Orioles Fired Public Address Announcer Ryan Wagner Just Hours Before Opener, Report Says
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Fans at the Orioles home opener on Thursday were happy to be back in the friendly confines of Camden Yards after a long time away.
There were of course noticeable differences as the COVID-19 pandemic requires health and safety protocols and limited capacity.
There was one other notable difference, the voice coming over the PA system was not that of long-time public address announcer Ryan Wagner.
A report from The Athletic reveals the reason for that is the Orioles told Wagner to leave the stadium just hours before first pitch, before officially firing him on Friday.
According to the report, Wagner's firing was due partly to his commentary on his personal Twitter account, @rwags614. The report states that Wagner had previously been cautioned by the team about his social media posts.
Wagner was the third public address announcer in the history of Camden Yards, taking over in 2012 from Dave McGowan.
Bowie Baysox public address announcer, Adrienne Roberson, filled in for Wagner during Thursday's game and is reportedly expected to handle the rest of the team's opening homestand which runs through April 15.
Both the Orioles and Wagner declined to comment on The Athletic's report.