- Innovative Production Elements Including 4D Replay Technology
- Statcast-Driven Alternative Viewing Experience on ESPNEWS
- Significant On-site Cross-platform Presence: Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter, Pardon The Interruption
- T-Mobile Home Run Derby Participants to be Announced on Special Telecast Following Wednesday Night Baseball July 11
ESPN will present exclusive, cross-platform coverage of the 2018 T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday, July 16, at 8 p.m. ET. The annual event is one of ESPN’s signature telecasts of the summer, and this year it will include more coverage than ever, starting on-site at 3 p.m. that afternoon from Nationals Park in Washington D.C. The T-Mobile Home Run Derby participants and brackets will be announced on a special ESPN telecast called the 2018 T-Mobile Home Run Derby Bracket Show immediately following Wednesday Night Baseball – Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox – on July 11 (approx. 10 p.m.).
T-Mobile Home Run Derby on ESPN
Karl Ravech will return for his second year as the voice of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, alongside former World Series Champion and ESPN analyst Mark Teixeira, who is also returning for his second year. While Ravech and Teixeira will appear on the main set, Sunday Night Baseball’s Jessica Mendoza, in her third year of Derby coverage, will serve as the roaming analyst on the field, providing commentary from unique vantage points. Veteran commentator Buster Olney will round out the quartet reporting from the field.
This year’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby telecast on ESPN features several new innovative production elements, including:
- 4D replay technology that will provide viewers with 360-degree replays of the participants and their swings;
- New 3D spray charts that will show paths and arcs of home runs;
- The on-screen scoreboard will feature a new “pace tracker”, which features a sliding scale of projected home run totals for each hitter in the bracket, and whether the hitter’s total is ahead or behind his opponent.
T-Mobile Home Run Derby Alternative Viewing Experience on ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS will televise a first-of-its-kind alternative viewing experience for this event, driven largely by on-screen graphics, data and information from Statcast. This telecast will include its own commentator team, including play-by-play voice Jason Benetti and analyst Eduardo Perez.
More on-site coverage
ESPN and ESPN2 will combine for a full slate of on-site coverage on July 16, starting at 3 p.m.:
- Baseball Tonight: All-Star Media Day featuring sights and sounds from Nationals Park and the press availabilities. Karl Ravech hosts the coverage with David Ross, Mark Teixeira, Tim Kurkjian and Eduardo Perez.3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on ESPN;
- Baseball Tonight: Home Run Derby – Around the Cage will capture the atmosphere and environment from Nationals Park leading into the event. It will include live footage of batting practice and on-site interviews with participants. Adnan Virk hosts with David Ross, Tim Kurkjian and Eduardo Perez. 4:30-5:30 p.m. on ESPN;
- Pardon The Interruption with Washington D.C. – rooted commentators Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. 5:30-6 p.m. on ESPN;
- MLB Intentional Talk will be on site with hosts Chris Rose and Kevin Millar. 5-6 p.m. on ESPN2 and MLB Network;
- SportsCenter with guest hosts Keith Olbermann and Karl Ravech previewing the T-Mobile Home Run Derby and discussing the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. 6-7 p.m. on ESPN;
- The Home Run Derby Preview Show airs from 7-8 p.m. on ESPN leading into the T-Mobile Home Run Derby Adnan Virk will join analysts David Ross, Tim Kurkjian and Eduardo Perez for commentary.
All ESPN and ESPN2 Home Run Derby day telecasts will stream via the ESPN App.
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio will have the national radio broadcast as Jon “Boog” Sciambi describes the action with analyst Chris Singleton. Marc Kestecher and analyst Tim Kurkjian will also provide commentary during the pre-event coverage. Audio from the ESPN Radio broadcast will be available on the ESPN App.
ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes will provide exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the 2018 T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday, July 16, at 8 p.m. from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Coverage will begin with a one-hour pre-event edition of SportsCenter at 7 p.m. The event will also be available via streaming on the ESPN App. On-site game coverage will be spearheaded by Emmy Award winner Ernesto Jerez (play by play), Luis Alfredo Álvarez (analyst), and Guillermo Celis (field reporter).
ESPN Deportes Radio
ESPN Deportes Radio will serve as the exclusive Spanish-language home of the 2018 T-Mobile Home Run Derby. The commentator team includes Eduardo Ortega (play by play), Renato Bermudez (analyst), José Rivera (field reporter) and legendary pitcher Orlando “El Duque” Hernández.
The 2018 MLB All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game will air on ESPN immediately following the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.
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ESPN MLB contacts: Ben Cafardo at 860-766-3496 or [email protected]. Twitter: @Ben_ESPN;
Michael Skarka at 860-766-1342 or [email protected]. Twitter: @Michael_ESPN