Mario Thomas Zapiáin (c. 1924 – August 8, 2009), nicknamed "Don Mario", was a Mexican Spanish language baseball announcer who worked San Diego Padres games for 28 seasons, from 1969 to 1997.
[1] Born in Tijuana, Thomas began working for the Padres as their play-by-play announcer in 1969, alongside color commentator Gustavo López Moreno.
Additionally, he also worked games for the Aguilas de Mexicali of the Mexican League in the offseason and called the Caribbean Series in 1986.
During the 25th anniversary of his tenure, Thomas was presented with a plaque by fellow Padre's broadcaster Jerry Coleman.
[1] Thomas died in August 2009, aged 85, and was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2010.