List of Major League Baseball Wild Card Game broadcasters

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The following is a list of the national television and radio networks and announcers who have covered the Major League Baseball Wild Card Games throughout the years. It does not include any announcers who may have appeared on local radio broadcasts produced by the participating teams.

Television[]

2020s[]

Year Game Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Field reporter(s)
2021 AL ESPN Matt Vasgersian Alex Rodriguez Buster Olney
NL TBS Brian Anderson Ron Darling Lauren Shehadi

Notes[]

  • For the 2021 AL game, ESPN2 aired an alternate "Statcast Edition" broadcast featuring Jason Benetti on play-by-play and analysis from Eduardo Pérez and MLB.com writer Mike Petriello.[1]

2020 Wild Card Series[]

League Series Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Field reporter(s)
AL Tampa Bay Rays/Toronto Blue Jays TBS Rich Waltz Jimmy Rollins
Minnesota Twins/Houston Astros ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC Karl Ravech Tim Kurkjian and Eduardo Pérez
New York Yankees/Cleveland Indians Matt Vasgersian Alex Rodriguez and Buster Olney Marly Rivera
Oakland Athletics/Chicago White Sox Dave Flemming Jessica Mendoza
NL Los Angeles Dodgers/Milwaukee Brewers Karl Ravech Tim Kurkjian and Eduardo Pérez
Atlanta Braves/Cincinnati Reds Matt Vasgersian Alex Rodriguez and Buster Olney Kiley McDaniel
Chicago Cubs/Miami Marlins Jon Sciambi Chipper Jones Jesse Rogers
San Diego Padres/St. Louis Cardinals Tom Hart Rick Sutcliffe
Jessica Mendoza (Game 3) 		Pedro Gomez

Notes[]

  • ABC was scheduled to air at least four of the 24 possible daytime games in the 2020 season's one-time only expanded eight-series wild card round, that the networks of ESPN will air. Not only did this mean that ABC would be airing Major League Baseball games of any kind since Game 5 of the 1995 World Series,[2] but it would mark the first time since NBC's final game in 2000, that a Major League Baseball game had aired on any broadcast network other than Fox. The first game to definitely air on ABC on September 29, would be the #6 seed Houston Astros against the #3 Minnesota Twins from Target Field in Minneapolis.[3][4] The following day, ABC would air the #6 Miami Marlins against the #3 Chicago Cubs from Wrigley Field in Chicago. Karl Ravech provided play-by-play commentary for the Houston-Minnesota game with analysts Eduardo Pérez and Tim Kurkjian.[5] Meanwhile, Jon Sciambi, Chipper Jones, and Jesse Rogers called the Miami-Chicago Cubs game on September 30. ESPN also planned on utilizing ABC afternoon window[6] on Friday (October 2).[7] On October 2, ABC cut away from their broadcast Miami-Chicago Cubs game during the top of the 9th inning to deliver a special report on U.S. president Donald Trump being taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for COVID-19 treatment. The conclusion of the game was shifted to ESPN.[8]

2010s[]

Year Game Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Field reporter(s)
2019 AL ESPN Matt Vasgersian Jessica Mendoza and Alex Rodriguez Buster Olney
NL TBS Ernie Johnson Ron Darling and Jeff Francoeur Lauren Shehadi
2018 AL TBS Brian Anderson Ron Darling and Dennis Eckersley Lauren Shehadi
NL ESPN Matt Vasgersian Jessica Mendoza and Alex Rodriguez Buster Olney
2017 AL ESPN Dan Shulman Jessica Mendoza and Aaron Boone Buster Olney
NL TBS Ernie Johnson Ron Darling Sam Ryan
2016 AL TBS Ernie Johnson Ron Darling and Cal Ripken Sam Ryan
NL ESPN Dan Shulman Jessica Mendoza and Aaron Boone Buster Olney
2015 AL ESPN Dan Shulman John Kruk and Jessica Mendoza Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian
NL TBS Ernie Johnson Ron Darling and Cal Ripken Matt Winer
2014 AL TBS Ernie Johnson Ron Darling and Cal Ripken Matt Winer
NL ESPN[9] Dan Shulman John Kruk Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian
2013 AL TBS[10] Brian Anderson Joe Simpson and John Smoltz Rachel Nichols
NL Ernie Johnson Ron Darling and Cal Ripken Craig Sager
2012 AL TBS Ernie Johnson John Smoltz and Cal Ripken Craig Sager
NL Brian Anderson Joe Simpson and Ron Darling Tom Verducci

Notes[]

  • For the 2018 NL game, ESPN2 aired an alternate "Statcast Edition" broadcast featuring Jason Benetti on play-by-play and analysis from Eduardo Pérez and MLB.com writer Mike Petriello.[11]
  • For the 2019 AL game, ESPN2 aired an alternate "Statcast Edition" broadcast featuring Jason Benetti on play-by-play and analysis from Eduardo Pérez and MLB.com writer Mike Petriello.[12]

Radio[]

2020s[]

Year Game Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s)
2021 AL ESPN Dave O'Brien Xavier Scruggs
NL Jon Sciambi Kyle Peterson

2020 Wild Card Series[]

League Series Network Play-by-play Color commentator
AL Tampa Bay Rays/Toronto Blue Jays ESPN Dan Shulman Chris Burke
Minnesota Twins/Houston Astros Kevin Brown Chris Singleton
New York Yankees/Cleveland Indians Dave O'Brien
Oakland Athletics/Chicago White Sox Jon Sciambi Jim Bowden
NL Los Angeles Dodgers/Milwaukee Brewers Dan Shulman Jim Bowden
Chicago Cubs/Miami Marlins Kevin Brown
San Diego Padres/St. Louis Cardinals Dave O'Brien Chris Singleton

2010s[]

Year Game Network Play-by-play Color commentator
2019 AL ESPN Dan Shulman Chris Singleton
NL Jon Sciambi Jim Bowden
2018 AL ESPN Jon Sciambi Eduardo Pérez
NL Dan Shulman Chris Singleton
2017 AL ESPN Jon Sciambi Chris Singleton
NL Adam Amin Eduardo Pérez
2016 AL ESPN Jon Sciambi Chris Singleton
NL Dave O'Brien Jim Bowden
2015 AL ESPN Dave O'Brien Aaron Boone
NL Jon Sciambi Chris Singleton
2014 AL ESPN Jon Sciambi Chris Singleton
NL Dave O'Brien Aaron Boone
2013 AL ESPN Jon Sciambi Chris Singleton
NL Dan Shulman Orel Hershiser
2012 AL ESPN Dan Shulman Orel Hershiser
NL Jon Sciambi Chris Singleton

References[]

  1. ^ Lucia, Joe (October 4, 2021). "Your 2021 MLB Wild Card announcing schedule". Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Fisher, Eric (September 28, 2020). "MLB to be seen on ABC for first time since 1995". SportsBusiness.
  3. ^ Kalibat, Natalie (September 28, 2020). "Game 1 of Astros-Twins to lead off MLB playoff coverage on ABC". WRIC.
  4. ^ Brown, Maury (September 28, 2020). "MLB Postseason Games Returning To ABC For First Time In 25 Years". Forbes.
  5. ^ "ESPN and ABC to Exclusively Televise 7 of 8 MLB Wild Card Series". Laughing Place Disney Newsdesk. September 28, 2020.
  6. ^ McMillan, Ken (September 27, 2020). "Live from WKEN sports broadcasting blog, Sept. 28". Times Herald-Record.
  7. ^ Campbell, Hope (September 28, 2020). "General Hospital Pre-Empted This Week For Major League Baseball". Soap Hub.
  8. ^ Bucholtz, Andrew (October 2, 2020). "ABC punted Marlins-Cubs to ESPN in the middle of the ninth for coverage of President Trump being taken to hospital". Awful Announcing.
  9. ^ Cafardo, Ben (September 11, 2014). "ESPN to Exclusively Televise MLB NL Wild Card Game Oct. 1". espnmediazone.com.
  10. ^ "TBS Announces Commentator Assignments for 2013 MLB Wild Card Games". thefutoncritic.com. September 30, 2013.
  11. ^ Bucholtz, Andrew (October 3, 2018). "ESPN2's NL Wild Card game Statcast broadcast drew rave reviews, especially compared to ESPN's regular telecast". awfulannouncing.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Hughes, Katie (September 26, 2019). "ESPN Provides Exclusive Coverage of the American League Wild Card Game presented by Hankook Tire October 2". ESPN Press Room. Retrieved September 28, 2019.

External links[]

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