Yankees v Red Sox: BBC to show Major League Baseball games
- Published
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox's bitter rivalry will be showcased on BBC Sport as the first match of a new five-year deal between the broadcaster and Major League Baseball.
The two teams meet on Saturday at Yankee Stadium with the hosts closing in on a play-off spot.
BBC Sport will also show MLB's London Series games, beginning with the Chicago Cubs' meeting with the St Louis Cardinals in June 2023, having screened the inaugural London Series between the Yankees and Red Sox in 2019.
That was part of a two-year deal signed in 2019 to cover the first MLB games played in Europe - although the 2020 London Series did not take place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, it will return in 2023. 2024 and 2026, with the London Stadium - home to football's West Ham United - hosting the Cubs and Cardinals next summer.
The new BBC-MLB agreement also extends to broadcasting US-based games in the United Kingdom.
The Yankees and Red Sox's meeting on Saturday, live on the BBC, is the third match of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
It will be live on BBC iPlayer, Red Button and on the BBC Sport website and app from 18:00 BST with a commentary team that includes former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, renowned MLB broadcaster Melanie Newman and Felix White, guitarist for The Maccabees who co-presents cricket's Tailenders podcast on BBC Sounds.
Yankees outfielder hitter Aaron Judge is on the verge of breaking a 61-year-old record for most home runs in an American League (AL) season.
As of Wednesday, Judge is on 60 homers, level with the mark set by Babe Ruth in 1927 and one short of the AL record of 61 set by Roger Maris 34 years later.
Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa have all hit more home runs in an MLB season, but all were playing for National League clubs at the time. Bonds holds the all-time MLB record with 73, set in 2001 while playing for the San Francisco Giants.
The 162-game regular season ends on 5 October.
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