A loud chant of 'Free Kevin Brown' came from the stands on Tuesday as Baltimore Orioles fans showed support for the broadcaster after reports emerged that his recent absence was because he mentioned that the team had already won as many games at Tampa Bay this year as it did over the previous three seasons.
The chant could be heard in the seventh inning as the American League-leading Orioles hosted the Houston Astros.
The TBS national broadcast referred to the controversy as the chants started.
"Love this fan base standing behind their announcer," announce Brian Anderson said. "If you don't know the story, Kevin Brown made some extremely benign comments, was not even critical. But somebody in upper management, many believe it was the owner, made the decision to take him off the air."
The Athletic, citing unidentified sources, reported that Brown was taken off the air over his comments on a MASN-TV broadcast July 23. He pointed out that the Orioles were already 3-2 at Tampa Bay this year after winning only three games there from 2020-22. (They then won again to improve to 4-2 in 2023.)
A team official said Monday night that the Orioles don't comment on personnel matters but were looking forward to having Brown back soon.
- With files from AP.
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