Wednesday’s Game 4 of the National League Division Series will again be without the services of play-by-play announcer Joe Davis.
Instead, Atlanta Braves announcer Brandon Gaudin will take over the broadcasting duties, with Davis still sidelined after he lost his voice.
On Tuesday, Kenny Albert stepped in for Davis as the play-by-play broadcaster, but Albert has duties with the NHL on TNT, providing an opportunity for Gaudin.
What does Brandon Gaudin bring to the broadcast booth?
Gaudin has been the lead play-by-play announcer for BravesVision, the team’s in-house broadcaster, since 2023, reports Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing.
He grew up in Atlanta and is a lifelong Braves fan, though Dodgers fans won’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to accusations of bias.
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Davis is essentially the voice of the sport, but he also serves as the Dodgers’ in-house play-by-play guy for SportsNet LA, a role that has led many fans of other teams to accuse him of being biased toward Los Angeles.
Now, the shoe will be on the other foot for Dodgers fans, though it’s not as if Gaudin is only a Braves broadcaster.
He’s also the play-by-play voice of the “Madden” football video game series, a role he’s held for about a decade.
Additionally, he’s called football and basketball games for Fox and the Big Ten Network, and he’s served as a fill-in for national MLB games on Fox.
When will Joe Davis be back in the broadcast booth?
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Davis is “day-to-day” with his lost voice.
That description means it’s very likely that Davis could be back for a deciding Game 5 on Friday if the Braves down the Dodgers on Wednesday to stave off elimination.
It’s likely, then, that Davis is already headed back to Southern California if he isn’t home already.
He will likely feel much better if he can recover at home instead of in an Atlanta hotel room, perhaps allowing him to come back to the booth for Friday if called upon.
If not, though, it’s likely Davis will be ready for the next round of the playoffs, the NL Championship Series, and that’s whether or not the Dodgers advance.
While the Boys in Blue might be Davis’ day job, he — like the athletes he covers — makes his biggest impact in October.
Are you hopeful that the Dodgers will get another Joe Davis call in these playoffs?
