Dodgers: Joe Davis a Legend in the Making

Being able to broadcast a sporting event is a gift that few can do well. For 67 years, Los Angeles was spoiled by the golden voice of Vin Scully, and his ability to paint a perfect picture of the game. As we all know, Vin called it quits last season, and we were left wondering who would be the voice of the Dodgers on opening day.

It was announced that Orel Hershiser would be in the booth along with a young 29-year-old Joe Davis would call the Dodgers 2017 season. After one month of the season, we have an idea of what Joe Davis is capable of, and I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised.

Naturally, we all wish Vin would’ve stayed forever, but we knew it wasn’t going to work like that. I grew up listening to Vin’s soothing words and feel blessed that I was able to hear him. As April 3^rd finally came around, I was ready for baseball, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for baseball without Vin Scully.

Joe Davis may only be 29 years of age, but he is certainly no rookie to broadcasting. Joe was the voice of the Montgomery Biscuits and worked for many smaller broadcasting jobs dating back to 2006. He got his first big break in a 2-year stint with ESPN, he called the four major sports and worked on college games for baseball, basketball, and football. Now, he calls MLB and NFL games for Fox, but he’s primarily used as the play-by-play announcer for the Dodgers.

I had gotten somewhat familiar with the voice of Joe Davis as he worked on some of the away games for the Dodgers last season. I had also heard a few other games he had done for Fox Sports One with the most memorable one being a Yankees walk-off win in 2015. Before the season, we got a little taste of the future as he and Orel worked the booth for the Dodgers spring training games.  In that time, I really got a feel for what he and Orel could do and found that Joe’s voice just had that special effect that you can’t put into words.

Joe’s ability to clear the dead space in games has shown to be strong, and he is always able to keep his composure through 9 innings while keeping the viewer entertained. Throughout the game, you can find him and Orel chatting it up about the team and their history. Surprisingly, Joe seems to know a lot about the history of the Dodgers, which shows that he’s done his homework in preparation for the job. Joe got his first big test as a Dodger broadcaster on Saturday night.

The night of Saturday, April 29^th started off as “one of those games.” The Dodgers were trailing the Phillies 5-2 heading into the 9^th inning. The team had very little momentum, and looked to be all but put away. Dodger fans started heading to their cars to beat the traffic as they assumed the team was done for. Then, suddenly, Yasiel Puig connects for a home run, and Joe Davis played it perfectly.

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"“Swing, and a hammered ball to left center field, Puig leads off the 9th with a homer.”"

Little did Joe know, this was only the beginning of the legendary night.

On the very next pitch to Cody Bellinger, he drove a ball down the right-field line that caromed off of the foul pole for another home run.

"“Swings away, and belts one down the right field line, and it is goooooone.”"

To me, this call was done very well; it gave me the idea that something special was going to happen.  And oh man did something special happen.

Justin Turner is called upon to pinch hit and takes a step into the batter’s box. I can feel the energy from the crowd, and Joe is prepping me for what is about to happen. Then, on a 0-1 pitch to Turner, Joe sends chills down my spine.

“Swing and a drive, absolute madness!”  Not only did he kill the call, but Joe also let the crowd take over as he sat in silence for about a minute, something Vin would always spoil us with.

In his first legendary Dodgers moment, Joe played it perfectly and made sure that the moment would live in Dodger history forever.

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Joe Davis has done an excellent job in taking over for Vin and has impressed me with his knowledge of the game, the team, and Dodgers history. I know, it’s hard not having Vin around anymore, but he left us in good hands. Joe got his first big test on Saturday night and passed with flying colors on the “ear test.” His “Absolute Madness” was legendary and still rings in my ears as I write this. Dodgers Nation, Joe Davis is the new voice of the Dodgers and so far, has done an excellent job of painting a picture of “the Boys in Blue.”