Wednesday Night Baseball
ESPN's weekly Wednesday MLB telecast from 1990 to 2021.
Wednesday Night Baseball is a live game telecast of Major League Baseball during Wednesday nights in the regular season on ESPN or ESPN2. From 1990 to 2021, ESPN generally aired weekly games on Wednesday nights, making it a regular part of the network's MLB coverage alongside Sunday Night Baseball. Beginning with the 2022 season, ESPN significantly reduced their MLB schedule, cutting most Wednesday Night Baseball games, though a limited number continued under a restructured deal from 2026 onward.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- American baseball game telecasts
- Num Seasons
- 37 (through 2026 season)
- Location
- Various MLB stadiums (game telecasts)
- Camera
- Multi-camera
- Runtime
- 210 minutes or until game ends (inc. adverts)
- Company
- Major League Baseball / ESPN (1990–present)
- Presenter
- Various commentators
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Network
- ESPN
- First Aired
- 1990-04-18
- Last Aired
- present
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The program debuted in 1990 when ESPN first acquired MLB rights, giving the network both Sunday Night Baseball and Wednesday Night Baseball. From 2000 to 2005, broadcasts consisted of a doubleheader, usually airing the first game at 7:00 pm ET on ESPN and the second at 10:00 pm ET on ESPN2. The second part was discontinued after the 2005 season in favor of Monday Night Baseball. Wednesdays also formerly included an afternoon game called ESPN DayGame, which aired typically at 12:30 pm or 1:00 pm ET on ESPN, making Wednesdays ESPN's primary day of baseball until DayGame was discontinued after the 2006 season.
Reader's Guide
Wednesday Night Baseball served as a consistent midweek showcase for Major League Baseball on cable television for over three decades. Its significance lies in how it expanded ESPN's baseball footprint beyond Sunday nights, offering a second weekly primetime slot that helped normalize weekday national broadcasts. The program faced early skepticism, with a 1990 reviewer noting that to survive it would need to become a staple like the Major League Baseball Game of the Week, straining cable marketers' limits. The 2022 reduction reflected a broader shift in ESPN's MLB strategy, as the network cut most Wednesday games in favor of a smaller exclusive schedule centered on Sunday Night Baseball. A notable incident in 1991 highlighted the program's limitations: ESPN planned to show Blue Jays-Rangers on May 1 but missed Nolan Ryan's record-breaking seventh no-hitter because the network relied on a manager's incorrect tip about Ryan's pitching schedule, forcing a last-minute simulcast of the Rangers' local feed. The program's legacy includes its role in establishing midweek national baseball broadcasts, though its frequency and prominence declined sharply after 2021.
Did You Know?
- In 1991, ESPN missed Nolan Ryan's record-breaking seventh no-hitter because Texas Rangers manager Bobby Valentine told the network Ryan would pitch on Friday instead of Wednesday.
- Every April, some Wednesday Night Baseball broadcasts aired on ESPN2 due to ESPN's priority with Wednesday NBA coverage.
- Until 2022, Wednesday Night Baseball was not exclusive and was usually blacked out in the teams' local markets.
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