A's hire Cavnar, MLB's first female primary play-by-play voice

Jenny Cavnar continues to climb the television rankings, and this time she's making history with her new gig as the Oakland A's play-by-play announcer.

The A's announced Cavnar's hiring on Tuesday, making her the first female primary play-by-play voice in MLB history.

“It is a dream come true to be part of the Oakland A's broadcast team and their rich baseball history,” Cavnar said in a statement. “As the daughter of a baseball coach, I have loved the game from a young age, along with the stories, history and relationships it provides.”

Cavnar will team up with NBC Sports California color commentator Dallas Braden, who welcomed her to the broadcast booth in a video on social media.

A dear friend, a true professional and Major League Baseball's first female PxP announcer….

Welcome to the city @jennycavnar Can't wait to get started on it, homie! pic.twitter.com/wOZYGsS3Rn

– Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) February 13, 2024

Cavnar comes to Oakland after spending the past 12 years as a Colorado Rockies reporter, backup play-by-play announcer and pregame and postgame host.

In April 2018, she became the first woman in 25 years to call TV play-by-play for an MLB game when the Rockies hosted the San Diego Padres. It was a fitting first game for her, as Cavnar previously covered the San Diego Padres as a reporter and anchor for nearly five years.

“I met Jenny over twelve years ago through a mutual friend,” A's pre- and post-game host Brodie Brazil said. The Athletics. “I've been following her journey ever since, and it was always pretty clear that she would get an opportunity like this. When I knew she was doing an interview, I would have been disappointed if NBC hadn't brought her on. She will do a great job and be well received – not just calling games… but carrying Dallas Braden.”

Cavnar also calls men's and women's college basketball and has previously covered the athletics of the Anaheim Ducks and San Diego State University.

Braden about the collaboration with Cavnar

This will be the first time that Cavnar and Braden will be in the booth together, but the two have been good friends for years. Cavnar's husband, Steven Spurgeon, a former minor league righty for the White Sox, was one of Braden's best friends and teammate on a high school travel team. Braden says Cavnar's knowledge of the game is elite.

“I always tell Spurgeon, man, I can't wait until we get back together because I can finally talk about baseball. He says, I played professionally, but I tell him you don't know anything about baseball, but your wife, she and I can talk about ball,” Braden said. The Athletics with a smile.

When asked to compare Cavnar to any other broadcaster, he described her as “one of a kind.”

“This is the first female play-by-play broadcaster in the history of Major League Baseball,” he said. “So I'd be lying to you and making something up if I told you she sounds like someone because she isn't, because there's no one like her. She's Jenny.'

Braden admits that he was a little biased towards his friend during the audition process, but also says that because he has known her for so long, he has seen how her work ethic and professionalism play a role in a broadcast.

“(Her preparation) wasn't anything that I ever worried about or was curious about, because I knew what kind of professional she was, and I knew how good she was at her job,” Braden said, noting work Cavnar has done in basketball announcing. , as well as baseball.

Braden says he and Cavnar had conversations about the team as far back as late last season. He knows she will have a difficult task ahead of her if she wants to get to know the organization before Opening Day, but hopes fans will be patient. She will also be able to lean on the experience that Braden and the radio broadcast booth of longtime veterans Ken Korach, Vince Cotroneo and Johnny Doskow have with the A organization.

“I can imagine how difficult it is to come into a place you're not familiar with and be asked to be the conduit between an organization and its fan base,” he said. “Remember, she's trying to do a job that comes with over fifty years of background history, and she's trying to learn it all at once.

“I think with the way she's preparing, she's going to put herself in a great position to succeed.”

Work on the A's new TV crew will begin this spring and for Braden it's a dream come true.

“For me, it's one of those moments where this never happens, when you get to work with one of your best friends calling the game you love,” he said. “Those relationships develop as you get that opportunity, but she and I already have an incredible friendship that we can now leverage at work.”

(Photo: Sam Wasson/Getty Images)