ESPN’s ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ television, radio lineups set

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

As expected ESPN announced Wednesday that Dan Shulman will call the play-by-play in its ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ booth, with analysts Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine.

ESPN had previously announced that it was not renewing the contracts of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, who had done the games for the network for 21 years. Miller was offered a role in the ESPN radio booth but he chose to end his ESPN association.

The new radio crew will be Jon Sciambi on play-by-play and Chris Singleton doing analysis.

Shulman has previously served as the voice of ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Baseball’ (2008-10) and ‘Wednesday Night Baseball’ (2002-07), as well as ESPN Radio’s MLB postseason (1998-present) and regular-season (2002-07) coverage. Valentine, a former major-league manager, will also be new to the ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ booth next season. He will continue as a ‘Baseball Tonight’ analyst as well. Hershiser, a former Major League Baseball pitcher and Cy Young winner, joined ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ last season.

Shulman, a native Canadian, said he became a baseball fan the day the Toronto Blue Jays played their first game. ‘I sat in the snow,’ Shulman said. ‘That was the day. I grew up a hockey fan, of course, but now I love baseball. I’m completely immersed in baseball.’

Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president of production, said Miller, a Hall of Fame broadcaster, ‘will be missed here.’

He also said that the decision to change up the TV crew after 21 years was just natural evolution.

‘I think as properties change, the demands of consumers change and it’s incumbent on oneself to innovate the product,’ Williamson said. ‘If you do it the same way now as five or 10 years ago, you’re not doing justice and offering consumers and viewers the evolution of the product.’

-- Diane Pucin