Finally, after what has seemed to be an endless two months of unwatchable Spring Training games, the season is ready to start for real. Not counting those two games in Australia, the 2014 Major League Baseball season begins in earnest on Sunday when the Los Angeles Dodgers visit the San Diego Padres.
ESPN will air the game live starting at 8 p.m. ET with Dan Shulman and John Kruk in the booth and Buster Olney on the field. Curt Schilling who was supposed to be in the Sunday Night Baseball booth with Shulman and Kruk is undergoing cancer treatments and will miss the first part of the season until he is cleared by his doctors.
Dodgers-Padres is part of a seven-game Opening Week celebration by ESPN. It along with ESPN2 will air five games on Monday, March 31 then another game on two nights later with the new team for Wednesday Night Baseball, Jon Sciambi and Rick Sutcliffe and they’ll be joined by rotating analysts, this week it’s Doug Glanville.
Here’s the Opening Week schedule from ESPN.
ESPN’s 25th Season of Major League Baseball Begins with Seven Season-Opening Telecasts
Baseball Tonight Hits the Road for Opening Night in San Diego and Opening Day in Cincinnati
Shulman, Kruk, Olney, Ravech and Larkin to Visit Two Cities in Less Than 24 HoursESPN will begin its 25th Major League Baseball season on Sunday, March 30, when the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yasiel Puig visit the San Diego Padres and Chase Headley on MLB Opening Night at 8 p.m. ET. The Sunday Night Baseball team – play-by-play voice Dan Shulman, analyst John Kruk and reporter Buster Olney – will provide commentary for the exclusive national telecast.
At the conclusion of ESPN’s Opening Night telecast, Shulman, Kruk and Olney will travel overnight to Cincinnati to call their second season-opener in less than 24 hours when the defending National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals and Yadier Molina visit the Cincinnati Reds and Joey Votto on Monday, March 31, at 4 p.m.
ESPN analyst Curt Schilling, who was scheduled to join the Sunday Night Baseball crew, will miss the beginning of the season due to ongoing cancer treatments. ESPN wishes him continued strength in his fight and looks forward to welcoming him back to the Sunday Night Baseball booth as soon as he is ready to return.
Baseball Tonight
On Sunday, ESPN will air a special 90-minute Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown at 6:30 p.m. live from Petco Park in San Diego with Karl Ravech, Baseball Hall of Famer and analyst Barry Larkin and analyst John Kruk. Larkin and Ravech will also travel to Cincinnati for the Opening Day edition of Baseball Tonight on Monday at 12 p.m. live from Great American Ball Park. Baseball Tonight returns at 1 a.m. on ESPN2 from Bristol, Conn. to review the day’s action with host Adnan Virk and analyst Manny Acta.
MLB Opening Day
ESPN’s MLB Opening Day slate begins at 1 p.m. when the Pittsburgh Pirates and reigning National League MVP Andrew McCutchen host the Chicago Cubs and Starlin Castro. Sean McDonough will be joined by analyst Aaron Boone and reporter Tim Kurkjian.
ESPN2 will then televise a triple-header beginning at 3 p.m. when the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox and David Ortiz visit the Baltimore Orioles and Chris Davis. Dave O’Brien will have the call with analysts Rick Sutcliff, Eric Wedge and reporter Pedro Gomez. At 7 p.m., the Colorado Rockies and Troy Tulowitzki visit the Miami Marlins and Giancarlo Stanton with SportsCenter’s Steve Levy on the call alongside analyst Eduardo Perez. In the final game, the Seattle Mariners and Robinson Cano visit the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Mike Trout at 10 p.m. Jon Sciambi will describe the action with analyst Doug Glanville.
Wednesday Night Baseball
On Wednesday, April 2, the Texas Rangers and Prince Fielder host the Philadelphia Phillies and Ryan Howard on the first Wednesday Night Baseball telecast of the season at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. Jon Sciambi will join analysts Rick Sutcliffe and Doug Glanville for commentary. Baseball Tonight precedes the game at 7:30 p.m. with Karl Ravech, Barry Larkin and Aaron Boone.
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio enters its 17th MLB season on Opening Night with Sunday Night Baseball’s radio team of Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton on the call for the Dodgers-Padres matchup. On Opening Day, Singleton will team with Marc Kestecher when the Red Sox visit the Orioles with coverage beginning at 2 p.m.
Additionally, ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike will broadcast live during MLB Opening Week as part of the fifth annual ESPN Audio Baseball Tour. Mike & Mike will be in Detroit on Monday, March 31, ahead of the Detroit Tigers’ home opener against the Kansas City Royals and in New York on Monday, April 7, for the New York Yankees’ home opener against the Orioles.
ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes+ and ESPN Deportes Radio will provide comprehensive, Spanish-language coverage of Opening Night and Opening Day with commentary from Ernesto Jerez, Ozzie Guillen, Luis Alfredo Alvarez, Eduardo Ortega, Renato Bermúdez, José Francisco Rivera, Jorge Eduardo Sanchez, Eitan Benezra, Fernando Alvarez, Memo Celis and Alvaro Morales.
ESPN.com
- ESPN MLB Insiders and contributors on site across nearly all Opening Day games including Buster Olney, Tim Kurkjian and Jayson Stark;
- Predictions for division standings and end-of-season awards, as well as pre-season power rankings;
- MLB GameCast for Opening Night and Opening Day in addition to live event coverage on ESPN.com with social integration;
- Gallery of Baseball Tonight hosts and analysts through the years.
WatchESPN
MLB games and Baseball Tonight are available on computers, smartphones, tablets, Apple TV, Xbox and Roku players via WatchESPN.
ESPN MLB season-opening schedule:
Date Time (ET) Game/Commentators Networks Sunday, March 30 6:30 p.m. Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown from Petco Park in San Diego
Karl Ravech, Barry Larkin, John KrukESPN, WatchESPN 8 p.m. MLB Opening Night: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
ESPN: Dan Shulman, John Kruk, Buster Olney
ESPN Radio: Jon Sciambi, Chris Singleton
ESPN Deportes: Ernesto Jerez, Ozzie Guillen, Luis Alfredo Alvarez
ESPN Deportes Radio: Eduardo Ortega, Renato Bermúdez, José Francisco RiveraESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, WatchESPN Monday, March 31 12 p.m. Baseball Tonight from Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati
Karl Ravech, Barry Larkin, John KrukESPN, WatchESPN 1 p.m. MLB Opening Day: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates
ESPN: Sean McDonough, Aaron Boone, Tim Kurkjian
ESPN Deportes+: Ernesto Jerez, Luis Alfredo AlvarezESPN, ESPN Deportes+ WatchESPN 3 p.m. MLB Opening Day: Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles
ESPN: Dave O’Brien, Rick Sutcliffe, Eric Wedge, Pedro Gomez
ESPN Radio: Marc Kestecher, Chris Singleton
ESPN Deportes: Jorge Eduardo Sanchez, Eitan BenezraESPN2, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN 4 p.m. MLB Opening Day: St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
ESPN: Dan Shulman, John Kruk, Buster Olney
ESPN Deportes+: Fernando Alvarez, Memo CelisESPN, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN 7 p.m. MLB Opening Day: Colorado Rockies at Miami Marlins
ESPN: Steve Levy, Eduardo Perez
ESPN Deportes: Ernesto Jerez, Luis Alfredo AlvarezESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN 10 p.m. MLB Opening Day: Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Angels
ESPN: Jon Sciambi, Doug Glanville
ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Morales, Eitan BenezraESPN2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN 1 a.m. Baseball Tonight
Adnan Virk, Manny ActaESPN2, WatchESPN Tues, April 1 2 a.m. Baseball Tonight
Adnan Virk, Manny ActaESPN2, WatchESPN Wed, April 2 7:30 p.m. Baseball Tonight
Karl Ravech, Barry Larkin, Aaron BooneESPN2, WatchESPN 8 p.m. Wednesday Night Baseball: Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers
Jon Sciambi, Rick Sutcliffe, Doug GlanvilleESPN2, ESPN Deportes+, WatchESPN 1 a.m. Baseball Tonight
Adnan Virk, Manny Acta, Eric Wedge, Tim KurkjianESPN2, WatchESPN Thu, April 3 10 p.m. Baseball Tonight
Tim Kurkjian, Buster Olney, Jayson StarkESPN2, WatchESPN 2 a.m. Baseball Tonight
Adnan Virk, Eric WedgeESPN2, WatchESPN
There you have it.
