MLB Network is offering a different kind of broadcast for Sunday’s game against the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians.
CC Sabathia, Carlos Peña and John Smoltz will gather with host Stephen Nelson for the “MLB Network Showcase: Clubhouse Edition,” where the goal is to have a casual, organic conversation among former players watching the game from home.
The telecast will also be live-streamed on the MLB app and MLBNetwork.com, but will be unavailable in the Cleveland and New York markets due to blackout restrictions, though.
Sabathia, who played for both the Yankees and Indians in his career, pitched the idea to MLB Network.
“Whenever I watch games with my friends and former teammates, I always say the it would be cool if the cameras were rolling and people could listen to our different conversations,” he said, via a press release. “I’m excited to test this vision out for fans on MLB Network, especially with the game involving two organizations I’m incredibly familiar with.”
It will be the first time MLB Network has done such a broadcast, which is a similar style as the popular Twitch streaming app, and it will be Sabathia’s first national baseball broadcast since his retirement in 2019.
The former southpaw has dabbled in broadcasting, calling a Brooklyn Nets game on the YES Network earlier this year. However, Sabathia’s tendency to use foul language has been tough for him to avoid, as he accidentally dropped an F-bomb during the broadcast.
That would certainly make for a more entertaining and genuine broadcast, but Sabathia will still have to likely watch the foul language while on MLB Network.
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