Report: 2 MLB Broadcasters Sent Home After Getting Into A Fight

Two MLB broadcasters were reportedly sent home after getting into a "physical altercation" following a game this week.

Mario Impemba and Rod Allen, the Detroit Tigers' broadcasters for Fox Sports Detroit, were surprisingly absent from Wednesday night's game. They were replaced in the booth by Matt Shepard and Kirk Gibson.

Details are starting to emerge from the surprising absence. They were reportedly prohibited from calling Wednesday night's game after things got physical.

From The Athletic:

Multiple sources told The Athletic that neither Impemba nor Allen were part of Wednesday’s broadcast due to a physical altercation between the two television personalities following Tuesday’s game in Chicago against the White Sox. It is not immediately clear what prompted the attack. According to the accounts of those sources, there has been simmering tension between both Impemba and Allen and the clash of personalities ultimately boiled over on Tuesday night.

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.

“They’re like an odd couple,” said one person familiar with the dynamics of the broadcast’s production. Another person familiar with their relationship said that they had not seen eye-to-eye for a long time, but had managed to maintain a productive relationship, at least on air.

A spokesman for Fox Sports released the following statement to The Athletic:

“My only comment is this we are addressing an internal matter and we will not have any further comment at this time.”

The Tigers are 57-83 this season.