ST. PETERSBURG — What otherwise might seem a mundane Tuesday night game at Tropicana Field against the last-place Orioles will be historic before the first pitch is thrown.
That’s because next week’s game will be the first called by an all-female broadcast team, per Major League Baseball and YouTube, which will show the game exclusively.
Melanie Newman, a member of the Orioles’ broadcast crew, will handle play-by-play duties, her second national YouTube game appearance. Sarah Langs, an mlb.com reporter who specializes in analytics and advanced stats, will be the analyst. Alanna Rizzo, an MLB Network host who previously worked on the Dodgers broadcasts, will be the in-game reporter.
In addition, Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner of MLB Network will be the co-hosts of the MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube’s pre- and post-game show.
“It is a great honor to be included in a broadcast with so many accomplished and talented broadcasters,” Rizzo said in a news release. “The fact that the entire on-air team is female shows you that baseball is a game for everyone. I am looking forward to being a part of this historic, inaugural event but looking more forward to when this is the norm versus the exception.”
The game can be watched on mobile devices and smart TVs through the YouTube app.
The broadcast will feature several interactive elements, including fan voting for the player of the game.
This story will be updated.
• • •
Sign up for the Rays Report weekly newsletter to get fresh perspectives on the Tampa Bay Rays and the rest of the majors from sports columnist John Romano.
Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook.