
MLB Opening Day 2025: For FOX Sports' 30th Season, Full Onsite Productions for Marquee Matchups and Home Run Productions for Other Games A historic first MLB game from Tennessee is scheduled for Aug. 2 By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - 3:05 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Over the years, FOX Sports has poured its passion for baseball into MLB on FOX productions. Now, in its 30th season televising professional baseball, the broadcaster is bringing the biggest games to the national audience. That commitment was demonstrated in last week's two-game MLB Tokyo Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Dome and will continue with high-profile games throughout the season, but FOX Sports' traditional weekend schedule will begin with two Home Run Productions (HRP) and a full onsite production on Saturday, March 29.
During the regular season, we will use the home team's truck for games on FS1 and a flypack system for our HRPs of nationally televised games, says Francisco Paco Contreras, director, field operations, FOX Sports. We know how to do these productions now because of the team that we have.
Hybrid Approach: Bonus Games on FS1, One National Game Get HRP Treatment With the help of MLB Network and the league's global events team, FOX Sports began its 2025 MLB regular-season coverage in Japan with play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti and analyst A.J. Pierzynski for Game 1 and analyst Adam Amin for Game 2. The showcase series was an appetizer for the season, but a large number of the games will replicate the Tokyo Series workflow for the broadcaster's Bonus Game coverage on FS1.
Like production of the Tokyo games, these FS1 broadcasts will be HRPs from the FOX Sports facility in Los Angeles and will be based on live video feeds from the home team's regional sports network or local-media team. For example, Saturday afternoon's matchup between the Minnesota Twins vs. St. Louis Cardinals at 2 p.m. ET from Busch Stadium will be produced with feeds from FanDuel Sports Network Midwest.
For the bigger games shown nationwide on Baseball Night in America, FOX Sports will vary its approach based on each game's appeal and interest. This Saturday, the broadcaster will offer regionalized coverage of two games on FOX at 7 p.m.: the Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres from Petco Park and the New York Mets vs. Houston Astros from Daikin Park.
The matchup in San Diego will be an HRP with a flypack installed in the broadcast compound. The game in Houston will be a full onsite production, chiefly because of the Mets' magical postseason run and their acquisition of the coveted Juan Soto in a massive offseason transaction. In addition, Houston's Daikin Park is one of a handful of MLB venues equipped with a DEFY WireCam, which will enhance production quality.
One regular-season game circled on FOX Sports' calendar is a 2024 World Series rematch between the New York Yankees and the Dodgers. The two clubs met during the 2024 regular season at Yankee Stadium on June 8, which turned into a stacked day for the broadcaster, offering simultaneous productions of the MLB London Series and the Belmont Stakes, and promises a tantalizing event on May 31. The full onsite production at Dodger Stadium will feature a live edition of the studio show and top-tier technologies, such as shallow-depth-of-field RF Megalodon and drones. Since FOX Sports' Los Angeles facility is 15 miles from Dodger Stadium, it was only right to increase its onsite presence.
We'll look to mirror a lot of what we did last year on June 8, says Contreras. Since we'll be at home, we're planning on blowing out our coverage a little bit.
Other notable matchups on Baseball Night in America: an NLCS matchup between the Dodgers and Mets on May 24; the famed rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and Yankees on June 7, June 14, and Aug. 21; a Lone Star State-size contest between the Texas Rangers and Astros on July 12; and a Midwest mashup between the Cubs and Cardinals on Aug. 9.
Gracing the Airwaves: Broadcast Veterans Lead the On-Air Team Many recognizable voices will be behind the microphone for FOX Sports' milestone season. The A team of play-by-play announcer Joe Davis and analyst John Smoltz returns for a fourth season, joined by field reporters Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci. This weekend, play-by-play announcer Connor Onion and Verducci will call Twins-Cardinals; Benetti and Pierzynski, Braves-Padres. Davis, Smoltz, and Rosenthal will be live in Houston for Mets-Astros. Instead of calling the game from an offsite location, which is standard for Bonus Games on FS1, Onion and Verducci will be onsite at Busch Stadium. This trend will continue in Weeks 2 and 3 of the season.
Other on-air talent includes play-by-play announcers Kevin Kugler, Jeff Levering, and Don Orsillo and analysts Eric Karros and Adam Wainwright. On FOX Deportes, Spanish-language coverage will be led by play-by-play announcer Adrian Garcia-Marquez, analysts Edgar Gonzalez, announcer/reporter Carlos Alvarez, and reporter/analyst Jaime Motta. Play-by-play announcer Rolando Nichols and reporter Michelle Liendo will also drive the coverage.
In the studio, FOX Sports' team of host Kevin Burkhardt and analysts Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Alex Rodriguez will set the table in pregame and break down the action in postgame. Also gracing the studio set will be hosts Chris Myers and Mike Hill and analysts Dontrelle Willis and Karros.
Baseball and Burnouts: Broadcaster Looks Ahead to MLB Speedway Classic Ahead on FOX Sports' schedule is the MLB Speedway Classic from Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. After making history in broadcasting the first MLB game in the state of Iowa at MLB at Field of Dreams in 2021 and the first in
More from Sports Video Group
21/04/2025
The strength of kindness: Collaborative effort helps Special Olympics World Wint...
21/04/2025
Nashville Juggles A Cornucopia Of Sports With Its Star on the Rise NFL, NHL, MLS, MLB AAA, NASCAR want a place in Music City By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Monda...
21/04/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Telstra Broadcast Services CEO Karen Clark on the Challenge of Liv...
21/04/2025
Award Winning Producer/Director Don Mischer Dead at 85 By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, April 21, 2025 - 12:30 pm
Print This Story | Subscr...
21/04/2025
The Fox Sports Way: How AR Graphics, XR Tech, and LED Displays Have Become Cente...
18/04/2025
NHL Playoffs 2025: TNT Sports Hits the Road for Onsite Productions With Mobile U...
18/04/2025
EVSs S bastien Verlaine on U.S. Expansion, Next-Generation Products Beyond replay, offerings also target asset management and media infrastructure By Ken Kersc...
18/04/2025
ESPN Unleashes 4DREPLAY as NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships Hit ABC Men's championships to follow Saturday night on ESPN2 By Brandon Costa, Direct...
18/04/2025
Visualizing Victory: The Latest in AR, XR, and Virtual Production in Live Sports This panel discussion featured leaders from ESPN, CBS Sports, Warner Bros. Disc...
18/04/2025
NHL Playoffs 2025: With 16 Games in First Six Days, ESPN Deploys Variety of Remo...
17/04/2025
The Curling Group Puts On Inaugural Curling All-Star Game in Nashville The location in Music City is intended to broaden the sport's appeal By Dan Daley, ...
17/04/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cisco's Bryan Bedford on Providing End-to-End Support for Clie...
17/04/2025
FIFA's Oscar Sanchez on the Task of Producing a North American World Cup The head of host broadcast production spoke during SVG Europe's Football Summit...
17/04/2025
NBA Playoffs 2025: As Play-In Tourney Continues, TNT Sports Preps Escalated Game...
17/04/2025
NBA Playoffs 2025: ESPN's Postseason Run Highlighted by New Cameras, Player ...
16/04/2025
SVG Digital Engagement Forum 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PL...
16/04/2025
SVG College Sports Media Awards 2025: Today is the Final Deadline to Enter! All entries must be received by end-of-day April 16 By Brandon Costa, Director of D...
16/04/2025
Ross Video's Kevin Cottam on Carbonite HyperMax, Other Innovations at NAB 20...
15/04/2025
From Homer to Mickey, How ESPN Is Blazing the Live Animated Broadcast Trail ESPNs Amy Nelson, Sparky Sparrgrove, and Spike Szykowny offer an inside look at the ...
15/04/2025
SVG College Sports Media Awards 2025: Final Deadline to Enter is Wednesday All entries must be received by end-of-day April 16 By Brandon Costa, Director of Di...
15/04/2025
Football Summit 2025: BBC Sport and Sunset Vine share plans for UEFA Women's...
15/04/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: ScorePlay Cofounder and CEO Vic Tixier on Media Manag...
15/04/2025
Inside IOWN: Envisioning a high-speed, high-capacity future for live productions By Joe OHalloran
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 09:38
Print This Story
As dele...
15/04/2025
Neither fair nor objective , Mediapro reacts strongly to LaLiga decision to awar...
15/04/2025
HBS and NVP take LaLiga production and distribution for first and second divisio...
15/04/2025
LA28 Details Venue Plans for 2028 Summer Games By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 1:37 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
St...
14/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: Broadcast Audio Faces a Future of Tariff-Induced Higher Cost...
14/04/2025
Changing the world: Behind the collaborative production of the 2025 Special Olym...
14/04/2025
From Paris to Milano Cortina: The International Paralympic Committee on the move...
14/04/2025
SVG College Summit 2025: Jimmy Platt, ESPN's College Football Playoff, Women...
14/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: SVG Audio Roundtable Reflects On a Changing Industry Global sports, speech intelligibility, digital microphones are on the table By Dan Dal...
14/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: The Pairing of AI and Audio Is Possible But it won't necessarily happen tomorrow By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Monday, April 14, 2025 - ...
14/04/2025
WNBA Draft 2025: ESPN's Onsite Effort Fits Into NYC Grid for National Teleca...
11/04/2025
The Teeter Totter Podcast featuring Mario Zecca and Corey Alberty: Super Bowl LI...
11/04/2025
Formula E Heads to Miami With Racing and Broadcast Innovations To Drive Fan Enga...
11/04/2025
NAB 2025 in Review: Our Full Collection of Video Interviews From the Show Floor By SVG Staff
Friday, April 11, 2025 - 12:09 pm
Print This Story
NAB Show 2...
11/04/2025
Ratings Roundup: NCAA March Madness Ends With Third Most-Watched Women's Tit...
11/04/2025
Mike Bilbow, Veteran College Sports Video Director, Passes Away at 56 Industry remembers a giving, innovative, and welcoming leader gone too soon By Brandon Co...
11/04/2025
2025 NAB Show Draws 55K Attendees, Down From Past Two Years But Still Up From 20...
10/04/2025
Monumental Sports, Dalet Snag 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award By SVG Staff
Thursday, April 10, 2025 - 10:44 am
Print This Story
Monumental Sports ...
10/04/2025
Masters 2025: For 70th Year, CBS Sports Plans Surprise in Amen Corner Coverage Latest innovations are part of the tournament's legendary traditions By Ken...
09/04/2025
SVG College Sports Media Awards 2025: Entry Deadline Extended to April 16 By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - 5:14 pm
Print Th...
09/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: AT&Ts Scott Beckett Showcases Portable Private Wireless Netw...
09/04/2025
NAB Show Announces 2025 Product of the Year and Project of the Year Awards Winne...
08/04/2025
2025 Sports Emmy Award Nominations Unveiled; Technical Nods Go to 2024 Paris Gam...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: LiveUs Janel Moorefield on New Bonded Cellular, Cloud-Based ...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: Aggrekos Brittany Shannon on Powering Live Sports Events Fro...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: Amagis Dan Marshall on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: Vecima Networks Paul Strickland on Ensuring High-Quality Con...
08/04/2025
Live From NAB 2025: SOS Globals James Newell on Addressing Logistical Needs of S...