In , Thorne was named a backup play-by-play announcer ( behind Al Michaels and replacing Gary Bender in this particular capacity ) for ABC 's coverage of '' Thursday Night Baseball '' telecasts with Joe Morgan . Thorne also served as a field reporter for the World Series and covered the World Series Trophy presentation for ABC . Like his ABC Sports colleagues , Al Michaels , Jim Palmer , Tim McCarver , and Joe Morgan , Thorne was at San Francisco 's Candlestick Park when the infamous Loma Prieta earthquake hit on October 17 ,
Loma Prieta earthquake
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Gary Thorne