Shulman to return to Jays’ booth

Longtime baseball broadcaster Dan Shulman will return to his roots to call upwards of 30 Toronto Blue Jays games on Sportsnet for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the network said Thursday.

The Toronto native, who will continue his work with ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball and NCAA men’s college basketball broadcasts, will work alongside Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler and also make appearances on other Sportsnet shows and platforms.

“Having hired Dan in 1995 for his first Blue Jays play- by- play role, it’s great to have him back in the booth in Canada as part of our baseball broadcast team,” Sportsnet president Scott Moore said in a release. “Following the unforgettable 2015 Blue Jays season, we can’t wait for 2016 to go even bigger with our baseball coverage. There is no doubt that Dan is the ideal off- season acquisition to help us achieve this goal.”

Shulman began his broadcast career at CKBB in Barrie, Ont., in 1990 before moving to the FAN 1430 ( now Sportsnet 590 The FAN) in 1991, where he hosted a number of shows. Shulman and Martinez called Blue Jays broadcasts together from 1995 to 2001.

Shulman, Martinez and Tabler will make up a three- man broadcast booth for select games.

“I’m thrilled to once again be calling Blue Jays games,” said Shulman. “As someone who was born and raised and still lives in the ( Greater Toronto Area), the opportunity to come back home is very exciting for me. I’m looking forward to being part of the Sportsnet team, alongside Buck, Tabby and all the other great people on the crew.”