ESPN will exclusively televise the Major League Baseball exhibition game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team on Tuesday, March 22, at 1:30 p.m. ET at Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana, Cuba. In addition, ESPN Deportes will provide the exclusive Spanish-language telecast and the game will be streamed live via WatchESPN. President Barack Obama is expected to attend the game as part of his historic trip to Cuba.
ESPN-MLB-Cuban Connection
ESPN Monday Night Baseball analyst Eduardo Perez, the son of Cuban Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Perez, will provide analysis for the game. He’ll be joined by ESPN Wednesday Night Baseball analyst Doug Glanville and play-by-play commentator Karl Ravech (Baseball Tonight, Monday Night Baseball). Additionally, ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez, who is the son of Cuban refugees, will provide reports, alongside ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian.
ESPN Deportes’ on-site game coverage will be led by play-by-play voice Ernesto Jerez, with analyst Candy Maldonado and reporter Guillermo Celis. ESPN Deportes will also televiseBeisbol Esta Noche from Bristol, Conn. prior to the game at 1 p.m. Luis Alfredo Alvarez and analyst Enrique Rojas will preview the game. Renato Bermudez will call the game for ESPN Deportes Radio alongside analyst Jose Francisco Rivera. ESPNDeportes.com will also provide extensive coverage including features on Cuban players, history of the sport in Cuba, highlights, and pre/post analysis. Marly Rivera will present bilingual reports from Cuba forESPNDeportes.com and One Nación.
SportsCenter, Outside The Lines in Cuba
On Tuesday, March 22, game coverage will be preceded by a special 90-minute, on-site edition of SportsCenter, hosted by Hannah Storm, at 12 p.m. The show will include interviews withESPN MLB analysts. Additionally, SportsCenter will cover player workouts live on Monday, March 21 from Cuba. On Sunday, March 20, ESPN will televise a one-hour edition of Outside The Lines: Major League Baseball Returns to Cuba, hosted by Bob Ley, from Havana, Cuba.OTL will include a Pedro Gomez piece on Jose Abreu’s son and a Paula Lavigne piece on the Gourriel brothers. A full schedule of ESPN telecasts from Cuba is below:
| Date | Time (ET) | Telecast |
| Sun, March 20 | 9 a.m. | Outside The Lines: Major League Baseball Returns to Cuba (ESPN) |
| Mon, March 21 | 1:30 p.m. | Outside The Lines: Major League Baseball Returns to Cuba (ESPN2) |
| Tue, March 22 | 12 p.m. | SportsCenter On The Road (ESPN) |
| 1 p.m. | Beisbol Esta Noche (ESPN Deportes) | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cuban National Team presented by Corona Extra (ESPN) |
Note: ESPN televised the last Major League Baseball exhibition game in Cuba, on March 28, 1999. The Baltimore Orioles played the Cuban National Team.