Sometime before Christmas, Matt Shepard received the phone call he had been waiting a lifetime for.

Long considered the most versatile television broadcaster in Detroit, the ultimate opportunity for Shepard was an opportunity to broadcast play-by-play for one of the city’s four major sports teams.

Last September, when the Detroit Tigers’ long-standing duo of Mario Impemba and Rod Allen were removed from the airwaves following a physical altercation, an opportunity arose. And Shepard took full advantage.

According to multiple persons with knowledge of the situation, Fox Sports Detroit has chosen Shepard as the Tigers’ next television play-by-play broadcaster. The station is expected to make an announcement on Tuesday morning.

Shepard will share the booth with former Tigers Kirk Gibson and Jack Morris. Though a set number of games for each have yet to be determined, it is expected that Gibson will continue his workload from previous seasons, meaning Morris will be the more consistent voice in the color analyst chair.

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For the past 12 seasons, Morris has been a part of the Minnesota Twins television team. In 2016, Morris also did Tigers' broadcasts, along with the Twins. He also did a handful of games for Detroit last season.

Gibson has been a part of the Tigers' broadcast team for the past seven seasons. He also had color analyst duties from 1998-2002.

FSD will also bring Dan Petry — a teammate of Gibson and Morris on the 1984 World Championship team — into a more consistent role on pre-and post-game shows.

Craig Monroe will continue to have a strong presence at the ballpark and in the studio.

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Shepard has been a mainstay on the local sports scene since the early 1990’s, beginning on WWJ NewsRadio 950. He was a regular on the WDFN airwaves throughout the decade and was hired by FSD in 1999. In the two decades since, he has filled play-by-play, studio hosting and sideline reporting roles.

Shepard is also the radio play-by-play voice of Michigan basketball on WWJ and Eastern Michigan football.

Shepard entered the off-season as the clear-cut leader for Impemba’s vacant position, having years of experience with FSD. The decision-makers, led by general manager Greg Hammaren, believe that Shepard will blossom in his new role, given a full focus on covering the Tigers, a team that he has been around for much of his professional career.

Given Shepard’s background, FSD feels his versatility will be a plus in bringing the best performances out in Gibson and Morris on a daily basis.

FSD received more than 100 applicants for the position, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. But none matched Shepard’s experience, or his history with the team, its city and fans.

Contact Anthony Fenech: afenech@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech.

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