ESPN Major League Baseball | |
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Starring | Various personalities (see below) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Running time | 3 hours |
Original release | |
Network | ESPN |
Release | April 9, 1990 present | –
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ESPN Major League Baseball (also referred to as MLB on ESPN) is an American presentation of live Major League Baseball (MLB) games produced by ESPN. ESPN's MLB broadcasts have also aired on sister networks and platforms ESPN2, ABC and ESPN+.
ESPN's MLB coverage debuted on April 9, 1990 with three Opening Day telecasts. ESPN has held the exclusive national broadcast rights to Sunday Night Baseball since 1990. The network also airs the defending world champions game on Opening Day. In addition to regular-season games, ESPN also airs several spring training games per year, the All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game (until 2021) and Home Run Derby played the week of the All-Star Game. In 2014, ESPN returned to broadcasting the Major League Baseball postseason, and has held the exclusive rights to the entire Wild Card Series since 2022.
ESPN also airs a weekly highlight show called Baseball Tonight at 6 p.m. ET on Sundays as a lead-in to Sunday Night Baseball; previously it was a daily program until 2017, when layoffs cut back the show's airing to Sundays.
With ESPN's most recent contract signed in 2021, ESPN Major League Baseball is guaranteed to remain on air through the 2025 season, at which point both ESPN and the MLB have opt-outs.[1] If neither side opts out, the contract will run through the 2028 season.
ESPN Radio has also been airing Major League Baseball since 1998 (succeeding CBS Radio), broadcasting Sunday Night Baseball as well as select other regular-season games, the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, and the entire postseason including the Wild Card Game, Division Series, League Championship Series, and World Series.