ESPN announced their first slate of telecasts for the 2020 MLB season that begins with 14 national broadcasts and 17 teams over the first 11 days. Included in that is a tripleheader on Opening Day, which features the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Opening Day matchup is slated for a 1 p.m. PT start at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, March 26. This year the Dodgers set an MLB record against the Arizona Diamondbacks with eight home runs on Opening Day.
That wound up serving as a precursor of what was to come as the Dodgers set a National League and franchise record with 279 homers.
The Opening Series between the Dodgers and Giants rivals previously included a day off Friday before resuming with games on Saturday and Sunday. That has since changed, and series — which now concludes Saturday — is part of a six-game homestand for the Dodgers, and after a travel day, they begin a road trip on Friday, April 3.
It starts with facing the Giants at Oracle Park, and the series opener representing their home opener. The weekend set concludes with an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecast and special 5:30 p.m. PT start time.
Neither of ESPN’s selections will be subject to blackout rules. In the case of Opening Day, SportsNet LA will still have their own coverage of the game as well.
The Dodgers have long been a draw for national broadcasts on ESPN and in particular their flagship Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts. Former outfielder Andre Ethier was recently hypercritical of the TV schedule, arguing it can put a traveling team at a disadvantage.
After the Dodgers were selected for a Sunday Night Baseball game at Coors Field, completing a sweep of the Colorado Rockies, they didn’t arrive in St. Louis until the early morning hours the following day.
The Cardinals proceeded to sweep the Dodgers in the four-game series at Busch Stadium. L.A. faces a similar scenario next season as they again will travel to St. Louis for four games following an appearance on Sunday Night Baseball.
ESPN will announce additional telecasts for the 2020 season at later dates.
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