Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts will once again be mic’d up for a live, in-game conversation with ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball team on May 7 when the Dodgers visit the San Diego Padres (7 p.m. ET, ESPN & ESPN App).
Betts is no stranger to the mic’d up dynamic. In fact, he helped start the innovative trend during spring training in 2018 as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
🔊⬆️: “I ain’t getting this one, boys” 😂 pic.twitter.com/SzmuWKbEi0
— ESPN (@espn) March 27, 2018
“Mookie is one of the biggest reasons why mic’d up is so successful,” said Eduardo Perez, Sunday Night Baseball analyst. “He wore it in Spring Training a few years back with us and it became the talk of baseball.”
The concept, which ESPN has spearheaded, is a player wears a microphone and has a live conversation with ESPN’s commentators while in the field of play. It is designed to provide rare access and deep insight into the player’s personality and perspective while playing a Major League Baseball game.
“To get to know the players at a level we don’t really get to see is the best,” continued Perez. “Baseball is making an effort to make sure the fan experience both at the ballpark and at home is the best it can possibly be.”
Perez has been one of the driving forces behind the success of ESPN’s in-game player conversations, utilizing his unparalleled relationships with players throughout the game, as well as coaching players on why the spotlight of ESPN’s mic’d up is a positive for their brands and baseball as a whole.
“Mookie being mic’d up is a Home Run! The big question this time around is will he be playing RF, 2B or SS? I can’t wait to find out where that mic will be!”
