Tigers television broadcasters Rod Allen and Mario Impemba involved in altercation

Usually it’s baseball players, rather than the guys who call the game, who tend to be hot-headed. There are scant few details, but reports on Thursday indicate that Tigers play-by-play voice, Mario Impemba, and color commentator Rod Allen, were involved in an altercation after the team’s contest with the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, according to The Athletic.

Katie Strang of The Athletic Detroit reports that long-simmering tensions erupted on Tuesday after the television broadcast ended. When the Tigers’ pre-game show threw to the live broadcast on Wednesday, Fox Sports Detroit’s Matt Shepherd, along with commentator Kirk Gibson, were in the booth instead of the usual duo of Impemba and Allen. There are no reports as to what exactly happened, but a third party apparently had to intervene to separate the two parties. Both Allen and Impemba were sent home separately, with Shepherd and Gibson taking over.

Apparently, Impemba and Allen have had a rather contentious relationship over the years.

Sources said that Impemba and Allen have long been at odds with each other and that their distinctively different broadcasting styles reflect their chasm in personalities. While it can work for lively on-air banter, it has often meant a much more contentious off-air relationship.

Spokesman for both FOX Sports Detroit, and Rod Allen’s agent, declined comment to The Athletic Detroit. Impemba has been the Tigers play-by-play man since 2000, while Allen has served as a color commentator since 2002.