Don Orsillo
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Don Orsillo (born December 16, 1968) is an American sportscaster who is the
play-by-play In Broadcasting of sports events, sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as a sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real time (media), real-time live commentary of a game or event, traditionally delivered in the present t ...
announcer for the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB). He is also an announcer for ''
MLB on TBS ''MLB on TBS'' is an American presentation of regular season and postseason Major League Baseball (MLB) game telecasts that air on the American pay television network TBS and the streaming service Max. The games are produced by TNT Sports (fo ...
'' and ''
MLB on Fox The ''MLB on Fox'' (also known as ''Fox MLB'') is an American presentation of Major League Baseball (MLB) games produced by Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports, the sports division of the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox), since June 1, 1996. Fo ...
''. Orsillo was the play-by-play announcer for the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
on
NESN New England Sports Network, popularly known as NESN , is an American regional sports cable and satellite television network owned by a joint venture of Fenway Sports Group (which owns a controlling 80% interest, and is the owner of the Boston ...
from 2001 to 2015; he was hired by the Padres to replace
Dick Enberg Richard Alan Enberg (January 9, 1935 â€“ December 21, 2017) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of an approximately 60-year career, he provided play-by-play of various sports for several radio and television networks, including N ...
upon his retirement at the end of the 2016 season.


Early life and career

Orsillo was born in
Melrose, Massachusetts Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population as of the 2020 census was 29,817. It is a suburb located approximately seven miles north of Boston. It is situate ...
, where he often dreamed of being a broadcaster for the Red Sox. He moved to and grew up in Madison, New Hampshire, and was educated at John H. Fuller Elementary School. At the age of 12 he attended Kennett Junior High School in nearby
Conway, New Hampshire Conway is a New England town, town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous community in the county, with a population of 9,822 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from ...
. Don's family moved west just before high school. He is a 1987 graduate of Miraleste High School in
Rancho Palos Verdes, California Rancho Palos Verdes is a coastal city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated on September 7, 1973, the city has a population of 42,287 as reported in the 2020 United States census. The city sits atop the bluffs of ...
, where he played on the Marauder basketball and baseball teams. Orsillo graduated from
Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...
with a degree in Communication Studies. While at Northeastern, he interned under Red Sox radio voice
Joe Castiglione Joseph John Castiglione (born March 2, 1947) is an American retired radio announcer, best known for his 42 seasons announcing games of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He has also been a college lecturer, and author. Castiglione was th ...
. Before doing
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
games, he worked in the minor leagues announcing
Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...
games on the radio from 1996 to 2000, having previously called games for some of the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
minor league affiliates.


Boston Red Sox

Orsillo was
NESN New England Sports Network, popularly known as NESN , is an American regional sports cable and satellite television network owned by a joint venture of Fenway Sports Group (which owns a controlling 80% interest, and is the owner of the Boston ...
's play-by-play man from the beginning of the
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
season (his first game included a
no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...
thrown by then Red Sox pitcher
Hideo Nomo is a Japanese former baseball pitcher who played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He achieved early success in his native country, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to . He then exploited a ...
against the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
). He also called Cal Ripken Jr.'s final game, as well as the no-hitters thrown by young Sox pitchers
Clay Buchholz Clay Daniel Buchholz (born August 14, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. Buchholz made ...
and
Jon Lester Jonathan Tyler Lester (born January 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, and St. Louis Cardinals. L ...
in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Orsillo originally only called the team's games which aired on NESN, with longtime Red Sox announcer
Sean McDonough Sean McDonough (born May 13, 1962) is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN and the WEEI Boston Red Sox Radio Network. McDonough has play-by-play experience for all four major professional sports leagues in the United States an ...
taking Orsillo's place alongside former Red Sox second baseman
Jerry Remy Gerald Peter Remy (November 8, 1952 – October 30, 2021) was an American professional baseball player and sports broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for ten seasons—three with the California Angels (1975â ...
for games which aired on local stations
WFXT WFXT (channel 25) is a television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, affiliated with the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network and owned by Cox Media Group. Its studios are located on Fox Drive (near the Boston-Providence Turnpi ...
(2001 and 2002) and
WSBK-TV WSBK-TV (channel 38) is an independent television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS outlet WBZ-TV (channel 4). The two stations share studios on Soldiers Field R ...
(2003 and 2004). For the 2005 season, Orsillo did games on both NESN and WSBK, working with Remy. Starting in 2006, NESN took over all Red Sox local telecasts, and until 2015, Orsillo worked with
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
Jerry Remy. In 2009, Remy was out for the season due to health problems, and Orsillo worked with various color commentators, including
Dennis Eckersley Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954), nicknamed "Eck", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and color commentator. Between 1975 and 1998, he pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, ...
, Nick Cafardo, Sean Casey, Dave Roberts and
Frank Viola Frank John Viola Jr. (born April 19, 1960) is an American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins (1982–1989), New York Mets (1989–1991), Boston Red Sox (1992–1994), Cincinnati Reds (1995), and T ...
. He was sometimes referred to by fans as "announcer boy," after he was given that nickname by Red Sox pitcher
Tim Wakefield Timothy Stephen Wakefield (August 2, 1966 – October 1, 2023) was an American professional baseball knuckleball pitcher. Wakefield began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is most remembered for his 17-year ...
in a NESN commercial. On August 25, 2015, NESN controversially announced that Orsillo would no longer call Red Sox games following the 2015 season, and would be replaced in 2016 by Dave O'Brien, who had called games for the Red Sox Radio Network since 2007. The Red Sox and NESN were further criticized in 2022 when Orsillo was not included in an April 20 tribute ceremony at Fenway Park for longtime broadcast partner Remy, who died the previous October. Red Sox officials claimed his absence was due to his obligations to the Padres, but Orsillo responded on Twitter that he had submitted a video tribute that the Red Sox ultimately opted not to include in the ceremony.


San Diego Padres

Orsillo joined the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
for
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, to be the successor of
Dick Enberg Richard Alan Enberg (January 9, 1935 â€“ December 21, 2017) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of an approximately 60-year career, he provided play-by-play of various sports for several radio and television networks, including N ...
upon his retirement after that season. During the 2016 season, Orsillo worked select Padres games for television and radio broadcasts. On February 19, 2025, Orsillo and the Padres agreed to a "long-term" contract extension.


Other announcing duties

In addition to his Red Sox duties, Orsillo has called the Beanpot hockey tournament and
Boston College Eagles men's basketball The Boston College Eagles are a Division I college basketball program that represents Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. The team has competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) since 2005, having previously played in ...
on
NESN New England Sports Network, popularly known as NESN , is an American regional sports cable and satellite television network owned by a joint venture of Fenway Sports Group (which owns a controlling 80% interest, and is the owner of the Boston ...
. He was also the play-by-play announcer for
Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Roman Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, it offers 47 undergraduate Academic ...
men's basketball for
Cox Sports Cox Sports was a regional sports network that served the United States New England region until 2012. Cox Sports New England served as the local programming outlet for Cox Communications, the cable service provider in Rhode Island and parts o ...
. Orsillo has also called Big East basketball for the Big East Network which is run by ESPN Regional Television. He was also a
Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Arizona Co ...
(AHL) broadcaster and voice of the Falcons from 1994 to 1996. From 2007 to 2013, Orsillo was one of the voices of the Major League Baseball Division Series on TBS. He was one of four play-by-play men to work each of the years TBS had exclusive rights to the Division Series. His first call was the 2007 National League wild card playoff between the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
and
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
, with Joe Simpson serving as his color man. After working with
Harold Reynolds Harold Craig Reynolds (born November 26, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from to , most prominently as a member of the Se ...
in the 2008 Division Series, Orsillo had
Buck Martinez John Albert "Buck" Martinez (born November 7, 1948) is an American former professional baseball catcher and manager, and is currently the television color commentator for the Toronto Blue Jays. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) ...
as his color commentator. His most recent Division Series assignment was the 2013 series between the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
and the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
. As recently as 2017, Orsillo has been calling select Sunday afternoon regular season games for TBS. Also in 2017, he began calling select Saturday afternoon regular season games for Fox and FS1. In 2018, Orsillo returned to calling playoff action, calling the entirety of the 2018 ALDS between the Astros and the Indians alongside analyst
Dennis Eckersley Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954), nicknamed "Eck", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and color commentator. Between 1975 and 1998, he pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, ...
. This was due to Ernie Johnson being unable to work the games following a diagnosis of blood clots in both of Johnson's legs. When Johnson was given his studio hosting duties back, Orsillo became a permanent member of the postseason team in 2020, working alongside analyst
Jeff Francoeur Jeffrey Braden Francoeur (; born January 8, 1984), nicknamed "Frenchy", is an American former professional baseball right fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals ...
until 2022, when he was replaced by
Bob Costas Robert Quinlan Costas (born March 22, 1952) is an American sportscaster who is known for his long tenure with NBC Sports, from 1980 through 2019. He has received 28 Emmy awards for his work and was the prime-time host of 12 Olympic Games from ...
.


Personal life

Orsillo lives in
Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort town, resort city in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population ...
, with his wife, Kathy Maguire Orsillo. They previously lived in Smithfield, Rhode Island.


References


External links


San Diego Padres broadcasters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orsillo, Don 1968 births Living people American Hockey League broadcasters American television sports announcers Boston Red Sox announcers College basketball announcers in the United States College hockey announcers in the United States Major League Baseball broadcasters Minor League Baseball broadcasters Northeastern University alumni People from Melrose, Massachusetts Providence Friars men's basketball announcers San Diego Padres announcers Sportspeople from Carroll County, New Hampshire