ALSO: ESPN Front Row Q&A with John Wildhack
- Duo to Join Play-by-Play Commentator Dan Shulman and Reporter Buster Olney
- New Team to Make Regular-Season Debut on April 3 for Opening Night World Series Rematch
- New Monday Night Baseball Lineup
ESPN announced today its new Sunday Night Baseball team, which will debut at the start of the 2016 Major League Baseball season. Dan Shulman, the voice of Sunday Night Baseball, will be joined by newly-named analysts Jessica Mendoza and Aaron Boone, and returning reporter Buster Olney. The quartet will make its regular-season debut on Sunday Night Baseball, April 3, as part of ESPN’s exclusive Opening Night coverage of the World Series rematch – New York Mets at World Series Champion Kansas City Royals – at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Mendoza made history in 2015 by becoming the first female analyst for a nationally-televised MLB postseason game (AL Wild Card Game on ESPN), and the first female ESPN MLB game analyst. Mendoza regularly appeared on Sunday Night Baseball with Shulman and Olney during the stretch run of the 2015 season and also worked a Sunday Night Baseball telecast alongside Boone.
Boone most recently served as an analyst alongside Shulman for ESPN Radio’s coverage of the World Series, and has been a regular analyst for ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA prime-time series and for Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet – ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball pre-game show.
John Wildhack, [ESPN executive vice president, production and programming], discusses ESPN’s decision to create a new Sunday Night Baseball team, on ESPN Front Row.
Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell 2016: Meet the lineup
- Dan Shulman will enter his sixth season as the voice of Sunday Night Baseball (since 2011). Shulman also regularly provides play-by-play commentary for ESPN’s annual Wild Card telecast, the World Series on ESPN Radio, and formerly, for ESPN Monday Night Baseball, in addition to his college basketball assignments.
- Jessica Mendoza is an Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist and a Stanford University cross-category softball record-holder. In addition to her ground-breaking 2015, Mendoza has regularly contributed to ESPN’s softball coverage since 2007, including the Women’s College World Series. Mendoza also became the first female game analyst for a Men’s College World Series telecast in 2015.
- Aaron Boone, former Major League Baseball All-Star from the heralded Boone family, has provided analysis for a variety of ESPN MLB platforms since joining the company in 2010, including Sunday Night Baseball, Monday Night Baseball, Wednesday Night Baseball presented by Hankook Tire, World Series on ESPN Radio and Baseball Tonight.
- Buster Olney will also enter his sixth season as the reporter for Sunday Night Baseball (since 2011). Olney is one of ESPN’s most prolific reporters, providing news, commentary and analysis on Sundays, as well as Baseball Tonight, his com blog, his Baseball Tonight podcast, breaking news on SportsCenter, and more. Olney joined ESPN in 2003.
Sunday Night Baseball production
ESPN has named Andy Reichwald as the new Sunday Night Baseball producer. Reichwald has produced Monday Night Baseball since 2002 and has served as associate director for Monday Night Football since 2006.
Sunday Night Baseball will enter its 27th season in 2016 as the exclusive, national MLB game of the week. The franchise made its debut in 1990.
New Monday Night Baseball roster
Curt Schilling, an ESPN MLB analyst since 2010, will join ESPN Monday Night Baseball as an analyst in 2016. ESPN Monday Night Baseball is a weekly, nationally-televised MLB platform – which showcases the best teams, matchups and players from around the league. Schilling will join fellow analyst Eduardo Perez, who has also been newly appointed to the Monday Night Baseball booth. Karl Ravech and Dave Flemming will split play-by-play duties throughout the season. Schilling will also continue to contribute analysis to Baseball Tonight.
John Kruk, an ESPN MLB analyst since 2004, will reprise his role as a full-time Baseball Tonight studio analyst, a role in which he served from 2004 through 2012, before transitioning to game analysis.
ESPN recently announced its early-season Sunday Night Baseball schedule for 2016. For more schedule information, including the company’s seven-game Opening Day slate, please visit ESPNMediaZone.com.
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Media contacts: Ben Cafardo at 860-766-3496 or ben.cafardo@espn.com (@Ben_ESPN);
Michael Skarka at 860-766-1342 or michael.skarka@espn.com, @Michael_ESPN).
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