Jenny Cavnar

Jenny Cavnar

• School Colorado State University

• Born ~1982 in Aurora, CO USA

Biographical Information

Jenny Cavnar was appointed the main play-by-play announcer on Oakland Athletics television broadcasts before the 2024 season, making her the first female primary television announcer in Major League Baseball history (women have been the primary radio announcers for their teams on a number of occasions, including her contemporaries Suzyn Waldman and Melanie Newman). Her broadcast partner is former pitcher Dallas Braden, who has known her for years as he is a childhood friend of her husband, Steve Spurgeon, who is a former minor league player.

On May 13, 2024, with the Athletics visiting the Houston Astros, the Astros decided to mark the occasion by having on-field reporter Julia Morales and play-by-play announcer Todd Kalas switch role for the game. As a result it marked the first time in MLB history that both teams' television announcer was a woman. Cavnar and Morales had been friends for many years and had supported each other in making their way in a profession still dominated by men; they also both had a daughter aged 3 at the time.

She first began working in major league baseball in 2008, working four years as reporter covering the San Diego Padres. In 2012 she began working on broadcasts of Colorado Rockies games, conducting pre-game and post-game interviews and filling in occasionally in the radio booth. On April 23, 2018, she filled in as the television announcer on a game between the Rockies and Padres, the first woman to do so since 1993. She received a regional Emmy Award for her work with the Rockies.

She grew up around baseball, as her father was a high school coach in the Denver, CO area. She also does college basketball broadcasts, both men and women's.

Further Reading

• David Adler: "Joining A's, Jenny Cavnar is 1st female lead play-by-play voice in MLB history", mlb.com, February 13, 2024. [1]
• Alyson Footer: "Cavnar, Morales make history calling A's-Astros", mlb.com, May 13, 2024. [2]
• Martín Gallegos: "New A’s announcer Jenny Cavnar ready to make play-by-play history", mlb.com, February 29, 2024. [3]
• Jessica Kleinschmidt and Thomas Harding: "Jenny Cavnar breaks barriers by calling play-by-play on Monday's Rockies broadcast", "Cut4", mlb.com, April 23, 2018. [4]