What if Gary Thorne called a walk-off World Series homer ...

By Pete Kerzel

Orioles

October 28, 2011, 1:03pm

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Well, he did - just not for the Orioles. The venerable MASN play-by-play man, whose home run calls pack so much unbridled joy and enthusiasm into mere seconds, is working for ESPN during the Fall Classic, calling games for ESPN International, which distributes the World Series games to a worldwide audience. Fans get the games in three languages - English, Spanish and Portugese - throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East and via ESPN America throughout Europe. Thorne is part of the English-speaking broadcast crew. So when David Freese of the Cardinals went deep in the 11th inning Thursday night to force a decisive Game 7 against the Rangers, it was a familiar voice adding just the right level of excitement and awe to the moment.

Joining Thorne in the booth was analyst Rick Sutcliffe, who pitched a shutout in the first game ever at Camden Yards. Just one thing was missing from Thorne's typically standout effort: What, no "Mercy!"?