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Detroit Tigers: Jack Morris should be fired for Shohei Ohtani comments

By Kevin Henry|
Jun 29, 2019; Detroit, MI, USA; 1984 Detroit Tigers member, Jack Morris on the field prior to the game between the Washington Nationals and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 29, 2019; Detroit, MI, USA; 1984 Detroit Tigers member, Jack Morris on the field prior to the game between the Washington Nationals and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Tigers television color analyst Jack Morris pulled a Thom Brennaman on Tuesday night when he said a derogatory comment on air when talking about Los Angeles Angels designated hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani.

In this instance, when speaking about Ohtani in his fourth plate appearance of the game, play-by-play broadcaster Matt Shepard set up the Hall of Famer Morris when he asked him what the Tigers should do with Shohei Ohtani.

The Detroit Tigers analyst seemingly mocked an Asian accent in his commentary about the Los Angeles Angels designated hitter, Shohei Ohtani.

Detroit Tigers television color analyst Jack Morris responded to Shepard by saying that the Tigers should be “very, very careful,” while he was seemingly mocking an Asian accent.

You can hear Morris’s commentary here.

Tigers reliever Joe Jimenez ended up walking Ohtani to make it runners on second and first with two outs in a game tied at two.

Ohtani came to the plate for his fifth plate appearance of the inning in the eighth inning. He struck out looking against Tigers reliever José Cisnero to end the eighth inning.

Morris did not apologize during this plate appearance but when Ohtani had his sixth plate appearance in the Angels’ six-run ninth inning, he offered a half-hearted apology, in which Morris accidentally called Ohtani “José,” before quickly correcting himself.

You can watch his apology here.

Morris, 66, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018 by the Modern Era Veterans Committee after he was a five-time All-Star, four-time World Series Champion plus a 1991 World Series MVP. His number 47 was also retired by the Detroit Tigers.

Morris previously was a color commentator on radio for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013 before joining the Minnesota Twins as a part-time color analyst in 2014. Morris was a color commentator for both the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins from 2015 through 2016 and from 2019 through 2020.

The Detroit Tigers television broadcast has consistently been ranked dead last by fans after Shepard, Morris, and other color commentators replaced Mario Impemba and Rod Allen on Tigers broadcasts at the tail end of the 2019 season.

UPDATE: Morris has been suspended indefinitely for the remarks.

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