Sunday Night Baseball is usually the most awaited game of the week in MLB.
It’s primetime, and usually reserved for the best and most attractive game of the weekend.
These games often feature teams with large fanbases and excellent potential to keep ratings up.
According to MLB’s official Twitter account, ESPN (the broadcasting network with the rights for Sunday Night Baseball) has already released its first batch of primetime games.
.@ESPN has released its first batch of #SundayNightBaseball games! pic.twitter.com/QFjq6Rpv56
— MLB (@MLB) January 10, 2024
The trends are actually easy to see.
The first thing that jumps to mind is that there are three games involving the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It’s to be expected, really: the Dodgers have made sizable investments to improve their squad.
They have brought in Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Teoscar Hernandez, other impact players.
The world wants to watch Ohtani in his new uniform, on a team that gives him a chance to compete and play in the postseason.
They also want to watch Yamamoto pitch against major leaguers, and that deadly lineup featuring three former MVP winners (Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman).
There are also multiple New York Yankees games: fans are eager to watch Juan Soto in pinstripes.
The St. Louis Cardinals will also be shown twice in ESPN’s first batch.
The reigning World Series champions, the Texas Rangers, also have their space in primetime, as do the Chicago Cubs.
Oddly enough, the team with the most regular-season wins last year, the Atlanta Braves, will only be shown once in Sunday Night Baseball in the first batch.
Baseball fans are going to enjoy a heavy dose of Ohtani and the Dodgers right away.
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