Joe Buck is preparing to call a Major League Baseball Opening Day game for ESPN, but he’s approaching it with immense seriousness, treating it like something much larger. This week, he is working his first MLB game for ESPN since joining the network, taking on the Opening Day broadcast of the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers. During an appearance on Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo’s SiriusXM Radio show, Buck emphasized that he’s not taking this lightly.
“It would be a nightmare to go in and do a game after having not done a game since 2021 and just kinda wing it when fans that are watching want to know about the Yankees 2025 prospects, who’s there, who wasn’t there a year ago and vice versa, and the same for the Brewers,” Buck explained. “The worst thing I could do is go in and act like this is no big deal. I’m treating this as if I’m doing World Series Game 7 on Thursday; you have to.” While Buck has ramped up his preparation this week, he’s been diligently researching the teams for the past month. “I’m the network guy come Thursday,” Buck continued. “I feel like it’s always the same for me. Whether I’m calling a baseball game, a football game, or the U.S. Open, I must prepare so that if I royally screw something up, at least I know I gave it my best effort… if you go in prepared, you’re likely to perform better. That’s how I view this game on Thursday, or any game I do.”
This marks Buck’s first national MLB broadcast since 2021, although he did join Chip Caray for a Cardinals game last season. Initially, Buck went all-in on preparing for a Cardinals-Chicago Cubs game with Caray, but that matchup was rained out. When he later joined the Cardinals booth for a game against the Texas Rangers, he admits he took that encounter “a little more lightly.” However, calling a Yankees-Brewers game nationally for ESPN presents a different challenge than local broadcasts. The Cardinals game with Caray was a celebratory event, marking a historic moment—it’s the first time in over fifty years that a Buck and Caray have shared a call, following in the footsteps of Joe’s father, Jack, and Chip’s grandfather, Harry, who formed an iconic broadcasting duo.
Despite the criticism Joe Buck faced during his time calling MLB games nationally on Fox, baseball fans are eager to see him back in the booth this week, and ESPN is undoubtedly thrilled as well, even if it is just for one game.
