ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball Schedule for First Half of 2021 Features Baseball's Biggest Superstars

· Ronald Acuña, Jr., Pete Alonso, Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Mike Trout, Fernando Tatís, Jr., in Action

· Reigning League M.V.P.s José Abreu and Freddie Freeman Take the Field

· San Diego Padres Return to Sunday Night Baseball for First Time Since 2007

· MLB Opening Night April 1 Exclusively on ESPN: New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals Sunday Night Baseball - ESPN's signature Major League Baseball franchise - will return for its 32nd season in 2021, featuring the game's biggest superstars in action. Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell is the exclusive, national MLB game of the week, generally airing at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes and streaming via the ESPN App. ESPN will open its 2021 Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell schedule on April 4, at a special start time of 8:30 p.m. when the Los Angeles Angels and Mike Trout host the Chicago White Sox and American League M.V.P. José Abreu. The following week, on April 11, the Atlanta Braves and National League M.V.P. Freddie Freeman host the Philadelphia Phillies and Bryce Harper at 7 p.m. Additional 2021 Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell highlights:

· MLB superstars in action: Pete Alonso, Ronald Acuña, Jr., Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Juan Soto, Mike Trout, Fernando Tatís, Jr., and more;

· San Diego Padres return to Sunday Night Baseball for first time since 2007 (April 25 and May 16);

· Four appearances by the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets;

· Three appearances by the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees;

· Storied rivalries: Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies (April 11 and May 9); Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals (May 23); Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets (May 30); Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees (July 15 and 18); New York Mets vs. New York Yankees (July 4 and September 12);

· Defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers in action (April 25).

Date Time (ET) Game
April 4 8:30 p.m.* Chicago White Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels
April 11 7 p.m. Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves
April 18 7 p.m. Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs
April 25 7 p.m. San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
May 2 7 p.m. New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies
May 9 7 p.m. Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves
May 16 7 p.m. St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres
May 23 7 p.m. Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals
May 30 7 p.m. Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets
July 4 7 p.m. New York Mets vs. New York Yankees
July 15 7 p.m. Thursday MLB second-half opener: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
July 18 7 p.m. Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
Sept. 12 8 p.m.* New York Yankees vs. New York Mets

*special start times

Additional game selections for Sunday Night Baseball will be made up to two weeks prior to the date.

MLB Opening Night April 1 exclusively on ESPN

ESPN's 2021 MLB season-opening coverage begins with the exclusive, national telecast of Opening Night on Thursday, April 1, as the Washington Nationals and Max Scherzer host the New York Mets and Jacob deGrom at 7 p.m. ESPN's season-opening coverage will include 11 game telecasts in the first six days. For more information on ESPN's season-opening schedule, visit ESPN Press Room. Additionally, ESPN will exclusively televise the 2021 second half opener on Thursday, July 15 as the Boston Red Sox and Rafael Devers visit the New York Yankees and Aaron Judge at 7 p.m.

ESPN Communications notes

Honoring Joe Morgan

ESPN honors the legacy of National Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, who passed away on October 11, 2020. Morgan was ESPN's first Sunday Night Baseball analyst and alongside Jon Miller, comprised one of sports broadcasting's longest-tenured and highest-profile teams. The duo called Sunday Night Baseball from 1990 through 2010. ESPN Front Row paid tribute to Morgan in October: ESPN Remembers Joe Morgan. Rest in peace.

Celebrating Diane Lamb

ESPN celebrates the career of Diane Lamb, ESPN Communications Vice President, who retires in January after 36 years in the department. Lamb, who has led countless high-profile public relations initiatives for ESPN during her nearly four-decade career, was one of the first women to serve as a publicist in the Baseball industry. She led Sunday Night Baseball publicity for the better part of two decades during the 1990s and 2000s. We applaud her leadership and we are grateful for the roads she paved during her career.

Sunday Night Baseball launch

ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball franchise made its debut on April 15, 1990, as the Montreal Expos hosted the New York Mets from Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Expos won the game 3-1 behind pitcher Zane Smith's winning performance.

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