ESPN All Over MLB Opening Week

Next week is Opening Week for Major League Baseball. ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to air seven games over a four day span.

ESPN will have the Opening Night Game this Sunday night between new American League West Division rivals Texas and Houston. The new Sunday Night Baseball announcing crew of Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser and John Kruk will call that game as well as the San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers contest at Dodger Stadium less than 24 hours later.

The new Monday Night Baseball crew of Dave O’Brien, Rick Sutcliffe and Aaron Boone along with insider Tim Kurkjian will call the blood rivalry of Yankees-Red Sox at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, April 1.

ESPN’s new Wednesday Night Baseball concept will have various play-by-play announcers including Sean McDonough with analysts who have a connection to the teams playing that night like Curt Schilling doing a Red Sox or Doug Glanville on a Phillies game.

We have the ESPN announcement.

MLB on ESPNNew ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Crew to Call Two MLB Season-Opening Games in Less Than 24 Hours

New Monday Night Baseball Booth & Wednesday Night Baseball Rotating Booth to Debut Opening Day
ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning at MLB Fan Cave; First Take at NYC’s Hard Rock Cafe

ESPN’s new Sunday Night Baseball team – Dan Shulman, John Kruk and Orel Hershiser with reporter Buster Olney – will debut on the exclusive national telecast of MLB Opening Night on Sunday, March 31, at 8 p.m. ET when the Texas Rangers visit the Astros, in Houston’s American League debut. Immediately following the game, the ESPN crew will travel to Los Angeles to call their second game in less than 24 hours – the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants at the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, April 1, at 4 p.m. ET

New Monday Night Baseball Booth

ESPN’s new Monday Night Baseball crew – Dave O’Brien, Rick Sutcliffe and Aaron Boone with reporter Tim Kurkjian – will make their season debut Monday, April 1, when the New York Yankees host the Boston Red Sox at 1 p.m. on ESPN. The Monday Night Baseball crew will also provide commentary Wednesday, April 3, for the second game of the Red Sox-Yankees season-opening series on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.

New Wednesday Night Baseball Rotating Booth

This season, ESPN will debut a new rotating Wednesday Night Baseball commentator lineup led by Sean McDonough, which will include a variety of play-by-play announcers and analysts from ESPN’s deep roster of MLB personalities. Commentators will be assigned to Wednesday Night Baseball telecasts based on a relevant connection to the game. On Opening day, McDonough will team with analyst Mark Mulder and reporter Doug Glanville to call the Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

SportsCenter’s Steve Levy will provide play-by-play commentary for the St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks Opening Day game, April 1, at 10 p.m. on ESPN2. Levy will be joined by analyst Nomar Garciaparra and reporter Pedro Gomez.

On Opening Day, Mike & Mike in the Morning will air live on ESPN Radio and ESPN2 from the MLB Fan Cave in New York from 6-10 a.m. The popular morning program will also visit the Omni Dallas on Friday, April 5, and the Cubby Bear in Chicago on Monday, April 8, as part of an MLB Opening Day Tour.

First Take will emanate from the Hard Rock Café in New York City on Opening Day beginning at 10 a.m. on ESPN2.

Baseball Tonight

On Sunday, March 31, ESPN will air a special two-hour Baseball Tonight at 6 p.m. leading into Opening Night. Baseball Tonight airs at 12 p.m. on ESPN and again at 1 a.m. on ESPN2 on Opening Day. New Baseball Tonight commentators Alex Cora and Manny Acta will join Barry Larkin, Curt Schilling, Aaron Boone, Doug Glanville, Tim Kurkjian and Karl Ravech throughout the week.

“Who’s on First?”

On Sunday, SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight will present a piece recognizing the 75th anniversary of Abbott & Costello’s “Who’s on First?” skit featuring Late Night host Jimmy Fallon and several Major League players acting out their own versions of the classic.

ESPN MLB season-opening schedule

Date Time (ET) Game / Commentators Networks
Sun, Mar 31 6 p.m. Baseball Tonight
Karl Ravech, Alex Cora, Barry Larkin, Curt Schilling, Tim Kurkjian
ESPN, WatchESPN
7:30 p.m. Beisbol Esta Noche
Candy Maldonado, Carolina Guillen, Manny Acta
ESPN Deportes
8 p.m. Opening Night Baseball on ESPN: Texas Rangers at Houston Astros
ESPN:
Dan Shulman, John Kruk, Orel Hershiser, Buster Olney
ESPN Radio: Jon Sciambi, Chris Singleton
ESPN Deportes: Ernesto Jerez, Luis Alfredo Alvarez
ESPN Deportes Radio: Renato Bermudez, Jose Francisco Rivera
ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio, WatchESPN
Mon, Apr 1 12 p.m. Baseball Tonight
Karl Ravech, Barry Larkin, Curt Schilling
ESPN, WatchESPN
1 p.m. Opening Day Baseball on ESPN: Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Dave O’Brien, Rick Sutcliffe, Aaron Boone, Tim Kurkjian
ESPN, WatchESPN
4 p.m. Opening Day Baseball on ESPN: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
ESPN:
Dan Shulman, John Kruk, Orel Hershiser, Buster Olney
ESPN Radio: Jon Sciambi, Chris Singleton
ESPN, ESPN Radio WatchESPN
7 p.m. Opening Day Baseball on ESPN: Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves
Sean McDonough, Mark Mulder, Doug Glanville
ESPN2, WatchESPN
10 p.m. Opening Day Baseball on ESPN: St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks
Steve Levy, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Gomez
ESPN2, WatchESPN
Tue, Apr 2 1 a.m. Baseball Tonight
Karl Ravech, Aaron Boone, Alex Cora
ESPN2, WatchESPN
Wed, Apr 3 12:30 a.m. Baseball Tonight
Adnan Virk, Manny Acta, Doug Glanville
ESPN2, WatchESPN
7 p.m. Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Dave O’Brien, Rick Sutcliffe, Aaron Boone, Tim Kurkjian
ESPN2, WatchESPN
10 p.m. San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
Jon Sciambi, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Gomez
ESPN2, WatchESPN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s going to do it.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

Quantcast