ESPN will broadcast the Major League Baseball Wild Card Series for the second consecutive year and is bringing fans a lineup of experienced, versatile commentators in the booth. While the specific series that they will be calling has yet to be announced because of the ongoing Wild Card battles, the “Worldwide Leader” will bring comprehensive coverage to matchups with heavy implications.
The lead Sunday Night Baseball announcing team of Karl Ravech, David Cone and Eduardo Pérez will remain together for one of the Wild Card series with Buster Olney reporting. Sunday Night Baseball has attained viewership milestones throughout the 2023 regular season, and the team has also had the chance to call tentpole events such as the MLB Little League Classic and the Home Run Derby.
Michael Kay and Álex Rodríguez move from the studio to the broadcast booth to call a Wild Card Round series together for the second consecutive season. The duo recently wrapped up the second year of Sunday Night Baseball with KayRod, which reports have indicated could be its final year on the air. Rodríguez is reportedly set to agree to a new broadcast contract with FOX Sports that would grant the network exclusivity over his on-air rights. Joining Kay and Rodríguez as a reporter is Alden González, who has been with ESPN since 2016 where he started as the Los Angeles Rams team reporter for ESPN’s NFL Nation.
Jon “Boog” Sciambi, the television voice of the Chicago Cubs on Marquee Sports Network and ESPN Radio voice of Sunday Night Baseball, will deliver the play-by-play of another one of the league’s four Wild Card series. He will be joined by radio partner and nine-year MLB veteran outfielder Doug Glanville, with Jesse Rogers featured as a reporter.
The commentator lineup is rounded out by Sean McDonough as the play-by-play announcer, ending his year calling baseball as the National Hockey League prepares to begin its third season on ESPN. McDonough is expected to call his second Stanley Cup Final for the network at the end of the season alongside analyst Ray Ferraro and reporter Emily Kaplan. Working alongside McDonough for the Wild Card Series will be Jessica Mendoza and Tim Kurkjian, with Coley Harvey as the reporter.
The MLB Wild Card Series begins on Tuesday, Oct. 3 with matchups for all four best-of-three series. The higher-seeded club retains home-field advantage throughout play, and the first team to win two games will advance to the divisional series round. Coverage of the MLB Wild Card Series is exclusively on The Walt Disney Company’s family of networks – ABC; ESPN and ESPN2, and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
