After five seasons as the Detroit Tigers’ television broadcast play-by-play announcer, news broke this week that Matt Shepard would not be returning to the Bally broadcast booth for the 2024 season.
While the news of Shepard’s departure does not appear tied to any kind of workplace strife, it may also not come as a surprise to Tigers’ fans familiar with the broadcast. The Tigers’ television broadcast team has frequently ranked dead last in popularity polls, coming in 30th this year in Awful Announcing’s roundup.
Shepard was never going to have an easy time, coming in on the heels of the beloved and long-running duo of Rod Allen and Mario Impemba.