The broadcast team that typically calls Tigers games for Fox Sports Detroit was unexpectedly replaced on Wednesday night, and now we know why.
According to a report from Katie Strang of The Athletic, Tigers play-by-play announcer Mario Impemba and analyst Rod Allen were pulled from Wednesday’s broadcast after they got into a physical altercation the previous night. While it’s unclear what led to the incident, sources told Strang there had been “simmering tension” between Impemba and Allen that boiled over following Tuesday night’s game between the Tigers and Chicago White Sox.
The altercation was apparently so heated that separate travel arrangements had to be booked back to Detroit for Impemba and Allen out of fear that there would be further issues. The report went on to say that the two have been at odds for quite some time due to their contrasting styles, with one person who is familiar with the duo calling them an “odd couple.”
“While it can work for lively on-air banter, it has often meant a much more contentious off-air relationship,” Strang wrote.
Matt Shepard and Kirk Gibson were called upon to work Wednesday’s game at the last minute, and Fox Sports Detroit general manager Greg Hammaren told Strang the “internal matter” is being addressed.
Between the physical altercation between Impemba and Allen and the fight the Seattle Mariners reportedly had in their clubhouse, there has been a lot of internal conflict across Major League Baseball as of late.
