Apple revealed who will call the games, and what production enhancements to expect, for its upcoming sports show, Friday Night Baseball. The new broadcast hits the field with a doubleheader Friday on Apple TV+.
Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+ starts Friday: Who calls the games?
Apple said fans have access to Friday Night Baseball games and additional content, such as new programs. They include “Countdown to First Pitch” and “MLB Daily Recap,” beginning today in the Apple TV app.
On Friday, the broadcast team of Melanie Newman (play-by-play), Chris Young (analyst), Hannah Keyser (analyst) and Brooke Fletcher (reporter) will call the New York Mets at Washington Nationals game. It airs live at 4 p.m. PST/7 p.m. EDT.
And Stephen Nelson (play-by-play), Hunter Pence (analyst), Katie Nolan (analyst) and Heidi Watney (reporter) will call the Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels game. It airs live at 6:30 p.m. PDT/9:30 p.m. EDT.
Apple plans to announce game assignments for Friday Night Baseball broadcasters weekly. In her new role with the show, Newman becomes the second woman to lead play-by-play duties for a national broadcast team. She joined the Baltimore Orioles’ broadcast team in 2020.
Lauren Gardner will host Friday Night Baseball live pre- and postgame coverage. A rotating group of analysts and former Major League Baseball players, including Carlos Peña, Cliff Floyd and Yonder Alonso, will join in.
Friday Night Baseball production features
The MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning production team produces the broadcast in partnership with Apple. Cupertino said the show will offer a modern and dynamic broadcast experience that should appeal to new viewers and veteran fans alike.
High-tech cameras in play will include high-speed Phantoms and the high-resolution Megalodon. Broadcasts will feature immersive sound in Dolby 5.1 with spatial audio enabled.
The broadcasts will feature new on-screen graphics that include probabilities-based forecasts of different situational outcomes. Highlights and live look-ins from around the league will be integrated into the broadcast.
Throughout games, fans can enjoy on-screen callouts about batters’ walk-up songs from Apple Music, test their knowledge of baseball trivia with help from Siri, and more, Apple said.
And, in a first for MLB games, Friday Night Baseball will feature rules analysis from former MLB umpire Brian Gorman.
Related MLB programming
In addition to two games on Fridays throughout the regular season, fans in the U.S. and Canada can watch new live programming with MLB game replays, news and analysis, highlights, classic games and more.
Each Thursday, fans can tune in to “Countdown to First Pitch” for a preview of the week’s upcoming games. And every morning, “MLB Daily Recap” offers highlights from across the league.
Additionally, fans will be able to watch full games, as well as condensed game replays, on demand on Apple TV+ after the completion of the live broadcasts each week.
In the Apple News app, fans can follow their favorite baseball teams and watch personalized MLB highlights. Starting Thursday, fans can find an Opening Day preview curated by Apple News editors. And each Friday, they can see curated highlights and stories from around the league.
In Apple Music, fans can find exclusive playlists of batters’ walk-up songs from teams featured on Friday Night Baseball each week. And there’s also a collection of classic songs celebrating baseball.
Friday Night Baseball’s scheduled games are available for free on Apple TV+ to anyone with internet access. Users can find step-by-step instructions to access Friday Night Baseball across devices.
Apple TV+ is available by subscription for $4.99 per month.
