Alex Cohen will be living a dream this weekend.
The Iowa Cubs broadcaster will make his MLB debut, working the Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals game Sunday on Marquee Sports Network. He’s filling in for Jon Sciambi, and will also work another game on July 19.
Minor league baseball players can spend years waiting for that special moment when they get the call from an MLB club. That’s a thing for MiLB broadcasters, too. Cohen has been the PBP voice for the Iowa Triple-A franchise for seven years, awaiting his chance.
Cohen posted a message on X sharing his excitement.
“Thrilled to be on the call for a pair of Cubs games starting this weekend!” Cohen posted. “So appreciative of Marquee Sports Network and the Iowa Cubs for the opportunity. Will wax poetically about it all later, but until then … Thank you all and can’t wait for Sunday in St. Louis and Friday at Wrigley!”
Thrilled to be on the call for a pair of @cubs games starting this weekend!
So appreciative of @WatchMarquee and the @IowaCubs for the opportunity.
Will wax poetically about it all later, but until then..
Thank you all and can’t wait for Sunday in STL and Friday at Wrigley! https://t.co/Y7nFBTOja5
— Alex Cohen (@voiceofcohen2) July 12, 2024
When we say this is Cohen’s dream, to call MLB games, understand it’s one of the first things he told his future wife when they met.
“From the second I met him, he was like, ‘My dream is to call a big-league game,” Cohen’s wife, Tessa Chen, told the Des Moines Register. “So now he gets to call two. It feels right.”
Cohen won’t be a complete rookie on the MLB beat, however. He’s handled some Cubs spring training games on Marquee and Chicago’s 670 The Score. He also keeps busy working Iowa State games and calling games for ESPN+.
He’s definitely well-regarded in the industry, earning Ballpark Digest’s 2023 Broadcaster of the Year award.
Cohen, who graduated from Indiana University in 2011, fell in love with the idea of being an announcer at an early age, even calling PBP when his older siblings played sports video games. He founded a broadcasting club in high school, and in college handled play-by-play for several sports.
After several other minor-league stops, he’s landed in Iowa, which appears to be just another step toward that ultimate dream — which kicks into high gear Sunday.
“It’s always been about getting to the big leagues,” Cohen told the Register.
[AOL.com]
