Roderick Bernet Allen (born October 5, 1959) is an American former professional baseball

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

and current game analyst for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

on Fan Duel Sports Network Florida. He formerly worked as an analyst for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

Fox Sports Detroit FanDuel Sports Network Detroit is an American regional sports network owned by Main Street Sports Group (formerly Diamond Sports Group) and operated as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. It provides coverage of local sports teams in the sta ...

and

Fox Saturday Baseball ''Fox Saturday Baseball'' is an American television presentation of Major League Baseball (MLB) games produced by Fox Sports for the Fox network on Saturday afternoons. Fox's coverage includes 4 weeks worth of coverage as of 2023. Coverage usu ...

. He played for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, Tigers, and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

of the

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB), and also the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB). He previously worked as an analyst for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Baseball

Playing career

Allen was selected by the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

in the sixth round of the

1977 Major League Baseball draft The 1977 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1977 MLB season. The draft saw the Chicago White Sox select Harold Baines first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1977 Major League Baseb ...

. He enjoyed a brief stint with the

in 1983. He was 23 years old when he made his major league debut on April 7, 1983. He hit .296 in 27 at-bats during a 15-game stint as an

and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

with the World Series Champion Detroit Tigers in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, but was not on the team during the postseason. He enjoyed another brief stint in the majors with the

in 1988. Allen spent the last three years of his playing career with the

of the NPB. He hit a pair of

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s against

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, ...

in the 1991 Japan Series and set a Japanese regular season record with four home runs in four consecutive at bats during his time in the league. He is infamous for charging the mound after

Yokohama Taiyo Whales The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its current n ...

pitcher Kazuhiko Daimon hit him in the back with a pitch, subsequently chasing Daimon across the entire field with both teams' benches in tow.

Coaching career

Prior to his work as a broadcaster, Allen spent four seasons as a hitting instructor in the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

organization from 1992 through 1995. In 1994 and 1995, he was the

hitting coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

for the

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are a professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois, and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their home games a ...

, the Marlins Single-A affiliate in the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. Some of the notable batters he coached include

Mike Redmond Michael Patrick Redmond (born May 5, 1971) is an American former professional baseball catcher, coach, and manager, who was most recently the bench coach for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for 13 seasons in Majo ...

Kevin Millar Kevin Charles Millar (; born September 24, 1971) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) and is a current analyst for MLB Network and NESN. He played in MLB for the Flor ...

, and Luis Castillo. During his time in the organization, Allen worked under Marlins GM

Dave Dombrowski David Dombrowski (born July 27, 1956) is an American baseball executive who serves as the president of baseball operations for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Dombrowski also previously served as the general manager of ...

, who would later become the Tigers president, CEO, and general manager.

Broadcasting

Arizona Diamondbacks

From 1998 to 2002 he spent five seasons with the

as a television (

Fox Sports Arizona Bally Sports Arizona (BSAZ) was an American regional sports network (RSN). The channel broadcast professional, collegiate and high school sports events, with a primary focus on Phoenix-area teams. It was available on most cable providers through ...

) and radio ( KTAR) analyst. He served as the

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

on the Diamondbacks radio broadcasts during the 2001 postseason, including the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

win against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. Allen was replaced as Diamondbacks television analyst by former major leaguer

Mark Grace Mark Eugene Grace (born June 28, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who spent 13 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks of the National League (NL). He was a member of t ...

Detroit Tigers

Allen was the regular color commentator on Detroit Tigers telecasts for Fox Sports Detroit, joined by play-by-play man

Mario Impemba Mario Impemba (born ) is an American former sportscaster, best known as the television play-by-play announcer for the Detroit Tigers from 2002 to 2018. Before working for the Tigers, he announced for the Los Angeles Angels on both television a ...

. Allen won Michigan

Emmys The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

in 2006 and 2007 for his analysis of Detroit Tigers baseball. Allen is a longtime member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association founded in 1948 by Tigers broadcaster

Ty Tyson Edwin Lloyd "Ty" Tyson (May 11, 1888 – December 12, 1968) was an American sports broadcaster and radio play-by-play announcer. Early life Tyson was born in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania and he attended Penn State University. As a young man, h ...

. On September 21, 2016, Tigers catcher James McCann hit a three-run home run against the Minnesota Twins that put the Tigers up 6-0 in the sixth inning. Allen excitedly shouted "Second Deck!", but when heard, it sounded like "suck a dick." This was picked up by Detroit radio station

WXYT-FM WXYT-FM (97.1 MHz "97.1 The Ticket") is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan, serving Metro Detroit and much of Southeast Michigan. It airs a sports radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its studios and offices are located in ...

and it became their most popular drop. On September 4, 2018, Allen and Impemba were allegedly involved in a physical altercation off the air after broadcasting the Tigers game against the

. Fox Sports Detroit sent the men home on different planes after the game, and the next night's telecast was covered by

Kirk Gibson Kirk Harold Gibson (born May 28, 1957) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and manager. Gibson spent most of his career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers, but also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansa ...

and field-level reporter Matt Shepard. One source claimed that there was an argument over a chair, followed by Allen using a choke hold on Impemba, but Allen's agent denied that his client choked Impemba. On September 7, Fox Sports Detroit suspended both men from calling any Tigers games for the remainder of the 2018 season. It was later announced the contracts of both Impemba and Allen were not renewed for future seasons, ending their 16-year partnership.

''Fox Saturday Baseball''

In addition to his work for the Diamondbacks and Tigers, Allen did color commentary for ''

'', including games involving the Tigers until 2018.

Miami Marlins

In March 2022 it was announced Allen would be joining

Bally Sports Florida FanDuel Sports Network Florida is an American regional sports network owned by Main Street Sports Group (formerly Diamond Sports Group) and operated as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The channel broadcasts local sports coverage in the ...

as an analyst for Miami Marlins telecasts.

Family life

Allen and his wife, Adrian, have four children: Rhonda, Rod, Jr., Andrew, and Rachel. The Allens live in the

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

area. Rod, Jr. was selected by the

in the 12th round of the 2004

Major League Baseball Draft The Major League Baseball draft (officially the Rule 4 Draft; also known as the first-year player draft or amateur draft) is the primary mechanism by which Major League Baseball (MLB) assigns amateur baseball players from high schools, colleg ...

after a collegiate career at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. He played the 2004 season with the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

in the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

, and played for the Class A

Winston-Salem Warthogs Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

in 2006 and 2007. His most recent professional stint was in 2011 with the White Sands Pupfish in the Pecos League. Andrew was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 43rd round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. He attended

Desert Vista High School Desert Vista High School is a public high school located in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix, Arizona. Opened in 1996, it is the second Tempe Union High School District (TUHSD) school in Ahwatukee and serves approximately 3,000 students. Academ ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Rod 1959 births Living people African-American baseball players African-American sports announcers American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Appleton Foxes players 20th-century American sportsmen Arizona Diamondbacks announcers Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from Los Angeles Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Desert Vista High School alumni Detroit Tigers announcers Detroit Tigers players Edmonton Trappers players Evansville Triplets players Glens Falls White Sox players Gulf Coast White Sox players Hiroshima Toyo Carp players Iowa Oaks players Knoxville Sox players Leones de Yucatán players Major League Baseball broadcasters Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Maine Guides players Miami Marlins announcers Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake City Gulls players Seattle Mariners players Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos players Waterbury Indians players Santa Monica High School alumni