Pitchers and catchers report next month so as we try to thaw out in the Northeast from the cold and the Midwest hopes to warm up from the extreme chill, we can look forward to baseball and warmer weather. Starting on March 30, ESPN will air six games to open the 2014 regular season including the U.S. season opener, the San Diego Padres at the Los Angeles Dodgers which will mark the third new Sunday Night Baseball announcing team in as many seasons.
Dan Shulman, John Kruk and bloviator Curt Schilling will make their regular season debut on Sunday, March 30 at 8 p.m. ET. Then the following day, ESPN and ESPN2 will air five games including the season opener of the defending World Series Champions Boston Red Sox at Baltimore at 3 p.m. ET.
Here’s the ESPN press release.
ESPN’s 25th MLB Season Begins March 30 with Opening Night Exclusive:
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego PadresESPN’s Five-Game Opening Day Schedule Highlighted by World Series Champion Red Sox at Orioles, NL Champion Cardinals at Reds & Robinson Cano’s Mariners Debut
ESPN will begin its historic 25th Major League Baseball season with an exclusive presentation of MLB’s Opening Night on ESPN – Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres – on Sunday Night Baseball, March 30, at 8 p.m. ET. The new Sunday Night Baseball team of Dan Shulman, analysts John Kruk and Curt Schilling and reporter Buster Olney will make their regular-season debut to call the action. Opening Night will be available across ESPN platforms, including ESPN, ESPN Radio (with Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton), ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio and via WatchESPN.
Baseball Tonight will begin Opening Night festivities with a special 90-minute pre-game show at 6:30 p.m. Karl Ravech will host the telecast with Baseball Hall of Famer and analyst Barry Larkin, Kruk and Schilling.
Five Opening Day Games on ESPN, ESPN2
MLB Opening Day on ESPN will include a five-game schedule, spanning more than 12 hours of live game action, on Monday, March 31. The schedule will begin at 1 p.m. when Starlin Castro and the Chicago Cubs visit Andrew McCutchen and the Pittsburgh Pirates on ESPN. The schedule continues as David Ortiz and the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox visit Chris Davis and the division-rival Baltimore Orioles at 3 p.m. on ESPN2. Additionally, Matt Holliday and the NL Champion St. Louis Cardinals will visit Joey Votto and the division-rival Cincinnati Reds at 4 p.m. on ESPN.
Opening Day will continue in prime time on ESPN2, beginning at 7 p.m. when Troy Tulowitzki and the Colorado Rockies visit Giancarlo Stanton and the Miami Marlins. At 10 p.m., Robinson Cano will make his Seattle Mariners debut when his new club visits Mike Trout and the Anaheim Angels.
ESPN’s Opening Night and Opening Day schedule
Date Time (ET) Game Network Sun., Mar. 30 8 p.m. Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, WatchESPN Mon., Mar. 31 1 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates
ESPN, WatchESPN Mon., Mar. 31 3 p.m. Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles
ESPN2, WatchESPN Mon., Mar. 31 4 p.m. St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
ESPN, WatchESPN Mon., Mar. 31 7 p.m. Colorado Rockies at Miami Marlins
ESPN2, WatchESPN Mon., Mar. 31 10 p.m. Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Angels
ESPN2, WatchESPN
That will do it.
