TORONTO—The Major League Baseball media broadcasting landscape has undergone a complete overhaul this season following a new rights agreement reached during the offseason.
The major change from years past is that NBCUniversal now controls “Sunday Night Baseball,” whereas ESPN held those game rights for several years.
However, ESPN remains one of MLB’s largest supporters of games and will air multiple regular-season matchups on its programming, while holding exclusive streaming rights to MLB.TV.
For the Los Angeles Dodgers, they’ll be the main feature for ESPN on Jackie Robinson Day on April 15th as they take on the New York Mets at home at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium (sorry, I had to).
Joining the broadcasting booth will be the legendary Joe Buck, the current Monday Night Football voice for ESPN and former head of Fox Sports, who called the MLB postseason for Fox Sports for over two decades.
Buck will be joined by two former players in the booth who are famous broadcasters in their own right: Ron Darling of SNY and Orel Hershiser of SportsNet LA, with Buster Olney serving as the on-field reporter.
“I can’t wait to work with these two guys,” Buck said in a statement. “I loved watching them pitch and now really enjoy listening to them on the air. They’re the best at what they do, and I’ll be leaning on them a ton.
“To call a Dodgers game on Jackie Robinson Day makes it even more meaningful. There’s no more important figure in baseball history, and to honor him that night in Dodger Stadium will be truly special.”
The April 15 date marks the 79th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking MLB’s color barrier. As always, every player, manager, and coach will honor him by wearing his iconic No. 42 in Dodger Blue, no matter their team’s usual colors.
The Jackie Robinson Day matchup is the first of 30 games ESPN will air this season under its new media rights deal with MLB. The network will also televise a special Memorial Day game between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals on May 25th, as well as the second-half opener between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies on July 16th.
ESPN will remain the home of the MLB Little League Classic, with this year’s game featuring the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers on August 23rd. In addition to its exclusive broadcasts, the network will stream more than 150 out-of-market games through its new app.
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