Detroit Tigers Broadcaster Gets Praised by Players, Broadcast Legends
It's been an incredible couple of weeks for the Detroit Tigers, who are now down to a magic number of two to earn a Wild Card spot. Over the last couple of days, as the Tigers continue to win, play-by-play man Jason Benetti has been getting praise for the work he's doing by players and other broadcasting stars alike.
After Thursday's win, Benetti gave the baseball world an elegant call.
"Tigers win again! A city that doesn't care about the odds, has a baseball team to match. Out of nowhere, again, the Tigers have won," he proclaimed on the broadcast.
After a come from behind win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the broadcaster seemed to share the same sentiment as fans do, and wanted to express that. This call garnered him praise from two big broadcasting legends.
The first was ESPN's Scott Van Pelt, known for hosting Sports Center.
"The man on the mic [Jason Benetti] is so, so good. Hits all the right notes always but especially here on this improbable run. You're lucky to have him, Detroit. I'm sure the folks in Chicago would agree," he posted.
Benetti has been rising up in the broadcasting world over the last decade. He calls college football and basketball games, as well as the occasional NFL game. What Van Pelt is referencing with Chicago is the fact that Benetti was calling games for the Chicago White Sox from 2016-2023 and took over after the retirement of Hawk Harrelson.
Benetti ultimately left the White Sox in part due some controversial comments from people associated with the team. Now, in his first season in Detroit, the team is making a playoff push and Chicago is close to setting the loss record.
Van Pelt wasn't the only one to show his admiration for Benetti on social media. Former Monday Night Football announcer turned Sunday Night Football announcer, Mike Tirico, took to X to praise the Tigers' broadcaster as well.
"x1000 SVP. Nothing like a pennant race with a great voice to take us along for the ride," he said.
For such an exciting time surrounding the team, it's nice to see Benetti getting his flowers. However, it's not just broadcasters. Players are doing it as well.
When speaking about social media, Benetti gave a shoutout to how closely top prospect Max Clark watches and posts about the games. In return, Clark showed his love to the broadcaster who will be calling his games in the near future.
There are a lot of great broadcasters across sports right now, and Jason Benetti is one of them. His mix of excitement for the team, information and analytics is easily digestible, and fans and colleagues are starting to take more notice.
