The 2025 MLB season officially kicked off on Tuesday morning with the MLB Tokyo Series in Japan. However, the season opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs saw Fox take a less-than-stellar approach to its coverage. While Jason Benetti and A.J. Pierzynski called the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory, neither was present in Japan, as Fox opted for a remote broadcast. Benetti had NCAA Tournament duties with Westwood One, and Adam Amin, who will call Game 2 on FS1 alongside Pierzynski, was tied up with the Chicago Bulls’ West Coast trip.
The conflicts arising from commencing the MLB season overseas while coinciding with the NCAA Tournament’s first round explain some of the remote decision-making, yet the circumstances were still less than ideal. Audiences quickly picked up on oddities in Tuesday’s broadcast, highlighting the issues at hand.
It’s 6 AM EST and no one’s watching the first game of the MLB season because they’re so bad at promoting their stuff but the FOX remote broadcast is an embarrassment.
We already know the pitch that has been thrown… before Imanga even starts his windup. pic.twitter.com/PwfmRlE7zT
— Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) March 18, 2025
FOX broadcast is showing pitch type and pitch speed 3 seconds before the pitch is thrown. #TokyoSeries
— 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞 (@normposter) March 18, 2025
Threw the Tokyo Series game on the TV, and the Fox broadcast has the delay messed up so the pitch tracking information (“four seam fastball, 93mph”) appears while the pitcher is still in the windup. #baseball pic.twitter.com/wNehWQ5D9H
— Chad Orzel (@orzelc) March 18, 2025
The audio on this Fox broadcast is so off.
— Aaron (@Coach_Them_Up) March 18, 2025
As highlighted in the tweets, Fox’s scorebug graphic incorrectly revealed pitch outcomes—including pitch type and ball/strike status—before the ball was even thrown. Additionally, Fox temporarily removed its K-Zone graphic between the second and fourth innings, creating confusion about whether it was due to a technical glitch or other delays. In contrast, local broadcasts in Japan, which were on-site, experienced similar issues but did not face the same errors as Fox’s coverage.
While remote broadcasts have become more common—particularly with networks like Fox—it was disheartening to observe a high-profile game receive such a lackluster presentation. The overall promotion for the Tokyo Series felt insufficient, making it seem less like Opening Day and more like a random early-season game played at 6 a.m. ET, well ahead of the regular season’s true start.
