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With the MLB playoffs starting on Tuesday, lead Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Davis is preparing to call his fifth World Series and further cement his place as the new voice of October baseball.
Yet, the Dodgers play-by-play man told Front Office Sports Tonight he still has legendary broadcaster Vin Scully’s advice to “be yourself” in the back of his mind when he steps in the broadcast booth.
“Human nature is to try and be like the guy that’s done the job so well for 67 years at that point,” Davis told FOS Tonight’s Bridget Condon in an interview airing Tuesday night. “But to have that advice in the back of my head from the time that I started and still have it in my head: to let yourself come through, don’t exert yourself on anything, but don’t try to be somebody that you’re not … I still have Vin’s advice ringing in my ears often.”
Davis began announcing Dodgers games in 2016 as an alternate for days when Scully was off, and took over full-time duties the following season. Scully passed away in August 2022.
Davis said succeeding Scully was the biggest reason he wanted the Dodgers gig, but acknowledged that the dynamic came with an increased responsibility.
“I was doing games nationally at that point and could’ve kept doing just that, and was really happy,” Davis said. “But what made this job special and what made it one that I wanted to give a shot was the fact that it was trying to take over for the greatest ever to do it.”
Davis has been Fox’s lead MLB play-by-play voice since 2022, taking over for Joe Buck after the latter departed for ESPN. He previously called Division Series and Championship Series games for the network, and also currently serves as Fox’s No. 2 NFL play-by-play commentator alongside analyst Greg Olsen behind Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady.
He has since scaled back his work with the Dodgers to a maximum of 90 games per season due to his national commitments, but has called the team’s World Series victories the last two seasons on Fox alongside John Smoltz.
The wild-card Series beginning on Tuesday will be broadcast entirely on NBC and Peacock, before Fox and TBS take over for the Division Series and Championship Series.
As Davis looks ahead to another month of calling high-stakes playoff baseball, he said he is still trying to learn from Scully’s broadcasting style, even as he charts his own path.
“He put the game first, and he did his very best to work hard to get ready for the games but then to never get in the way of it—to nail the basics, but at the same time, bring people as much joy as he possibly could,” Davis said. “I’m trying to incorporate those things into what I do.”
