As it presently stands, the Los Angeles Dodgers will play in front of a national ESPN audience on three separate occasions within the first month of the 2018 season. The network most recently announced it picked up an April 22 game against the Washington Nationals for Sunday Night Baseball.
The Nationals won two of three games at Dodger Stadium this past season, but the Dodgers returned the favor at Nationals Park nearly three months later. Washington was one win away from setting the stage for a second straight matchup in the postseason but were eliminated by the Chicago Cubs.
ESPN previously selected the Dodgers’ Opening Day game (March 29) against the San Francisco Giants, plus the four-game series finale on April 1 for a Sunday Night Baseball telecast. The Dodgers figure to be a big draw for national TV as they look to end their World Series drought.
Sunday Night Baseball generally airs at 5 p.m. PT and it is available across ESPN, the ESPN App, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes Radio. “Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown” typically precedes the broadcast with a one-hour pre-game show, starting at 4 p.m. on ESPN.
Jessica Mendoza return for her third season as an analyst on Sunday Night Baseball. This year will mark her second full season in the booth. Buster Olney embarks on his eighth season as the reporter on Sunday Night Baseball, but play-by-play duties and a second analyst have not yet been determined.
The New York Yankees’ hiring of Aaron Boone as manager has left ESPN with a void to fill. Eduardo Perez and Rick Sutcliffe were among the analysts to spend time in the both.
