Have you ever wondered what a baseball game might sound like if the announcers called it like a golf tournament? If so, Detroit Tigers announcers Jason Benetti and Andy Dirks have you covered.
Jackson Jobe was the starting pitcher for the Tigers in Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Twins. In addition to being the top prospect in Detroit’s organization, Jobe is also the son of longtime professional golfer, Brandt Jobe. With Jobe on the mound and the Masters going on, Benetti and Dirks called an at-bat like they would a golf tournament.
“Jobe on 6,” Benetti said. “He’s been dynamic so far today.”
“153 yards out. Elects for the 8-iron,” Dirks added.
“From 60 feet, 6 inches, he goes fastball,” Benetti said.
“Just off the edge of the green,” Dirks noted, as Jobe’s first pitch to Matt Wallner was just high.
“You could argue that baseball is a sport that actually could be called like golf,” Benetti said.
On the next pitch, Wallner hit a slow dribbler — or, as Benetti said, a “very calming tapper” — back to Jobe. Jobe fielded the ball and threw to first, retiring Wallner for the second out of the inning.
In Benetti’s golf terms, Jobe was “through 2 here on 6.”
“Even par for the inning. To the seventh tee box he goes,” Dirks said.
Returning to his normal announcer voice, Benetti informed any new viewers that Jobe is the son of a former professional golfer.
“That’s why we’re play acting golf announcers,” he said. “Can you imagine people tuning in like, ‘What is wrong with them? We always think that anyway. But really, today, what’s wrong with them?’ It’s very fitting. Masters going on. Jobe was three years old, caddying for his dad.”
Jobe ended up retiring the side in order in the sixth inning before getting pulled. The Tigers ultimately won the game 4-0, giving Jobe his career win as a Major Leaguer. Knowing how superstitious baseball players are, we wouldn’t be surprised if he asked Benetti and Dirks to channel their inner golf announcers in more of his starts.