The Cubs just played the Cardinals on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball yesterday, a 3-2 loss. (FWIW, the Cubs are 3-2 in games televised exclusively on ESPN so far this year.)
Monday, the channel announced that the game between the Cubs and Mets Wednesday, Sept. 24 at Wrigley Field will be another exclusive ESPN broadcast and begin at 7:05 p.m. CT. This is a change (though not a big one) from the original schedule, which had that game beginning at 6:40 p.m. CT.
With both the Cubs and Mets struggling lately, we hope that game still does have meaning. It’s Game 158 of the season for both teams, and postseason positioning could be at stake. Perhaps the Cubs will still be in the running for the NL Central title at that time.
Lastly, with ESPN’s MLB contract now set to expire at the end of the 2025 season, that could wind up being ESPN’s final national regular season baseball broadcast. There won’t be a Sunday Night Baseball game on the final day of the season, when all games begin in the hour starting at 3 pm ET/2 pm CT/1 pm MT/12 noon PT. ESPN will carry some wild-card round games, of course, and it’s certainly possible that MLB and ESPN will re-up for another deal starting next year.
Mark your calendars, and await developments.