Homewood's Hometown Sox Broadcaster Benetti Signs Deal With Tigers

HOMEWOOD, IL — Jason Benetti grew up in Homewood, dreaming of one day being a baseball broadcaster perhaps never imagining that his aspirations would allow him to call games for his beloved Chicago White Sox.

Benetti not only got the chance to do that but found himself replacing Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, who became synonymous with bringing personality to White Sox broadcasts. Now, it’s the Sox who are looking for a replacement for Benetti, who signed a multi-year contract to become the TV voice of the Detroit Tigers.

Benetti will be the Tigers’ play-by-play announcer for Bally Sports and will work a minimum of 127 games for the regional sports network, the Tigers announced on Thursday.

Benetti did not immediately return a phone message left for him by Patch on Thursday.

“I’m incredibly proud to join this historic and ascending Tigers franchise,” Benetti said in a statement released by the Tigers. “From every single person I talked with throughout the interview process, it was clear why so many respected professionals and creative people have joined the organization in the last several years. There’s something special about it, and I’m excited to bring that energy to Tigers fans around the globe.”

The 40-year-old Benetti replaced Harrelson in the Sox TV booth and held the job for eight seasons. He called Sox games as well as working for ESPN, Fox, and other networks during college football and basketball broadcasts while also broadcasting Olympic baseball games during his career. He did so with the blessing of his bosses, but the Sun-Times reported on Thursday that contract talks with Benetti – who had one year remaining on his current deal – became strained over his added broadcast responsibilities.

The Sox said in a statement on Thursday that a national search would begin for Benetti’s replacement. The team said that Len Kasper, who previously worked TV broadcasts for the Cubs, would not move over to the TV booth with the Sox, for whom he calls games on the radio.

“Not only is Jason one of the very best broadcasters across multiple sports but he is a born and raised White Sox fan who shared his passion for the team on the air night in and night out,” Brooks Boyer, the Sox chief revenue and marketing officer said in a statement on Thursday. “He represented the club in the community and engaged with fans, all while delivering one of the very best local broadcasts in Major League Baseball.”

Boyer said in the statement that the Sox allowed Benetti to explore the job with the Tigers as they did with what the team called "career-changing" opportunities to do more work on a national basis while under contract with the Sox. The team said it is proud to "see Jason continue to live out his dream to bring the game he loves into the homes of fans in his unique style."

In addition to his broadcasting work, Benetti — who was born with cerebral palsy — had advocated for people living with the condition, which he never allowed to get in the way of living out his dreams.

The Tigers announced that they will allow Benetti to work on national broadcasts in addition to his TV work with the team.

“Jason is a world-class talent and today is another tremendous step forward for the Tigers as we continue to build a championship-level organization and experience for our fans,” Ryan Gustafson, executive vice president of Ilitch Sports and Entertainment said in a statement issued by the Tigers. “Beyond his talent, Jason’s story is inspirational and our shared commitment to excellence and innovation was apparent throughout our discussions.”

Benetti plans to take the same energy to the Tigers booth as he did with the Sox. While he knows that calling games involving various sports is in his blood, the chance to do so in his hometown was always meaningful, making leaving for a new opportunity bittersweet.

“It is truly in no way about me, and so I think it’s a really interesting feeling because rarely in my current affairs in life do I have something to do in a big moment in sports, and it’s like, ‘Oh, I have to work today so I can’t watch the Sox game.’ No — I’m working while watching the Sox game," Benetti told Patch in 2021 when the Sox made a postseason appearance. "And so it’s a really nice reminder that, sometimes, people can’t get to the game and sometimes, people are watching with the sound off or sometimes, people don’t catch everything. So there’s some perspective in it.”