2024_Major_League_Baseball_season
2024 Major League Baseball season
Professional baseball season in the United States and Canada
The 2024 Major League Baseball season (MLB) is an ongoing professional baseball season in the United States and Canada. The season began on March 20–21 with a two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres held in Seoul, South Korea, before the regular season proper runs from March 28 to September 29.[1] The 94th All-Star Game is planned for July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.[2] The postseason is then scheduled to begin on October 1 with a potential World Series Game 7 set for November 2. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions are the Texas Rangers from the 2023 season. During the offseason, the Oakland Athletics were approved by MLB owners to relocate to Las Vegas in 2028.[3][4] It will also be the team's final season in Oakland as they will leave the Oakland Coliseum to temporarily play at the Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for three years.
| 2024 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | March 20 – September 29, 2024 |
| Number of games | 162 |
| Number of teams | 30 |
| TV partner(s) | Fox/FS1 TBS ESPN/ABC The Roku Channel MLB Network |
| Streaming partner(s) | Max Apple TV+ The Roku Channel |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Belongs to: Cleveland |
| Regular season | |
| Postseason | |
| World Series | |
| MLB seasons | |
On July 13, 2023, Major League Baseball released its 2024 schedule. There are 162 games scheduled for all teams. As has been the case since 2023, each team will play 13 games against their division rivals, totaling 52 games. Each team will play six games against six opponents and seven games against four opponents in the same league for a total of 64 games. Each team will also play 46 interleague games, including a four-game home-and-home series against their designated interleague rival.[5][1]
As part of the MLB World Tour, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres opened the season at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 20–21, in the first-ever MLB regular season games played in South Korea. Opening Day in North America occurred on March 28, with all but four clubs in action with the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies opening on March 29 because of a postponement due to inclement weather.[6][7] Other MLB World Tour series include the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú in Mexico City on April 27–28,[8] the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies at London Stadium in London on June 8–9,[5][1] and the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays in spring training at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo on March 9–10.
The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals are scheduled to play at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, on June 20, in a game honoring the Negro leagues and hall of fame outfielder Willie Mays. The 94th All-Star Game is planned for July 16, hosted by the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The MLB Little League Classic at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania is scheduled for August 18 with the New York Yankees taking on the Detroit Tigers.[5][1]
On December 21, 2023, MLB announced a set of rule changes that will take effect in 2024.[9]
- Following a dead ball, the pitch clock will restart as soon as the pitcher receives a new ball from the umpire (previously the clock restarted once the pitcher entered the circle around the pitcher's mound).
- When runners are on base, the pitch clock's starting time will decrease from 20 seconds to 18 seconds.
- Visits to the mound will be reduced from five to four per game. Teams will receive an extra mound visit in the ninth inning if they have used four prior to that point (or in the case of a called game the final inning by the losing team).
- The runner's lane will be widened to the cut of the infield grass in fair territory. The distance between the foul line and the infield grass will be between 18 and 24 inches in all ballparks, with a grace period for non-compliant parks to make modifications. The runner's actions are deemed legal if running in fair territory provided both feet are on or touching the dirt.
- A pitcher who warms up at the start of an inning must face at least one batter; he may not be replaced during or after warmups unless injured.
American League
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National League
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Spring training for the 2024 season began in late February and lasted through March. Teams began workouts and practice for spring training beginning in mid-February. Pitchers and catchers reported first, followed by position players a few days later.[10]
Prior to the start of the regular season, each team played between 27 and 34 spring training games (with the exception of the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, who played a shortened spring training of 21 and 22 games respectively, due to their regular season games in Seoul), beginning on February 22. There were several times during spring training where a team had two different squads playing different teams simultaneously. In addition to spring training games, teams occasionally played exhibition games with non-MLB teams, such as Minor League Baseball teams, independent teams, or college teams. These exhibition games are not counted in spring training standings. Spring training ended on March 26, two days before the Opening Day.
During spring training in 2024, MLB launched a new initiative called MLB Spring Breakout. Each organization puts together a team of their best prospects to compete against another organization's prospects from March 14 to March 17.[11]
General managers
Off-season
| Team | Former GM | Reason For Leaving | New GM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | Rick Hahn | Fired | Chris Getz | On August 22, 2023, Hahn and Executive Vice President Kenny Williams, who both held their previous titles since 2012, were fired.
On August 31, Chris Getz was named the new general manager and senior vice president of the team.[12] |
| Boston Red Sox | Brian O'Halloran | Reassigned | Craig Breslow | On September 14, 2023, O'Halloran accepted the position of senior vice president of baseball operations with the team.[13]
On October 25, Breslow was hired to the position of Chief Baseball Officer, which encompasses the duties of general manager. |
| New York Mets | Billy Eppler | Resigned | David Stearns | On October 5, 2023, Eppler resigned as general manager as a result of MLB opening an investigation into his potentially improper use of the injured list.[14]
On October 1, Stearns was hired to the position of President of Baseball Operations, which encompasses the duties of general manager. |
| Miami Marlins | Kim Ng | Peter Bendix | On October 16, 2023, Ng resigned as general manager after three years. The Marlins made one postseason appearance during her tenure.[15]
On November 5, Bendix was hired by the Miami Marlins to be their President of Baseball Operations.[16] | |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Peter Bendix | Hired by the Miami Marlins | N/A | On November 5, 2023, Bendix was hired by the Miami Marlins to be their President of Baseball Operations, which encompasses the duties of general manager.[16] |
Field managers
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | Interim Manager | Reason For Leaving | New Manager | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants | Gabe Kapler | Kai Correa | Fired | Bob Melvin | On September 29, 2023, the Giants fired Kapler. After four seasons with the team, he compiled a record of 295–248 (.543) and made the playoffs once in 2021.
Bench coach Kai Correa was named interim manager for the final three games of the 2023 season.[17] Melvin was hired on October 25. This will be his fifth managerial position, previously managing in Seattle, Arizona, Oakland, and San Diego, compiling a lifetime managerial record of 1,517–1,425 (.516).[18] |
| New York Mets | Buck Showalter | N/A | Carlos Mendoza | On October 1, 2023, Showalter that announced he would not return to manage the Mets for the 2024 season. According to team owner Steve Cohen and general manager Billy Eppler, the Mets informed Showalter that they did not plan to bring him back for next season, even though he had one year left on his contract. He compiled a record of 176–148 (.543) in two seasons with the team with one playoff appearance.[19]
On November 13, Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza was named the new manager of the team.[20] | |
| Los Angeles Angels | Phil Nevin | Option not picked up | Ron Washington | On October 2, 2023, the Angels announced they would not be picking up Nevin's option for 2024. After taking over as manager in June 2022, he compiled a record of 119–149 (.444) with no playoff appearances.[21]
Washington was hired on November 8. This will be his second managerial position, previously managing Texas from 2007 to 2014, going 664–611 (.521) and winning the AL pennant in back-to-back seasons in 2010 and 2011.[22] | |
| Cleveland Guardians | Terry Francona | Retired | Stephen Vogt | On October 3, 2023, Francona announced he was stepping away as manager of the Guardians. In 11 seasons with Cleveland, he compiled a record of 921–757 (.549) with six playoff appearances, three AL Central division titles, and a World Series appearance.[23]
Vogt was hired on November 6. This will be his first managerial position.[24] | |
| San Diego Padres | Bob Melvin | Hired by the San Francisco Giants | Mike Shildt | Melvin was granted permission from the Padres to become the manager of the San Francisco Giants on October 24, 2023. In his tenure with the Padres, he compiled a record of 171–153 (.528), with one playoff appearance, advancing to the NLCS in 2022.[18]
On November 21, Mike Shildt was named the new manager of the Padres. This will be his second managerial position.[25] | |
| Houston Astros | Dusty Baker | Retired | Joe Espada | On October 25, 2023, Baker announced his retirement after four seasons with the Astros and 26 years overall as a manager. He finished his tenure with the Astros with a 320–226 (.586) record, winning the 2022 World Series.[26]
On November 13, Joe Espada was named the new manager of the team. This is his first managerial position.[27] | |
| Chicago Cubs | David Ross | Fired | Craig Counsell | On November 6, 2023, the Cubs fired Ross after four seasons with the Cubs. he finished his tenure with a 262–284 (.480) record, with one playoff appearance, winning the NL Central in the 2020 season.
Counsell was hired on the same day. As the Brewers manager, he compiled a record of 707–625 (.531), with three NL Central division titles and five overall playoff appearances.[28] | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Craig Counsell | Contract expired | Pat Murphy | Counsell's contract with the Brewers expired on November 1, 2023. The Brewers offered a contract extension to Counsell weeks prior, before the 53-year-old became a free agent and interviewed with other clubs. Counsell became the manager of the Chicago Cubs on November 6. As the Brewers manager for nine seasons, he compiled a record of 707–625 (.531), with three NL Central division titles and five overall playoff appearances.[29]
On November 15, Pat Murphy was named the new manager of the team. This will be his second managerial position.[30] |
(Updated through June 6)
American League
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National League
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Batters
- Tyler O'Neill (BOS):
- Hit a home run on Opening Day for the fifth consecutive season, setting a new Major League record. He broke the record that he held with Yogi Berra, Gary Carter, and Todd Hundley.[31]
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN):
- Became the first player with a 450-foot-plus homer and an inside-the-park HR in the same game under the Statcast era (2015) on April 8 against the Milwaukee Brewers.[32]
- With his 30th stolen base on May 16, De La Cruz became the sixth player in Major League history to reach 30 stolen bases in his team's first 44 games.[33]
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD):
- Hit his 176th career home run against the New York Mets on April 21, setting a new Major League record for most home runs by a Japanese-born player. He broke the record that was held by Hideki Matsui.[34]
- Pete Alonso (NYM):
- Hit his 200th career home run against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 27 in his 710th career game, the fourth fastest player in Major League history to reach that milestone.[35]
- Gunnar Henderson (BAL):
- Became the youngest player in Major League history to hit 10 home runs before May 1 of a season (22 years, 305 days old) on April 29 against the New York Yankees.[36]
- Juan Soto (NYY):
- Drew his 669th career walk on May 14 against the Minnesota Twins, setting a new Major League record for most walks drawn by a batter before they celebrated their 26th birthday (25 years, 202 days old). He broke the record that was held by Mickey Mantle.[37]
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Ronel Blanco (HOU):
- Threw the first no-hitter of the season, his career, and the 17th in team history in a 10–0 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1. Blanco threw 105 pitches with 73 for strikes. He walked two and struck out seven batters.[38]
Other pitching accomplishments
- Ronel Blanco (HOU):
- Blanco faced 44 batters in a row before giving up his first hit, a single by Adolis García in the sixth inning on April 7 against the Texas Rangers. It is the most by a pitcher to begin a season in at least the expansion era (since 1961).[39]
- Shōta Imanaga (CHC):
- After his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 18, Imanaga's ERA stood at 0.84 on the season. This set a Major League record for the lowest ERA through his first nine career starts since ERA became an official statistic in 1913. The old record was set in 1981 by Fernando Valenzuela with an ERA of 0.91.[40]
- Jeremiah Estrada (SD):
- Set the Major League record for most consecutive strike outs (since 1961), when he struck out his 12th straight batter on May 28 against the Miami Marlins. He broke the record that was set by José Alvarado. He then struck out his 13th straight batter to complete the inning.[41]
Miscellaneous
- Arizona Diamondbacks:
- The Diamondbacks set a Major League record for most runs scored in an inning on Opening Day, by scoring 14 runs in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies.[42]
- Colorado Rockies:
- The Rockies set a Major League record for a team with the most consecutive games to start a season trailing, with 30 games in a row on May 1 against the Miami Marlins.[43]
Monthly awards
Player of the MonthMain article: Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award
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Rookie of the MonthMain article: Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month Award
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Pitcher of the MonthMain article: Major League Baseball Pitcher of the Month Award
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Reliever of the MonthMain article: Major League Baseball Reliever of the Month Award
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Wholesale changes
- Nike's new Vapor Premier template started being used across all Major League uniforms in 2024, replacing the previous Majestic Athletic FlexBase template that Nike inherited upon taking over MLB's uniform contract in 2020. The new template was first used in the uniforms worn during the 2023 All-Star Game.[44] The Nike Vapor Premier uniforms, manufactured by Fanatics, have received criticism from players and fans for its subpar quality compared to previous uniforms.[45][46] During spring training, the Royals opted out of using the Vapor Premier template, instead wearing unifoms that feature the larger player name and number font used by the older uniforms.[47] In late April 2024, the MLB Players Association sent a memo to players stating that the uniforms would be overhauled, at the latest by the start of the 2025 season, hoping to rectify many of the complaints aimed at Nike's Vapor Premier template. The MLBPA "placed the blame on Nike" and the Vapor Premier uniform, claiming "Nike was innovating something that didn't need to be innovated", while "absolv[ing] Fanatics".[48]
- The Diamondbacks unveiled a new uniform set, adding teal as a full-time accent color. Cream returned as the base color on the home uniforms for the first time since 2006, as is the alternate "D-snake" logo. Sand was removed entirely from the uniforms, except for the "City Connect" uniform.[49]
- Due to Nike's 4+1 Rule, the Phillies dropped their red alternate uniform in favor a City Connect uniform to be unveiled during the 2024 season. It had been used in the regular season for home games in 2016 and 2017, and again from 2021 to 2023 for road games.[50]
- The Mets removed the white outline on the text and logo on their black alternate jerseys and caps.[51]
- The Yankees made slight changes to their road uniform by removing the white outline on the lettering and numbering as well as the stripe pattern on their sleeves. It was the first time since 1972 that the team had changed their road uniforms.[52]
- The Nationals added a pullover alternate uniform and changed their road uniforms. It was the first time since the Cincinnati Reds uniforms from 1972–1992 to have a pullover jersey on a regular basis. The team also retired their red alternate uniform with a white curly "W".[53] The team also removed the front numbers to their home and alternate navy jerseys.[54]
- The Marlins modified their black alternate uniforms by featuring white accents to the team's name on the front and player's name and number on the back. The team also introduced and modified their teal alternate uniforms by featuring the team's name as well.[55]
- The Braves added a red-lining to their alternate navy jerseys.[56]
Uniform advertisements
This is the second year where teams added advertisement patches to their uniforms. The following teams have announced their uniform advertisements.
City Connect
Eight additional teams will unveil new City Connect uniforms and wear them for the first time during the season. Additionally, the Los Angeles Dodgers will unveil a new City Connect this year, becoming the first team to change their City Connect uniform since the program's inception.[44]
- The Phillies' City Connect uniform features blue and yellow colors across the uniform, inspired by the Flag of Philadelphia. The jersey features Philadelphia's common abbreviation "PHILLY" across the chest in white lettering. The cap features the Liberty Bell, with the skyline of Philadelphia inside and two stars on each side.[60]
- The Mets' City Connect uniform features several elements that are related to New York City. The jersey features purple pinstripes and New York's abbreviation "NYC" across the chest. The cap features the Mets' "NY" interlocked logo along with the Queensboro Bridge, which connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens. The purple color was inspired by the 7 subway line that runs to Citi Field.[61]
- The Rays' City Connect uniform features the city name outlined in neon across the chest, similar to the Devil Rays road jersey from 1998 to 2000. The cap features the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which crosses into St. Petersburg along with the sting-ray, also called "skyray". Another logo features three palm trees and a pelican, both of which have several ties to the area, symbolizing the "Bro Bowl" skate park and the St. Petersburg Pelicans of the Florida State Negro League in the 1940s and 50's.
- The Tigers' City Connect uniform features elements that pay tribute to the automotive industry in Detroit. The jersey features blue and black gradient coloring and Detroit's nickname "Motor City" across the chest in white lettering. The cap is also black and features the city name across and in white lettering.
- The Guardians' City Connect uniform features elements that pay tribute to the Guardians of Traffic. The jersey features Cleveland's abbreviation "CLE" in white art-deco lettering inside of a dark blue base. It also features a red and white stripe pattern around the uniform which pays tribute to Cleveland's past uniforms in the 1990s. The cap features a dark blue diamond shape "C" along with the white and dark blue colors.
- The Cardinals' City Connect uniform features the nickname of St. Louis, "The Lou" across the chest of the jersey and featuring the "birds on the bat" logo. The cap is red and features the abbreviation in St. Louis "STL" across and in white lettering. The font for the abbreviation is from their 1920 uniforms.
- The Blue Jays' City Connect uniforms features several elements that are inspired by Toronto's nightlife. The jersey features the city name and the skyline of Toronto in red and blue colors. The cap features a "split T" logo in red and blue and a maple leaf, which is inspired from the Flag of Toronto.
Anniversaries and special events
| Team | Special occasion |
|---|---|
| All Teams | Jackie Robinson Day (April 15) |
| Pink Ribbons for breast cancer awareness (May 12, Mother's Day) | |
| Patch for Armed Forces Day (May 20) and Camouflage caps for Armed Force's Day Weekend (May 19–21) | |
| Poppy for Memorial Day (May 27) | |
| #4 patch for Lou Gehrig Day (June 2) | |
| "Play Ball" patch in partnership with USA Baseball and USA Softball (June 7–9) | |
| Blue Ribbons for prostate cancer (June 16, Father's Day) | |
| Gold Ribbons for childhood cancer (September 1) | |
| #21 patch for Roberto Clemente Day (September 15) | |
| "MLB Debut" patch for players who play their first Major League game | |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Inaugural season of the Arizona Diamondback team Hall of Fame. Luis Gonzalez and Randy Johnson will be the 1st inductees.[62] |
| Atlanta Braves | 50th Anniversary of Hank Aaron's 715th Home Run |
| Baltimore Orioles | 70th Anniversary Season |
| Boston Red Sox | 20th Anniversary of 2004 World Series Championship |
| #49 Patch in memory of Tim Wakefield[63] | |
| Chicago Cubs | "OTIS" patch in memory of clubhouse manager Tom "Otis" Hellmann (April 6) |
| Cleveland Guardians | 30th Anniversary of Progressive Field |
| Detroit Tigers | 40th Anniversary of 1984 World Series Championship |
| New York Mets | 55th Anniversary of 1969 World Series Championship |
| #3 Patch in memory of Bud Harrelson | |
| New York Yankees | 15th Anniversary of 2009 World Series Championship |
| 25th Anniversary of 1999 World Series Championship | |
| Oakland Athletics | 35th Anniversary of 1989 World Series Championship |
| 50th Anniversary of 1974 World Series Championship | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 20th Anniversary of Citizens Bank Park |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 45th Anniversary of 1979 World Series Championship |
| San Diego Padres | 20th Anniversary of Petco Park |
| "PS" patch in memory of owner Peter Seidler[64] | |
| San Francisco Giants | 10th Anniversary of 2014 World Series Championship |
| Seattle Mariners | 25th Anniversary of T-Mobile Park |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 60th Anniversary of 1964 World Series Championship |
| #24 patch in memory of Whitey Herzog (May 17 onwards) | |
| Texas Rangers | 2024 MLB All-Star Game |
| 2023 World Series championship (March 28) | |
| Washington Nationals | 5th Anniversary of 2019 World Series Championship |
Other uniforms
- The Rangers wore gold-trimmed home uniforms on March 28 and March 30 to commemorate their 2023 World Series championship.
- All players, managers, and umpires wore #42 on April 15, the 77th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut in the majors.
- Starting with this season, all players, managers, and umpires wore #4 on June 2 to honor Lou Gehrig day.
The Oakland Athletics lease with the Oakland Coliseum expires after the end of the season. On June 15, 2023, the team officially announced they would begin the relocation process to Las Vegas. The move was approved by the other MLB owners on November 16. The Athletics would move into a new 33,000-seat fixed roof ballpark by the 2028 season.[3] On April 4, 2024, the Athletics announced they would play at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California for the next three seasons with an option for 2028 before moving to Las Vegas, making this their final season in Oakland.[65]
Television
National
This is the third year of the existing seven-year deals with ESPN, Fox, TBS, Apple TV+, and MLB Network.[66]
Linear television
- Fox continues to air their Baseball Night in America and Fox Saturday Baseball slate of exclusive games on Saturday and select Thursday nights. The network will also air the 2024 MLB All-Star Game and the game at Rickwood Field, all of those are exclusive games.[67] FS1 also broadcasts non-exclusive games.[68] Following his retirement, Adam Wainwright joined Fox as a full-time color commentator. He previously had done color commentary for Fox during select playoff games.[69]
- TBS continues to broadcast Tuesday Night Baseball. Most games are blacked out in the home markets of the teams playing, however, TBS is allowed to co-exist once with a teams' local broadcast.[70]
- ESPN continues to broadcast Sunday Night Baseball, with the option to show alternate broadcasts. ESPN also exclusively air five other non-Sunday night games, including a primetime game on opening night and one game from the MLB London Series. ESPN also aired both games from the MLB Seoul Series and one game from the MLB Mexico City Series, though those games are blacked out in local markets.[71] The network also has the rights to the Home Run Derby.[72] Select games may air on ABC and ESPN2.
- MLB Network continues to broadcast games daily. While most games are simulcasts of the home teams' regional sports network broadcasts, select games are produced by the network under its MLB Network Showcase banner. All games are blacked out in the home markets of the teams playing.[73]
Streaming
- This is the first regular season that the streaming service Max will simulcast TBS' games on its Bleacher Report Sports Add-on tier.[74]
- Apple TV+ continues to hold the rights to Friday Night Baseball.[66] Apple had option to opt out of the Friday Night Baseball deal prior to this season, however on March 7 it announced that it would not opt out therefore it would not be able to exit the agreement until it expires in the 2028 season.[66] This would also be the second year of DirecTV's sub-licensing agreement to show these games to commercial establishments.[75][76]
- The Roku Channel replaced Peacock as the home for MLB Sunday Leadoff. Games are also available to MLB.tv customers blackout-free.[77]
- ESPN+ continues to hold the rights to stream one game a day. All games are blacked out in local markets.[78]
Postseason
During the postseason, the ESPN networks, including ABC (with Spanish–language simulcasts on ESPN Deportes) will air all four Wild Card Series.[72] TBS (with Spanish-language simulcasts on MLB Network) will then broadcast the American League Division Series and the American League Championship Series,[70] and Fox Sports (Fox and FS1, with Spanish-language simulcasts on Fox Deportes) will broadcast the National League Division Series, the National League Championship Series, and the World Series.[68]
Local
- On October 31, 2023, the Minnesota Twins announced that television play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer would leave the booth to join the team's front office as its special assistant.[79] On December 1, the Twins replaced Bremer with Cory Provus, and Kris Atteberry took Provus' place as the radio play-by-play announcer.[80]
- On November 9, Jason Benetti left the Chicago White Sox to join the Detroit Tigers as its lead television play-by-play announcer. Benetti replaced Matt Shepard whose contract was not renewed by Bally Sports Detroit. Dan Dickerson, the team's lead radio play-by-play announcer, will call games when Benetti has assignments with Fox Sports.[81]
- On December 18, C. J. Nitkowski left the Texas Rangers to join the Atlanta Braves as its primary television analyst. Jeff Francoeur, who served as the Braves' primary analyst the previous season, will continue to make occasional appearances.[82]
- On January 25, 2024, the Chicago White Sox announced John Schriffen as their lead television play-by-play announcer, replacing Jason Benetti who departed to join the Detroit Tigers as their lead play-by-play television announcer.[83]
- On February 13, the Oakland Athletics announced Jenny Cavnar as their lead television play-by-play announcer. She will be the first woman to be the primary play-by-play voice of an MLB team.[84] On February 20, the Athletics also hired Chris Caray, son of St. Louis Cardinals announcer Chip Caray, to serve as Cavnar's backup.[85]
- On February 13, the Texas Rangers' broadcast team for 2024 was announced with Mike Bacsik, Dave Valle and David Murphy splitting analyst duties and Jared Sandler taking over as the backup TV play-by-play announcer behind Dave Raymond. The trio of Bacsik, Valle and Murphy replaced C. J. Nitkowski who joined the Braves broadcast team.[86]
AT&T SportsNet closure
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) wound down its AT&T SportsNet regional sports network (RSN) business prior to the start of the 2024 season.[87] The move affected the Colorado Rockies on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, the Houston Astros on AT&T SportsNet Southwest, and the Pittsburgh Pirates on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
The Astros and the NBA's Houston Rockets took over AT&T SportsNet Southwest and rebranded it to the Space City Home Network after the end of the Astros' regular season on October 3, 2023.[88] Fenway Sports Group, owners of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Red Sox, took over AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, rebranding it to just SportsNet Pittsburgh on October 2, 2023.[89] On December 13, 2023, the Pirates announced they would jointly own SportsNet Pittsburgh beginning on January 1, 2024. NESN, through Fenway Sports Group, will operate the network.[90][91] In February, MLB Local Media took over production of Rockies games.[92]
WBD had owned a 29% share of Root Sports Northwest, the Mariners' RSN, through the end of the 2023 season, and had produced Mariners telecasts. The Mariners took full control of the network on January 1, 2024.[93]
Diamond Sports bankruptcy
This would be the second season affected by the February 2023 bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, owners of the Bally Sports regional sports networks. Diamond Sports Group may cut ties with additional teams it previously had deals with. The rights of those teams that Major League Baseball took over from Diamond midway through the 2023 season, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres, could also change in 2024.[94] Diamond's deal with the Minnesota Twins also expired before the season.[95]
On February 2, 2024, Diamond Sports announced agreements with the Rangers, Guardians and Twins that will result in a decreased rights fee and will end their contracts with Diamond after the 2024 season.[96][97]
Radio
Local
- On April 15, 2024, New York Yankees radio announcer John Sterling announced his retirement effective immediately. Sterling had been the radio voice of the Yankees since 1989 and also called games for the Atlanta Braves from 1982 to 1987.[98] The Yankees are expected to replace Sterling with Justin Shackil and Emmanuel Berbari on radio play-by-play.[99][100]
The following players and coaches retired during the 2024 season and before the start of the 2025 campaign:
- Shin-Soo Choo – December 14, 2023 (announced); will retire at the end of the season[101]
- Tim Lopes – March 28, 2024[102]
- William Woods – April 2[103]
- Stephen Strasburg – April 6[104]
- Beau Taylor – April 14[105]
- Khris Davis – May 12[106]
- Dylan Bundy – May 13[107]
- Dwight Gooden had his No. 16 retired by the New York Mets on April 14. This was the eighth number retired by the team.[108]
- Darryl Strawberry had his No. 18 retired by the New York Mets on June 1. This was the ninth number retired by the team.[108]
- Jim Leyland will have his No. 10 retired by the Detroit Tigers on August 3. This will be the tenth number retired by the team.[109]
- "MLB releases 2024 schedule; all 30 teams play March 28". ESPN.com. July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
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- Feinsand, Mark (November 16, 2023). "Owners' vote approves A's relocation to Las Vegas for 2028". MLB.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
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