ABOUT ROD

Growing up as a kid in Santa Monica, CA, I knew instantly that I had fallen in love with the game of baseball, rooting for those amazing Los Angeles Dodgers. Growing up as an African-American kid and true baseball enthusiast in Santa Monica, I truly looked up to those Pittsburgh Pirates & Montreal Expos teams as an inspiration during that very time period. Witnessing numerous MLB games at Dodger Stadium, I knew that I wanted to play baseball as a profession. To look back now and realize that I have been involved with the game that I love for five decades now, it truly says a lot as to how very blessed I am.

​

My dream came true back in 1977, when the Chicago White Sox drafted me in the sixth round. After years of training and seasoning, the big day would come on April 7, 1983 when I made my Major League debut with the Seattle Mariners. A year later, in 1984, I was on top of the world as I had the distinct privilege to be a part of that unforgettable 1984 Detroit Tigers team that brought a World Series Championship home to the City of Detroit. The unbelievable 35-5 start that the 1984 Tigers team had, will probably never again be matched throughout MLB. After winning a World Series Championship, my playing career then continued with a stint with the Cleveland Indians in 1988, followed by international ball in Japan with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. It was in Japan that I set a single season record with four homeruns in four consecutive at-bats, a pretty exciting feat for any ballplayer.

​

Even after my playing days were over, I leveraged the experience that I had earned in baseball, and coached for the Kane County Cougars within the Florida Marlins organization. I would also go on to coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks and manage their instructional league team. It was after my playing and coaching days though, that a new passion began to brew, calling games and entering the broadcast booth. This is where some of my fondest baseball memories would take place.

With my initial broadcasting role in 1998 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, I served as a part of the inaugural radio and television broadcast team until 2002, including a World Series win over the Yankees in 2001. That was especially memorable with that World Series occurring just after the events surrounding 9/11. Little did I know then, broadcasting would then eventually take me back to the City of Detroit, becoming the first African American television analyst in Detroit Tigers history. The same team that I won a World Series ring with in 1984, would then leave me with some of the game’s most riveting and exciting moments ever from the broadcast booth such as: Armando Galarraga’s near perfect game in 2010, two World Series runs for the Tigers in 2006 & 2012, Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown in 2012 (actually the first to accomplish that feat since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967), and many others. With over 2,000 games called in the booth, and back-to-back Michigan Emmy Awards for within the ‘Sports Analyst’ category, I will never forget the no-hitters, the walk-off homeruns, and the roar of that Detroit crowd.

​

Outside of baseball, I currently reside in Arizona with my beautiful wife Adrian. I still follow the game I love, all while spending time with my four wonderful grand-children. I also enjoy going to church, exercising, and playing a little golf from time to time. Thank you to all of my fans for the continued memories, as I look forward to seeing where my baseball journey takes me next.