Major League Baseball legend suspended indefinitely for adopting Asian accent while analyzing Japanese star on live TV (VIDEO)

A network has had to suspend an analyst indefinitely in the US after he was accused of racism for adopting an Asian accent while a Japanese star was at the center of the action during a game.

Footage of the incident, which took place during the sixth inning of the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels, shows play-by-play announcer Matt Shepard asking Jack Morris what Detroit should do with Japanese sensation Ohtani arriving at the plate to bat.

"Be very, very careful," Morris responded, in a mock East Asian accent.

The next time Ohtani batted in the 8-2 win for his team, Morris offered an apology for his outburst.

"Well, folks, Shohei Ohtani is coming to the plate and it’s been brought to my attention... I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody, especially anybody in the Asian community, for what I said about pitching and being careful to Shohei Ohtani.

"I did not intend for any offensive thing and I apologize if I did.

"I certainly respect and have the utmost respect for this guy and don’t blame a pitcher for walking him."

In a statement, Bally Sports Detroit declared itself "extremely disappointed" by the actions of the Hall of Fame pitcher, who will now embark on "bias training" to understand the impact of his words.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy for bias or discrimination and deeply apologize for his insensitive remark," it added, while the Tigers released their own correspondence on the matter that supported Bally's decision.

"The Detroit Tigers take immense pride in honoring the diverse cultures that make up our players, coaching staff, front office, fan base and community," the team responded.

"We are deeply disappointed by the comments made by Jack Morris during the broadcast last night. We fully support Bally Sports Detroit’s decision and their on-going commitment to ensure that all personnel are held to the highest standards of personal conduct."

Following another win at the Tigers' expense yesterday, this time by a score of 3-1 in which he hit his 40th home run of the season, Ohtani revealed he had heard the remarks but Morris hadn't offended him.

"I did see the footage and I heard it on the video. Personally, I'm not offended – I didn't take anything personally," the 27-year-old said.

"I have no say to what the Tigers wanted to do or what they did with him. He's a hall of famer. He has a big influence in the baseball world, so it's kind of a tough spot."

Four-time World Series champion Morris was inducted into the list of greats in 2018 after an impressive 14 seasons with the Tigers, as well as successful spells with the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays.

The 66-year-old had two spells as a commentator on their games, returning to color analyst duties in 2019.