For The First Time, An All-Female Crew Will Broadcast A Major League Baseball Game

Melanie Newman, broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles, will handle play-by-play duties. "At some point soon, I think we're on our way to this just being a normal day in a broadcast," Newman says.

Transcript

NOEL KING, HOST:

Tomorrow night and on-air crew will make sportscasting history.

MELANIE NEWMAN: It's the first time that it's an all-female broadcast for a Major League Baseball game.

KING: Fans watching the Baltimore Orioles play the Tampa Bay Rays will not hear a single male voice during the coverage.

NEWMAN: It's everything. It's down from the pre- and post-game, which will be hosted by Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner, down through the actual game itself and the end of the post-game.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

That's Melanie Newman. She's the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles, with Sarah Langs also in the booth for analysis and Alanna Rizzo handling the duties of on-field reporter. For Newman, it's part of the journey that began growing up in a family full of sports fans.

NEWMAN: We were the kids that wanted to pay attention. We wanted to know everything and be a part of everything and ask as many questions as we could.

MARTINEZ: And she says when playing sports didn't pan out, she started writing and talking about them instead.

KING: Newman worked as a minor league announcer, then finally got called up to the majors last year. She is very aware that she's entered one of the oldest of the old boy networks.

NEWMAN: It's a male sport. So it's naturally going to start that way. We're not alone in saying that it's surprising that it has taken this long for it to open up a little bit more in terms of diversity.

KING: There are still very few female broadcasters covering pro baseball full time, which Newman is aware of.

NEWMAN: It's myself, Suzyn Waldman, Jenny Cavnar and Jessica Mendoza. And then there are six at the minor league level.

MARTINEZ: The NHL, NBA and even the NFL have had all-women announcing and production teams in the past few years. But this is going to be a first for MLB.

NEWMAN: It's crazy that we're still doing all these firsts. I feel like that's been most of my career, has been first female this, first female that. But the good thing about it is that we're not the last.

MARTINEZ: You can watch Newman and her colleagues make history tomorrow night on MLB's Game of the Week, live on YouTube.

NEWMAN: At some point soon, I think we're on our way to this just being a normal day in a broadcast.

KING: You said it, sister.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHASTITY BELT'S "JOKE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.