For the Toronto Blue Jays, this year’s World Series appearance is a family affair — at least in terms of broadcasting.
That’s because Dan Shulman, known for his longtime television work in the U.S. and now a fixture in Canada, serves as the Sportsnet television voice of the Blue Jays. Meanwhile, the team’s lead radio voice, 25-year-old Ben Shulman, is Dan’s son.
Dan’s accomplished play-by-play career includes an extensive ESPN résumé, featuring calls of a dozen World Series for ESPN Radio, as well as stints on “Sunday Night Baseball” (2011-17), “Wednesday Night Baseball” (2002-07) and major ESPN college basketball and NBA games.
Ben is among the youngest broadcasters calling games for a major professional sports team. He earned the full-time radio role before the 2024 season after a couple of years as part of the radio crew. Now father and son are both headed to the World Series.
“I said to him, ‘Man, this is pretty cool,’” Dan recalled, according to a report by The Athletic. “You are going to go to Dodger Stadium in a few days to call the World Series. He looked at me and said, ‘This is pretty cool for you, too.’”
“I’ve been lucky enough to do 12 World Series on ESPN Radio, and I’ve been lucky enough to call games for my hometown team,” Dan said. “But never before have those two crossed. All I’ve ever wanted to do is broadcast games that matter to a lot of people. Not only clearly do these games matter to a lot of people, but they matter to a lot of people in my life. These games matter to every single person that I know in Toronto, every single family member and friend that I grew up with.”
Said the younger Shulman: “Even being in the playoffs, frankly, was incredibly exciting for me. Doing playoff baseball was a much bigger thing than I’ve ever done before. I missed the early 1990s Blue Jays teams, and I remember the excitement of 2015 and 2016, but those teams still felt far away from the World Series. To get to experience this really is a privilege.”
The Shulmans work one floor apart at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays play their home games, on the third and fourth levels. Ben lives within walking distance of the ballpark, while Dan drives in. Dan typically arrives about 4½ hours before first pitch — about 30 minutes earlier than Ben. They often see each other on the field before games, but Dan said he makes a point to give his son space. “If he is talking to a player, I will never go up and insert myself into that conversation,” Dan said.
Ben said he’s usually too focused on his radio duties to think much about his father during games, though the two do exchange baseball-related texts during broadcasts. For Dan, it’s a different experience.
“I think a father thinks about a son more than a son thinks about a father, and Ben will see that in later years,” Dan said, laughing. “I bet you there’s not a single game this year where we haven’t exchanged text during the game, but it’s much less in October than it is in the regular season. We don’t live together, so it’s not like what gate do you want to meet at after the game. Sometimes when I’m in the booth and filling out my scorecard, I’ll hear a video package on the Jumbotron. I’m kind of immune to reacting to my own voice, but when you hear your son’s voice, as a parent, you turn your head right away. It’s just instinct.”
