Story by
Jason Benetti signs multi-year contract with Detroit Tigers as TV play-by-play broadcaster
- Story by
- Jason Benetti signs multi-year contract with Detroit Tigers as TV play-by-play broadcaster
The Detroit Tigers promised to be ambitious in their search process for a new television voice of the team. It's safe to say, the franchise accomplished that by hiring one of the best in the business.
The Tigers hired Jason Benetti on Thursday as the television play-by-play announcer on the Bally Sports Detroit broadcast, beginning in the 2024 season. He signed a multi-year contract.
Advertisement
Benetti, who replaces Matt Shepard , has spent the past eight seasons with the Chicago White Sox . The 40-year-old will be employed by the Tigers, not Bally Sports Detroit. The White Sox granted the Tigers permission to interview Benetti for the job.
THE PLAN: Specific type of pitching is priority for Tigers throughout remainder of offseason
Sports commentator Jason Benetti host the discussion during a Xavier University basketball preseason preview event at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023.
"I'm incredibly proud to join this historic and ascending Tigers franchise," Benetti said in a statement. "From every single person I talked with throughout the interview process it was clear why so many respected professionals and creative people have joined the organization in the last several years. There's something special about it, and I'm excited to bring that energy to Tigers fans around the globe."
Advertisement
Benetti will broadcast a minimum of 127 games per season for the Tigers. He still has national broadcast obligations. In the case of scheduling conflicts, radio play-by-play announcer Dan Dickerson will move to the TV booth when Benetti isn't calling games.
Both Benetti and Dickerson want Tigers fans to have the best broadcast experience throughout the entire season. In Benetti and Dickerson, the Tigers have what could be described as the best TV and radio duo in baseball.
The plan for the play-by-play radio announcer when Dickerson calls games on TV has not yet been determined. Double-A Erie broadcaster Greg Gania has called games on the radio in place of Dickerson in the past.
WHO IS JASON BENETTI: Meet the Tigers new TV broadcaster with inspiring backstory
Advertisement
The Tigers posted a 78-84 record for second place in the American League Central — widely considered the weakest division — in the 2023 season. The first-place Minnesota Twins plan to cut payroll this offseason . The Tigers, if the young players perform to expectations, could compete for the AL Central title in 2024, even without a splashy free-agent signing.
Recently, Benetti met with CEO and chairman Christopher Ilitch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris.
"Everyone I spent time with made it clear this was the right place for me," Benetti said. "I was born and raised in the Midwest and understand how important sports are, especially here in the Motor City."
Benetti, diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a toddler, grew up in Homewood, Illinois, about 25 miles south of Chicago. He graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in 2001.
Advertisement
He graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2005 with bachelor's degrees in broadcast journalism, economics and psychology. He also graduated from Wake Forest University's School of Law in 2011 with a juris doctor degree.
In his career, Benetti has worked for ESPN, NBC and Fox, but he is now primarily contracted with Fox Sports for national assignments. He joined the White Sox as the TV play-by-play announcer on NBC Sports Chicago in the 2016 season for select home and road games. He handled full-time play-by-play duties in the 2019-23 seasons, following Ken Harrelson's retirement.
WELCOME TO DETROIT: Mark Canha reinvented his approach years ago. Now, Tigers think he can help young players
The search and hiring processes were led by Ron Colangelo (Senior Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment), Ben Fidelman (Director of Communications and Broadcasting, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment) and Jeff Byle (Executive Producer, Bally Sports Detroit).
Advertisement
"Jason is a world-class talent and today is another tremendous step forward for the Tigers as we continue to build a championship-level organization and experience for our fans," Ryan Gustafson, EVP/COO of Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, said in a statement. "Beyond his talent, Jason's story is an inspiration and our shared commitment to excellence and innovation was apparent throughout our discussions. We are thrilled to welcome Jason to our family."
"All of us at Bally Sports welcome Jason to Detroit, and we're thrilled he's joining our Tigers telecasts," Greg Hammaren, Bally Sports Detroit senior vice president and general manager, said in a statement. "Jason's reputation as one of the best and brightest announcers across all of sports adds to our already strong production effort here in Detroit. His deep knowledge and love for baseball are traits shared by our incredible fans, and we're looking forward to them getting to know Jason more starting in February when the Tigers take the field in Lakeland."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers sign play-by-play broadcaster Jason Benetti
