ESPN To Broadcast 2019 Japan Opening Series Next Week

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN is headed to the far east for an upcoming Major League Baseball broadcast.

The network will carry coverage of the 2019 Japan Opening Series on March 20 and 21. The series is a pair of pre-season MLB games, which will be played live at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.  The Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics will face off in the matchups.

Dave Fleming and Eduardo Perez will provide commentary for the games, both of which will air at 5:30 a.m. on the ESPN app.

More information on the 2019 Japan Opening Series is available online now along with all of the latest MLB headlines at:

 

Website: http://www.espn.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/espn

 

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Yankees, Blue Jays Face Off Live On TBS This Weekend

Courtesy: Turner Sports

Two AL East opponents will face off this week in the latest edition of TBS’ Sunday MLB on TBS.

The Yankees and Blue Jays will face off live at 1:00pm ET on TBS’ weekly MLB program Sunday MLB on TBS.  The game is the third in the teams’ four-game series.  The series’ closer is Monday night with first pitch set for 7:07pm.

Michael Pineda is expected to get the start for the Yankees in Sunday afternoon’s game while Marco Estrada (9-9) is expected to take the mound for Toronto.  Estrada’s last time on the mound was Monday against Seattle.  He was credited with the win in the Blue Jays’ 3-2 win over the Mariners.  Estrada shined in the game, fanning 8 while only allowing just 1 hit, 0 runs or earned runs, 3 walks and no home runs.  That was over the course of 7 innings pitched.

Pineda (6-11) last took the mound Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays.  Pineda pitched 5.1 innings in the Yankees 5-3 win over the Rays.  He had a rough time on the mound, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits 2 earned runs, 1 walk and no home runs while striking out 11.

The numbers seem to favor Toronto in Sunday’s game and the weekend’s series overall.  Toronto is almost as good at home as it is on the road so far this season, going 42-32 at home so far this season and 41-37 on the road.

New York meanwhile has been lackluster on the road going 35-42 on the road so far this season versus a home record of 44-31.  Even with both teams looking to get back in the “W” column this weekend – both teams lost their most recent games – Toronto’s chances are better having gone 5-5 in its last ten games versus New York going 3-7 in its last ten games.

Ernie Johnson will have the call in Sunday afternoon’s broadcast on TBS.  He will be joined in the booth by MLB on TBS analysts Ron Darling and Cal Ripken, Jr. for additional commentary.

MLB on TBS Pre-Game Show will precede Sunday afternoon’s broadcast of the Yankees and Blue Jays. Broadcast of the TBS Pre-Game Show begins at 12:30pm ET.  Casey Stern will anchor the program and will be joined by analysts Pedro Martinez and Gary Sheffield for additional commentary.

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ESPN Closes Out July SNB Schedule With Cross-Conference Showdown

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has announced the matchup for the July 31^st edition of Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell.

ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell closes out July with a cross conference showdown between the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago Cubs.  The game will be the closer in a three-game weekend series between the teams.  There is currently no word on either team’s rotation or who will take the mound on either side of the ball at this time.  The numbers currently favor Chicago not just in the game but in the series in whole.  Chicago is currently 28 – 15 at home so far on the season while Seattle is 23 – 24 on the road.  The Mariners currently sit third in the AL West, 8.5 games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers while the Cubs currently lead the NL Central at 55 – 36.

The July 31^st edition of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell will mark the first time since 2004 that the Mariners have made an appearance on the network’s weekly Sunday night MLB broadcast.  Seattle faced another Chicago team—the White Sox—in that game.  Coverage of the game is expected to begin at 8pm ET on ESPN.  Dan Shulman will have the call for the game.  He will be joined in the booth by analysts Aaron Boone and Jessica Mendoza for additional commentary.  Reporter Buster Olney will also be on hand for all of the latest in-game news and interviews.   Pre-game coverage of the game begins at 7pm ET on Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet.  Karl Ravech will anchor the broadcast and will be joined at the desk by analyst Dallas Braden and reporter Tim Kurkjian.

More information on the July 31^st edition of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell is available online now along with all of the latest MLB headlines at:

 

 

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/mlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBTN

 

 

 

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ESPN Opens 25th Anniversary Season Of MLB Coverage This Weekend

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN hits a major mark this weekend.

The Worldwide Leader in Sports begins its 25th season of Major League Baseball coverage beginning this Sunday night. ESPN opens its 25th anniversary season covering Major League Baseball live from San Diego, California. Chase Headley and the Padres host Yasiel Puig and the Los Angeles Dodgers live on ESPN’s MLB Opening Night Presented by Scotts at 8pm ET on ESPN in the network’s season opening broadcast. Dan Shulman will have the call. He will be joined by analyst John Kruk and reporter Buster Olney for the broadcast. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio, and ESPN Deportes. Before the game starts, ESPN will air a special 90-minute edition of Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown beginning at 6:30pm live from Petco Park in San Diego with Karl Ravech, Jon Kruk and MLB Hall of Famer/ESPN analyst Barry Larkin. Larkin and Ravech will hit the road after Sunday’s broadcast for a special Opening Day edition of Baseball Tonight live at 12pm ET live from Great American Ballpark.

Sunday night’s Opening Night broadcast will be followed up Monday with an Opening Day double header broadcast. Game one will come live from Pittsburgh as reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates host Starlin Castro and the Chicago Cubs. The broadcast is scheduled for a 1pm ET start time. Sean McDonough will anchor the broadcast. He will be joined in the booth by analyst Aaron Boone and reporter Tim Kurkjian. The second game on the day will see Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds host NL Central foes and defending National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals. Dan Shulman will have the play-by-play for the game. He will be joined by Jon Kruk and Buster Olney for the trio’s second game in less than twenty-four hours.

If ESPN’s Opening Day double header isn’t enough for baseball lovers, ESPN2 will have a triple-header beginning at 3pm ET. Game one on the day’s schedule will see David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox hosting Chris Davis and the Baltimore Orioles at the famed Fenway Park. Dave O’Brien will anchor the broadcast. He will be joined in the booth by analysts Rick Sutcliff and Eric Wedge, and reporter Pedro Gomez. Troy Tulowitzki and the Colorado Rockies will host Giancarlo Stanton and the Miami Marlins in the second game of the three-game schedule. SportsCenter’s Steve Levy will call the play-by-play action for the game. He will be joined by analyst Eduardo Perez for more insight. The last game of the day on ESPN2’s triple header schedule will see Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners on the road against Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. That game is scheduled for a 10pm ET start time. Jon Sciambi will have the call. Analyst Doug Glanville and reporter Jessica Mendoza will also be on hand for more coverage throughout the game.

All of ESPN’s games and Baseball Tonight can be watched online through all computers and mobile internet via WatchESPN. Specific games will also be on ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes +, and ESPN Radio.

More information on ESPN’s Opening Night and Opening Day coverage is available online at http://espn.go.com. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN’s Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour Winds Down This Weekend

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN winds down its Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour this weekend.

The tour finishes off this weekend beginning this morning at 9am ET.  ESPN’s SportsCenter will feature live reports from the Cincinnati Reds’ training camp in Goodyear, Arizona.  Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech and analyst Jon Kruk will be joined by ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian for all the latest from the Reds’ training camp.

Tomorrow—Saturday, March 1^st—Kurkjian will have live SportsCenter updates from the Seattle Mariners’ training camp in Peoria, Arizona.  Coverage of both teams’ training camps includes in-depth analysis of each team and interviews with both players and managers.

ESPN’s MLB coverage picks back up on March 17^th as the Worldwide Leader in Sports kicks off Spring Training telecasts that day.  Spring Training coverage kicks off with a matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox.  Coverage is scheduled to begin at 1pm ET. ESPN’s complete Spring Training coverage schedule is listed below.

Spring Training game schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Networks
Mon, March 17	1 p.m.	St. Louis Cardinals at Boston Red Sox Karl Ravech, Barry Larkin, Tim Kurkjian	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes +
Tue, March 18	1 p.m.	Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees Dan Shulman, John Kruk, Buster Olney	ESPN, WatchESPN
Thu, March 20	7 p.m.	New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox Dan Shulman, John Kruk, Buster Olney	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes +
Mon, March 24	1 p.m.	Detroit Tigers at Pittsburgh Pirates Adnan Virk, Doug Glanville, Tim Kurkjian	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes +
Tue, March  25	1 p.m.	Atlanta Braves at Detroit Tigers Adnan Virk, Doug Glanville, Tim Kurkjian	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes +
Wed, March 26	1 p.m.	Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals Steve Levy, Eduardo Perez, Doug Glanville	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes +
Thu, March 27	12 p.m.	Washington Nationals at New York Mets Steve Levy, Eduardo Perez, Doug Glanville	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes +

 

More information on ESPN’s MLB coverage is available online at http://espn.go.com/mlb.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.