MLB on ESPN Radio
Encyclopedia
Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio is the brand name for exclusive play-by-play broadcast presentation of Major League Baseball
on ESPN Radio
. The coverage has most recently been presented by AutoZone
; previous presenting sponsors included Xerox
, Excedrin
, and the United States Postal Service
.
as the official, national radio broadcaster for Major League Baseball
. The network's current contract runs through the 2010 season. As of , Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio is heard on over 321 stations across the United States
.
The games include Opening Day, Sunday Night Baseball
, Saturday Game of the Week
, holiday games and September pennant race games. ESPN Radio holds exclusive radio rights to the All-Star Game
and Home Run Derby
. The postseason (including the Division Series
, League Championship Series
and World Series
) is a semi-exclusive arrangement. The participating teams' flagship stations are allowed to air play-by-play using their own announcers and production. The national ESPN Radio feed may, however, be carried live on another station in those markets as well. If affiliate stations on the teams' radio networks wish to carry coverage of postseason games they must use the national feed. Since the inaugural World Baseball Classic
in March
, the semi-finals and the championship have also been broadcast as part of Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio.
In addition to affiliate stations on AM/FM radio, ESPN Radio's game broadcasts are carried as part of XM Satellite Radio
's MLB coverage. However, they are not included in the subscription "Gameday Audio" package on MLB.com
with the exception of the All-Star Game, for which no other radio play-by-play feed is available.
As of June 2011, the games can also be heard online at ESPN Radio.com and via ESPN Radio mobile applications. Previously, rights restrictions prevented ESPN Radio.com or other ESPN
/Disney
online ventures (such as DGamer
) from live-streaming the games. While the games are sometimes unavailable on the ESPN Radio iPod Touch/iPhone app (due to blackout and/or contractual restrictions), they can be heard on the app via the included affiliate stations.
outbid CBS Radio
to become the exclusive national radio broadcaster of Major League Baseball
beginning the following year. CBS Radio had been the national radio broadcaster since .
The agreement lasted seven years through and gave ESPN Radio the rights to broadcast numerous games including Sunday Night Baseball
, Saturday Game of the Week
, Opening Day
and holiday games, September weekday pennant race games, the All-Star Game
and Home Run Derby
, and all of the playoffs, including the World Series
.
In 2004, ESPN Radio extended the deal with a five year, $
55 million dollar contract extension through the season.
The agreement also added a weekly program devoted to baseball, which became The Baseball Show from 3 p.m. ET
to 7 p.m. ET on Sundays during the regular season. The program was hosted by John Seibel
and Steve Phillips
.
, the primary ESPN Radio crew for Sunday Night Baseball consists of play-by-play announcer Jon Sciambi
and color analyst Chris Singleton
. In 2010 Sciambi succeeded Gary Thorne
, who had called play-by-play in 2008-09; Thorne had succeeded Dan Shulman
, did so from 2002-07; Shulman, in turn, had been preceded by Charley Steiner
from 1998-2002. Singleton succeeds Dave Campbell, who was an analyst from 1999-2010. Campbell replaced Kevin Kennedy
as analyst in 1999, after the latter had worked with Steiner in the network's inaugural season of coverage. Marc Kestecher currently serves as the primary Baseball Tonight
studio host; he was preceded by Joe D'Ambrosio
from 1998-2007.
Through 2010
, the network's broadcast team for the World Series
was Jon Miller
on play-by-play and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan
on game analysis for every year of ESPN Radio's coverage except for 1999, when Morgan called the games for NBC. (Miller and Morgan, the Sunday Night Baseball crew for ESPN television during the regular season, were dismissed by the network following the 2010 Series.) During all of the games there is also the ESPN Radio SportsCenter
every twenty minutes with live cut-ins during the games.
Miller and Morgan also typically called the ALCS
each year through 2010, while Shulman and Campbell called the NLCS
and Sciambi and Campbell handled the All-Star Game
. Various other announcers work the network's secondary regular-season and Division Series
broadcasts as needed.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
on ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
. The coverage has most recently been presented by AutoZone
AutoZone
AutoZone is a retailer and distributor of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories. based in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:Originally a division of Memphis-based wholesale grocer Malone & Hyde, the company went under the name Auto Shack...
; previous presenting sponsors included Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
, Excedrin
Excedrin
Excedrin is an over-the-counter headache pain reliever, typically in the form of tablets or caplets. It contains acetaminophen , aspirin, and caffeine. Until late 2005 it was manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb, but in July 2005 it was purchased by Novartis, along with other products from BMS's...
, and the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
.
Coverage overview
In , ESPN Radio took over from CBS RadioMajor League Baseball on CBS Radio
Major League Baseball on CBS Radio was the de facto title for the CBS Radio Network's coverage of Major League Baseball. Produced by CBS Radio Sports , the program was the official national radio broadcaster for the All-Star Game and the postseason from 1976 to 1997.-Contracts:CBS first covered...
as the official, national radio broadcaster for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. The network's current contract runs through the 2010 season. As of , Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio is heard on over 321 stations across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The games include Opening Day, Sunday Night Baseball
Sunday Night Baseball
Sunday Night Baseball is the Major League Baseball exclusive game of the week that is televised Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN during the regular season...
, Saturday Game of the Week
Major League Baseball Game of the Week
The Major League Baseball Game of the Week is the de facto title for over-the-air, nationally televised coverage of regular season Major League Baseball games...
, holiday games and September pennant race games. ESPN Radio holds exclusive radio rights to the All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
and Home Run Derby
Home Run Derby
The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...
. The postseason (including the Division Series
Division Series
In baseball, the Division Series is the official name for the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Currently, a total of four series are played in this opening round, two each for both the American League and the National League.-1981 season:...
, League Championship Series
League Championship Series
The League Championship Series is the official name for a round of postseason play in Major League Baseball which has been conducted since 1969...
and World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
) is a semi-exclusive arrangement. The participating teams' flagship stations are allowed to air play-by-play using their own announcers and production. The national ESPN Radio feed may, however, be carried live on another station in those markets as well. If affiliate stations on the teams' radio networks wish to carry coverage of postseason games they must use the national feed. Since the inaugural World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
in March
March 2006
March 2006 is the third month of that year. It began on a Wednesday and 31 days later, ended on a Friday.-1 March 2006 :*Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase announces that the 2006 general elections will be held in the second week of May, from May 6 to May 13...
, the semi-finals and the championship have also been broadcast as part of Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio.
In addition to affiliate stations on AM/FM radio, ESPN Radio's game broadcasts are carried as part of XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
's MLB coverage. However, they are not included in the subscription "Gameday Audio" package on MLB.com
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. . MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports columns...
with the exception of the All-Star Game, for which no other radio play-by-play feed is available.
As of June 2011, the games can also be heard online at ESPN Radio.com and via ESPN Radio mobile applications. Previously, rights restrictions prevented ESPN Radio.com or other ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
/Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
online ventures (such as DGamer
DGamer
DGamer was an online game and social network service developed by Disney for use with Nintendo DS games. DGamer is accessible via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or computer via the DGamer Channel on Disney.com...
) from live-streaming the games. While the games are sometimes unavailable on the ESPN Radio iPod Touch/iPhone app (due to blackout and/or contractual restrictions), they can be heard on the app via the included affiliate stations.
History
In , ESPN RadioESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
outbid CBS Radio
Major League Baseball on CBS Radio
Major League Baseball on CBS Radio was the de facto title for the CBS Radio Network's coverage of Major League Baseball. Produced by CBS Radio Sports , the program was the official national radio broadcaster for the All-Star Game and the postseason from 1976 to 1997.-Contracts:CBS first covered...
to become the exclusive national radio broadcaster of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
beginning the following year. CBS Radio had been the national radio broadcaster since .
The agreement lasted seven years through and gave ESPN Radio the rights to broadcast numerous games including Sunday Night Baseball
Sunday Night Baseball
Sunday Night Baseball is the Major League Baseball exclusive game of the week that is televised Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN during the regular season...
, Saturday Game of the Week
Major League Baseball Game of the Week
The Major League Baseball Game of the Week is the de facto title for over-the-air, nationally televised coverage of regular season Major League Baseball games...
, Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
and holiday games, September weekday pennant race games, the All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
and Home Run Derby
Home Run Derby
The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...
, and all of the playoffs, including the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
.
In 2004, ESPN Radio extended the deal with a five year, $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
55 million dollar contract extension through the season.
The agreement also added a weekly program devoted to baseball, which became The Baseball Show from 3 p.m. ET
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
to 7 p.m. ET on Sundays during the regular season. The program was hosted by John Seibel
John Seibel
John Seibel is an American broadcaster. He is currently the host of KDKA's afternoon drive show Seibel, Starkey and Miller in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 93.7 The Fan from 2-6 PM.-Before Seibel and Starkey :...
and Steve Phillips
Steve Phillips
Steve Phillips is a former American baseball analyst for ESPN and baseball executive. He served as the general manager of the New York Mets from 1997–2003...
.
Broadcasters
As of 20112011 Major League Baseball season
The 2011 Major League Baseball season began on Thursday, March 31, and ended on Wednesday, September 28. This marked the first time a season began on a Thursday since , and the first time a regular season ended on a Wednesday since...
, the primary ESPN Radio crew for Sunday Night Baseball consists of play-by-play announcer Jon Sciambi
Jon Sciambi
Jon "Boog" Sciambi is an American sportscaster for ESPN. He has worked extensively as a baseball play-by-play announcer, calling games for ESPN television in 2005 and 2006 and currently on ESPN Radio. Sciambi's nickname, "Boog," was given to him owing to his physical resemblance to former major...
and color analyst Chris Singleton
Chris Singleton (baseball)
Christopher Verdell Singleton is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball. During his six-year major league career , he played for the Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles , Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Devil Rays . During his playing career, his listed height and weight were 6'2",...
. In 2010 Sciambi succeeded Gary Thorne
Gary Thorne
Gary Thorne is a play-by-play announcer for ESPN and ABC, working Major League Baseball, College football and Frozen Four hockey contests. He is also the television play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles...
, who had called play-by-play in 2008-09; Thorne had succeeded Dan Shulman
Dan Shulman
Daniel "Dan" Shulman is a Canadian sportscaster, currently employed with the American network ESPN as well as Canadian network TSN....
, did so from 2002-07; Shulman, in turn, had been preceded by Charley Steiner
Charley Steiner
Charles Harris "Charley" Steiner is an American sportscaster and broadcast journalist. He is currently the main play-by-play voice for the Los Angeles Dodgers Radio Network, paired with Rick Monday.-Early career:...
from 1998-2002. Singleton succeeds Dave Campbell, who was an analyst from 1999-2010. Campbell replaced Kevin Kennedy
Kevin Kennedy (baseball)
Kevin Curtis Kennedy is a former manager in American Major League Baseball and a former television host for Fox Sports' baseball coverage. He was given the nickname "The Skipper" by Fox Sports due to his prior managerial career...
as analyst in 1999, after the latter had worked with Steiner in the network's inaugural season of coverage. Marc Kestecher currently serves as the primary Baseball Tonight
Baseball Tonight
Baseball Tonight is a program that airs on ESPN. The show, which recapitulates the day's Major League Baseball action, has been on the air since 1990.-Air times:...
studio host; he was preceded by Joe D'Ambrosio
Joe D'Ambrosio
Joe D'Ambrosio is an American sports broadcaster and play-by-play announcer.-Career:Known as “the Voice of the Huskies,” D'Ambrosio has been the play-by-play announcer for the University of Connecticut’s football and men's basketball games on WTIC NewsTalk 1080 since 1992...
from 1998-2007.
Through 2010
2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...
, the network's broadcast team for the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
was Jon Miller
Jon Miller
Jon Wallace Miller is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball. He is currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants. He was also a baseball announcer on ESPN until the network chose not to renew his contract following the...
on play-by-play and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan
Joe Morgan
Joe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...
on game analysis for every year of ESPN Radio's coverage except for 1999, when Morgan called the games for NBC. (Miller and Morgan, the Sunday Night Baseball crew for ESPN television during the regular season, were dismissed by the network following the 2010 Series.) During all of the games there is also the ESPN Radio SportsCenter
ESPN Radio SportsCenter
ESPN Radio SportsCenter has sports updates two or three times an hour during key time slots, usually by separate anchors. Weekdays from 6am to 4pm Eastern, there are two updates an hour, at the top of the hour and 30 minutes past...
every twenty minutes with live cut-ins during the games.
Miller and Morgan also typically called the ALCS
American League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the American League Championship Series , played in October, is a round in the postseason that determines the winner of the American League pennant...
each year through 2010, while Shulman and Campbell called the NLCS
National League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series. The reigning...
and Sciambi and Campbell handled the All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
. Various other announcers work the network's secondary regular-season and Division Series
Division Series
In baseball, the Division Series is the official name for the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Currently, a total of four series are played in this opening round, two each for both the American League and the National League.-1981 season:...
broadcasts as needed.
See also
- ESPN Major League BaseballESPN Major League BaseballESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD. ESPN's MLB coverage debuted on April 9, 1990 with three Opening Day telecasts. ESPN Major League Baseball is guaranteed to remain on air until 2013.The title is derived from...
- Baseball TonightBaseball TonightBaseball Tonight is a program that airs on ESPN. The show, which recapitulates the day's Major League Baseball action, has been on the air since 1990.-Air times:...
- Sunday Night BaseballSunday Night BaseballSunday Night Baseball is the Major League Baseball exclusive game of the week that is televised Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN during the regular season...
- Monday Night BaseballMonday Night BaseballMonday Night Baseball is a live game telecast of Major League Baseball that airs most Monday nights during the regular season on ESPN and is also available in high definition on ESPNHD. The official name of the game is Monday Night Baseball presented by Vonage. The game starts at 7 p.m...
- Wednesday Night BaseballWednesday Night BaseballWednesday Night Baseball is a live game telecast of Major League Baseball that airs every Wednesday night during the regular season on ESPN and is also available in high definition on ESPNHD...
- ESPN Major League Baseball broadcasters
- Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio broadcastersMajor League Baseball on ESPN Radio broadcastersListed below is a list of Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio broadcasters by both name and year since the program's debut on ESPN Radio in .-Current:*Marc Kestecher: *Jon Sciambi:...
- Major League Baseball Game of the WeekMajor League Baseball Game of the WeekThe Major League Baseball Game of the Week is the de facto title for over-the-air, nationally televised coverage of regular season Major League Baseball games...
- The Baseball Show
- List of Major League Baseball All-Star Game broadcasters
- List of American League Division Series broadcasters
- List of National League Division Series broadcasters
- List of American League Championship Series broadcasters
- List of National League Championship Series broadcasters
- List of World Series broadcasters