MLB announcer would like redo on historic call

Joe Davis doesn’t have many regrets, but when asked if he wishes he could have a call of his back, the Los Angeles Dodgers play-by-play announcer and NFL on Fox voice didn’t hesitate. During his appearance on the Awful Announcing Podcast with Brandon Contes , Davis mentioned that he didn’t love his Mike Trout-Shohei Ohtani call for the World Baseball Classic.

But not loving and wanting to have back are two different things, and Davis firmly told Contes that he would like to have Ohtani’s 40/40 call back. That transpired only a few weeks ago as the Dodgers designated hitter and MVP front-runner became just the sixth player in MLB history to have 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season.

And it just so happened to have culminated during a walk-off grand slam versus the Tampa Bay Rays. You couldn’t ask for a bigger and better moment, but Davis wants a do-over. Not because of the call itself but because he wishes he had mentioned Ohtani by name.

“I would like to do Ohtani’s 40/40 grand slam again,” Davis said. “It’s another one where I don’t think I did anything wrong; I didn’t mess it up. I wish I would’ve said his name within the call, just for that historical soundbite, I think it required his name. But, I went back and listened to it probably 15-20 times, how I could’ve done it a little better. I like to get a notepad out and write down — and I’ve been doing it since I was in Montgomery — write down what I said, and…nitpick it, and find where I could’ve gotten rid of words, how I could’ve timed certain things better.

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t call him by the wrong name or say the wrong thing that happened, but I would like to be able to do that one again.”

Listen for yourself below:

“First pitch, fly ball right-center field, (Jose) Siri’s going back, he’s at the track, he’s at the wall, 40/40! Walk off grand slam! No way! What a moment! History!”

It’s not a bad call by any stretch of the imagination. His call was spot on, perfectly capturing the excitement and drama of the moment.

Sure, it would’ve been nice to hear Ohtani’s name mentioned for such a historic feat, but Davis did a great job building up the tension and letting the play unfold naturally. And the anecdotes he shared with Contes about listening back over and over again while jotting down notes just go to show how dedicated he is to his craft.

He is always looking for ways to improve and make his calls even more memorable.

He also relayed that there are people in the industry to whom he leans, sending audio while asking for feedback. He did so much more in the early stages of his career, but Davis did mention that Toronto Blue Jays voice Dan Shulman, Gary Cohen, Wayne Randazzo, and Adam Amin are among those he heavily relies on.

Listening to Davis analyze his Ohtani call gives you a real sense of what it takes to be a top-tier broadcaster. He’s always thinking about the bigger picture, the historical context and how to make the moment even more special. And his dedication to his craft and attention to detail make him one of the faces (and voices) of the NFL and MLB for Fox.

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The post Joe Davis would like a redo on his Shohei Ohtani 40/40 call appeared first on Awful Announcing .