With the MLB All-Star Game coming up on Fox in a couple of weeks, I thought it would be a good time to feature the television voice of the game, Joe Davis. This is the second feature of Davis in my Anatomy of a Broadcaster series. I featured him previously three years ago, chronicling his “meteoric rise in the world of play-by-play” in 2022.
Some things have changed since my last profile, but most have stayed the same—and in Davis’ case, that’s a good thing. He continues to shine as the TV voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers and in his many roles at Fox, including calling baseball and the National Football League.
Davis continues to draw well-deserved recognition for his work, winning his first Sports Emmy in May. He won the award for “Outstanding Personality/Play-by-Play” for his national work with Fox Sports and FS1. Davis was the only baseball announcer among the finalists in the category.
The Path to Los Angeles & FOX Sports
Before his senior year of college in 2009, Davis secured a summer job as the manager of broadcasting for the Schaumburg Flyers baseball team of the independent Northern League. He served as the team’s play-by-play voice and media relations director. Also during the fall, he filled in on men’s and women’s volleyball broadcasts at Loyola University Chicago. That year, Davis was the voice of the State High School Volleyball Championships for the Illinois High School Television Network.
From there, Davis would go to work for the Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League. The Biscuits were the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Davis called Biscuits games for three seasons and was named the Southern League Broadcaster of the Year in 2012. In the offseason, he also gained experience as a radio host for the Baylor Independent Sports Properties Network. While working that job, he also caught on at Comcast Sports Southeast, where he picked up play-by-play duties for college football, basketball, and baseball.
In July 2012, at the age of 24, he joined ESPN as a play-by-play announcer. He called college baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and softball games. Davis also appeared in spot duty for Major League Baseball games that were broadcast on ESPN Radio. He made a little history in December of 2013 when he was assigned to call the Poinsettia Bowl between Utah and Northern Illinois. At the age of 25, he became the youngest person to ever announce a bowl game for ESPN. He was soon hired by Fox, and then a couple of years later by the Dodgers to call road games—and eventually succeeded the legendary Vin Scully for the team on TV.
Davis was named the lead voice for Major League Baseball on Fox, replacing Joe Buck, in 2022. He has been calling play-by-play on Fox Sports’ national coverage of pro and college football, Major League Baseball, and college basketball since 2014.
Why Is Joe Davis So Good?
As I wrote three years ago, there is a smoothness about Davis that is kind of hard to describe. He’s calm at the right moments, and he elevates to the big moments almost perfectly. Calling baseball can be a challenge at any age, but he seems a natural fit for the pacing of the sport. There are moments when the game is left to itself to breathe during his broadcasts. Now, there are also times when Davis shows off his ability for the big call.
He’s had a few of those since I last wrote about him—probably none bigger than his call of Freddie Freeman’s World Series home run. It had a little bit of everything in it: excitement, accuracy, and a little nostalgia all wrapped into one hell of a call.
The Dodgers were down 3-2, with two outs in the ninth in Game One of the World Series as Freddie Freeman came to the plate with the bases loaded.
“Freeman, hits a ball RIGHT FIELD. SHE ISSSS GOOOOONE! GIBBY, MEET FREDDIE! GAME 1 OF THE WORLD SERIES!”
It was an IYKYK (if you know, you know) moment for Dodgers fans and baseball fans alike. The call had everything it needed to convey this moment and moments gone by in baseball history. In a nod to 1988, Davis honored the late Vin Scully, whose “She is gone” call of Kirk Gibson’s walk-off homer in Game 1 was one for the ages. In an ironic twist of fate for Davis, the ball Freeman hit was to right field—just like Gibson’s.
That World Series also proved how professional Davis is behind the mic. He was expected to be impartial during this series since the broadcasts were on Fox. This expectation came despite calling regular-season games for the Dodgers on television. Davis spoke with FoxSports.com in May about the difficulty in training himself to reset how he called the games.
“The hardest part is kind of unlearning, or at least rewiring, everything I know about the team I cover every day,” Davis said. “Because the way of presenting that team is totally different when you get to the national audience—especially in the postseason and the World Series—than it would be covering a regular-season game. So, reframing in my mind how I know that information and present that information takes time. Yeah, it’s not a fun thing that everybody thinks you hate their team, but it’s part of the territory. Then it gets amplified when one of the teams you cover on an everyday basis,” he told the website.
Davis understands that it’s part of the gig when fans accuse a broadcaster of being one-sided in their call. But Davis rose to the occasion with a realistic approach.
“These are the biggest games, where emotions are heightened. And it’s what makes sports great, that people care that much. And, you know what, fine, if that’s the tax you gotta pay to do this gig, I’m totally fine with it,” Davis proclaimed.
Another example of his knack for hitting the moment came on September 19, 2024, as the Dodgers faced the Marlins in Miami with history in the balance. Shohei Ohtani was bidding to become baseball’s first-ever 50-homer, 50-stolen base player in history.
“Triple for the cycle, homer for history,” Davis said, setting the scene. “On a 1-2, Ohtani sends one in the air, the other way, back it goes! GOOOOONE! One-of-a-kind player! One-of-a-kind season! Shohei Ohtani starts the 50-50 club!”
Davis then pulled a “Vin Scully,” allowing the moment to breathe as Ohtani circled the bases and headed into the dugout. Davis “laid out” and said nothing for about a minute. That was impressive.
Even though the Dodgers and Fox have given him many opportunities to call big plays, he keeps ‘one-upping’ himself. Just because the chance to shine is there doesn’t mean you always will. Davis seems to buck that trend. The way to accomplish the polished, clean call is by preparation, knowledge of the history of the game, and a real feel for the moment. Davis gets emotional with his calls, but his emotions don’t get the best of him. He strikes a delicate balance between the two in an incredibly great way.
At only 37, he’s wise and talented beyond his years.
Did You Know?
His brother, Sam A. Davis, is the cinematographer and co-producer of the film Period. End of Sentence., the winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) at the 91st Academy Awards.
Davis was the commencement speaker at his alma mater, Beloit College (2010), this year.
Each year, senior class officers work with the President’s Office to choose the commencement speaker. This year, Camille Ledoux, a Beloit College senior class officer, said, “Joe’s name has been a big inspiration for a lot of us. His perspective on how Beloit has changed his path will be useful to a lot of our students who are jumping into new experiences right after graduation.”
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Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
