Gary Thorne (born June 9, 1948) is a veteran American sportscaster originally from Bangor, Maine. Over several decades he has been a familiar voice on both regional and national sports telecasts, combining play-by-play duties with work on marquee youth and professional events. His career spans baseball, hockey and other live sports broadcasts.

Career overview

Thorne is best known for his role as a play-by-play announcer for the Baltimore Orioles on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) and for calling the Little League World Series on networks such as ABC and ESPN. He has also been heard on national telecasts for Major League Baseball and for other sports assignments, serving in studio and live-game capacities at various points in his career.

Roles and responsibilities

Thorne's principal professional activities have included play-by-play announcing, pregame and postgame commentary, and feature interviews for televised sporting events. His work requires rapid description of on-field action, smooth transitions between plays and the ability to contextualize moments for viewers. Typical assignments have included:

  • Regional Major League Baseball broadcasts for a club and network partners.
  • National baseball telecasts and select MLB game coverage.
  • Annual youth tournaments such as the Little League World Series on major networks.
  • Occasional coverage of other professional and collegiate sports across broadcast platforms.

Style and reputation

Thorne is regarded for clarity, steady pacing and adaptability across different sports formats. Colleagues and viewers often note his ability to shift from the intimate, narrative-driven coverage of youth tournaments to the faster tempo demanded by professional games. He is recognized as a durable presence in American sports media, having maintained roles with both regional teams and national networks.

Notable assignments and networks

Among his recurring assignments are local team coverage on MASN for the Baltimore Orioles, and annual appearances on national broadcasts of the Little League World Series for ABC and ESPN. He has also been associated with televised Major League Baseball packages on networks that produce national telecasts, bringing professional-level play-by-play to a broad audience.

While specific broadcast lineups change over time, Thorne’s career exemplifies the path of a regional announcer who expanded into national exposure, contributing to both community-focused events and larger professional sports programming.