Debut of Marlins Park & Miami’s Ozzie Guillen & Jose Reyes; ESPN & ESPN2 Combine for Five MLB Telecasts in Three Days to Open Season

ESPN will begin its 23rd Major League Baseball season with a full national telecast of Opening Night – the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals at the Miami Marlins – Wednesday, April 4, at 7 p.m. ET. The telecast will mark the start of the 2012 MLB regular season and the grand opening of Marlins Park, the new home of the Miami Marlins. The game will also include the debut of Miami’s high profile offseason acquisitions – new manager Ozzie Guillen and All-Star Jose Reyes. Opening Night will be available on ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3, ESPN Mobile TV and via the WatchESPN app.

ESPN and ESPN2 will combine for five games over the first three days of the season. ESPN2 will televise the AL Central Champion Detroit Tigers hosting the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, April 5, at 1 p.m., followed by the Marlins visiting the Cincinnati Reds at 4 p.m. On Friday, April 6, ESPN2 will televise the NL West Champion Arizona Diamondbacks hosting the San Francisco Giants at 7 p.m.; followed by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – featuring the AL debut of Albert Pujols – hosting the Kansas City Royals at 10 p.m.

 

Additionally, Red Sox/Tigers and Royals/Angels will be available via ESPN3 and Giants/Diamondbacks and Royals/Angels will be carried on ESPN Mobile TV. All four games will also be available via the WatchESPN app.

 

ESPN’s season-opening games will include several top MLB storylines:

St. Louis at Miami – Wednesday, April 4, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN

• grand opening of Marlins Park;
  
• Jose Reyes, Mark Buerhle and Heath Bell lead revitalized Marlins roster;
  
• debut of Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen;
  
• Mike Matheny replaces Tony La Russa as Cardinals manager;
  
• new Cardinals lineup anchored by All-Star trio of Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman and recently acquired Carlos Beltran.
  

Boston at Detroit – Thursday, April 5, at 1 p.m. on ESPN2

• AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander and All-Star slugger Miguel Cabrera lead the AL Central Champion Tigers into the new season;
  
• Bobby Valentine takes the reigns as Red Sox manager;
  
• new closer Andrew Bailey joins the Sox and its star-studded roster including Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury.
  

Miami at Cincinnati – Thursday, April 5, at 4 p.m. on ESPN2

• All-Star Joey Votto leads a Reds team poised to contend in the NL Central;
  
• Mat Latos joins Johnny Cueto and Bronson Arroyo in the Reds rotation;
  
• Hanley Ramirez and Mike Stanton, armed with new teammates, strive to compete for the top spot in the NL East.
  

San Francisco at Arizona – Friday, April 6, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2

• NL West Champion Diamondbacks aim to repeat after a 94-win season;
  
• All-Star Justin Upton and 21-game winner Ian Kennedy lead a young, talented D-backs squad;
  
• Giants look to return to their 2010 World Championship form after a disappointing 2011 season.
  

Kansas City at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Friday, April 6, at 10 p.m. on ESPN2

• Albert Pujols makes his national debut with the Angels;
  
• C.J. Wilson joins Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana in the Angels rotation;
  
• Royals try and sustain momentum from strong 2011 finish.
  

 

http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2012/01/11/mlb-opening-night-on-espn-world-champion-cardinals-at-new-look-marlins/

Back to back ESPN games after not having an ESPN game in something like six years.

Sweeeeeeeeet

I need to find a watch party or something for this game, since I no longer have cable. That is, if I don't work that night.

 

Alternatively, I could just stream it. I really wish MLB didn't blackout local games.

I need to find a watch party or something for this game, since I no longer have cable. That is, if I don't work that night.

 

Alternatively, I could just stream it. I really wish MLB didn't blackout local games.

 

You can watch it in my room. I have very soft sheets...

 

I'D BE STUPID NOT TO GO!

Too bad I'll miss the Opening Night broadcast due to actually attending the game. :dancehead

 

I have a source, too. I call him Dad.

I'll be at the game as well, can't wait!

 

Really nice to see it'll be on nationally though along with Game 2 even though I'd prefer to watch Rich and Tommy anyway.

The cheapest tickets on Stubhub right now are around $118 for the outfield (minus other fees). On a tight budget right now, but we'll see if they are still available come March....

Are single-game tickets on sale yet? I'm not seeing them on the Marlins website.

Are single-game tickets on sale yet? I'm not seeing them on the Marlins website.

 

 

Nope, March 3 tentatively. Opening Day is not expected to be up for sale individually at all though. Remaining tickets for 4/4 will be handled in a lottery, or at least that was the plan a couple of months ago.

That's stupid ...

I really hope they open up some seats to a sale. my trigger finger is itching on stubhub

I'd even take the worst seats possible, I just want to be there.

Are single-game tickets on sale yet? I'm not seeing them on the Marlins website.

 

 

Nope, March 3 tentatively. Opening Day is not expected to be up for sale individually at all though. Remaining tickets for 4/4 will be handled in a lottery, or at least that was the plan a couple of months ago.

 

 

That blows.

Are single-game tickets on sale yet? I'm not seeing them on the Marlins website.

 

 

Nope, March 3 tentatively. Opening Day is not expected to be up for sale individually at all though. Remaining tickets for 4/4 will be handled in a lottery, or at least that was the plan a couple of months ago.

 

When you say the remaining tickets would go up for lottery, do you mean to those signed up for the "Marlins Insider" e-mailings or to those that already have Season Tickets? I hope "avg Joes" get a chance to buy tickets.

 

I've been such a huge fan for so long, and like many offish here, eagerly are awaiting 4/4 and want to be part of history. However, living in Orlando, I can't justify buying season tickets just so I can go to the first game. And as much as I desire to be there, I can't justify $100buying a ticket for OF seats.

When you say the remaining tickets would go up for lottery, do you mean to those signed up for the "Marlins Insider" e-mailings or to those that already have Season Tickets? I hope "avg Joes" get a chance to buy tickets.

 

 

Details weren't supplied but I'm assuming it'll be open to all fans to enter into if they do go ahead with the lottery plan.

I like how 'Returning Champs' and 'Albert Pujols' is not mentioned in the game.

 

+1 for taking over.

I like how 'Returning Champs' and 'Albert Pujols' is not mentioned in the game.

 

+1 for taking over.

 

 

 

That's until whoever is calling the game calls Gaby, Gary.

Y is it just one game with st.louis?

Y is it just one game with st.louis?

 

They did the same thing in 2008 with the Nationals new stadium, it's more to see how things will play out and if they need to fix anything as far as proceedings and such go, I'd assume.

More than anything I"m buying a 20-game plan just to be there opening day, and really... the prices are reasonable, at least IMO.

When you say the remaining tickets would go up for lottery, do you mean to those signed up for the "Marlins Insider" e-mailings or to those that already have Season Tickets? I hope "avg Joes" get a chance to buy tickets.

Details weren't supplied but I'm assuming it'll be open to all fans to enter into if they do go ahead with the lottery plan.

That's the way I understood it too. And we haven't gotten any notice that we were able to buy extra tickets for Opening Night. We did get notice that we now owe for one of the Yankee games, but not that we could buy extra for that either. That was due by 1/16, so I would just have to guess that if extra tix for Opening Night were available to us they would also have been due by then. Truth be told, I don't have much confidence in the way they handle their "lotteries" anyway.

 

If you can get those tix for $100 right now, I would think go for them. Once the "lottery" is over, all tickets on StubHub or elsewhere will be to be going up. If people don't sell them there they will be selling them outside the stadium and getting pretty much what they want. Or sell them off to a scalper at a profit and then he/she will be getting a large amount.

I went on StubHub and looked at the Opening Day tickets... WOW. Since I'm in the car business hours and schedule is kind of tough for me, and my only day off is Tuesday, so I just bought tickets to the Cubs game on the 17th. Somehow I got two tickets in Home Plate Box 15, row 11, guaranteed together for only $55 each! Every other set was $100+ per ticket in that area. Pretty good deal... I'm excited.

Back to back ESPN games after not having an ESPN game in something like six years.

 

Didn't we play on ESPN in 2010 when we had the Puerto Rico series ? I could swear the Wednesday night game was on ESPN against the Mets in 2010 in San Juan.

 

But as for when have we had a Sunday night game, home or away, I would guess its been at least 6 years.

Last game I remember us having on ESPN was in 2006 when we had a restarted rain out against the Yankees.