Kelly Saunders

Kelly Saunders made history when she filled in for former major leaguer Rex Barney as the public address announcer for the Baltimore Orioles on June 20, 1992. She is believed to be only the second woman to do so at a major league game. Barney was unavailable after having had his right leg amputated below the knee because of circulation problems a month earlier, and the Orioles interviewed a number of other candidates in his absence, including Saunders, who was an entertainment reporter for WJZ-TV. Before her, Joy Hawkins McCabe, the daughter of the Washington Senators' public-relations director, had announced one game at D.C. Stadium a number of years earlier, but there was no taint of nepotism to Saunders' gig.

Saunders was born in Washington, DC around 1950 and raised there, getting her first jobs as a radio disc jockey there before moving to Baltimore five years before her date with baseball history. She described herself as an avid baseball fan and fan of the Orioles.

She passed away from cancer on July 16, 2011.

Further Reading

• Associated Press: "A New Voice for Baseball : American League: Kelly Saunders could make history tonight when she serves as public address announcer for game at Camden Yards.", Los Angeles Times, June 20, 1992. [1]