Tigers dodge the bullet with ALDS broadcaster duties

The Detroit Tigers' rise to the American League Division Series was nothing short of magical. However, one downside to the club playing on baseball's biggest stage is that fans will no longer be able to watch their hometown broadcaster's broadcast of their hometown team's commentary.

As much as Tigers fans would like to hear nicer calls from Jason Benetti on Bally Sports Detroit, when the ALDS begins Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians, they'll have to tune in to the national broadcast on TBS instead. However, it's not all bad – and honestly, it could have been a lot worse.

The station assignments for each ALDS series were released this week, and the Tigers clearly got the better end of the deal. While the Detroit-Cleveland series will be called by Brian Anderson and Jeff Francoeur, the series between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals will be called by Bob Costas and Ron Darling.

Tigers dodge the bullet with bets from ALDS TV stations

Costas has become something of a punchline in the baseball community after receiving widespread criticism for his call for the 2022 ALDS series between the Yankees and Guardians. He was criticized by fans and media members alike for providing unnecessary historical context and detail, speaking in a monotone, and, frankly, talking too much.

Yankees fans will be particularly disappointed to hear Costas call their series again this year, as he faced heavy criticism in 2022 from New York fans who felt he and his fellow announcers were biased against their team. Costas certainly didn't help his cause when he hit back at his critics, criticizing them for their “idiocy” in an interview on the Cleveland-based sports talk show “The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima.”

This year, however, it is the Tigers who will face Cleveland in the ALDS, and they will do so in keeping with Anderson's play-by-play and Francoeur's color analysis. Tigers fans will certainly miss the comfort of their local broadcasts from Benetti and Andy Dirks; Admittedly, though, there will be something very special about seeing “The Natural” call their games.

More Tigers content from the Motor City Bengals