booth and around the ballpark make every day a joy. Baltimore is a special place, and I’m grateful to call it my home. Here’s to many more nights of this thrilling team, this passionate fan base, and all the ballpark food I can reasonably eat.”
Throughout the 2024 MLB season, Orioles broadcasts on MASN have realized a 35% increase in viewership, marking one of two MLB teams with growth of at least 30% on the year. Across the DMV, Orioles games are the most popular prime time television viewing option and average 100,000 viewers per quarter-hour each night, eclipsing other local broadcast and cable networks. The team features several young stars such as Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Corbin Burnes aiming to make the postseason and win the organization’s first World Series championship since 1983.