ADVERTISEMENT MLB Opening Day 2026 Riding WBC Momentum, FOX Sports Gears Up for Its Biggest MLB Season Yet By: Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. • Posted on: March 26, 2026 • 4 minute read ADVERTISEMENT The operations team is prepared for the 85+ regular-season games, All-Star Game, and full postseason to come FOX Sports will throw out the first pitch on its 2026 MLB regular season slate on Saturday with sustained momentum at its back. The network just wrapped a massively successful run of World Baseball Classic productions with the dramatic Final notching the largest audience ever for a WBC telecast . Rather than treating it as a detour, FOX’s operations team used every day of it as a dress rehearsal for the long haul ahead. “Having an extra month to prepare has helped us get ready for the MLB regular season,” says Francisco Contreras, Executive Director of Field Operations at FOX Sports . “Doing host feed games during the pool games and quarterfinals gives us an advantage to start the season strong.” In a WBC year, months that might otherwise be filled with pre-season planning are instead spent deploying real-world productions , stress-testing workflows, and providing important reps for the crew. Now, Fox is set to pivot seamlessly into regular season baseball on Saturday beginning with Twins-Orioles (4 p.m. ET) on FS1 and regionalized coverage of Yankees-Giants or Royals-Braves (7 p.m. ET) on FOX. A Multi-Tiered Production Model In all, FOX Sports will broadcast more than 85 MLB Games this season, including 23 Baseball Night in America Saturday telecasts on FOX. For the regular season, FOX Sports will deploy a mix of on-site, HRP (Home Run Production), and host feed broadcasts. Fox will lean regional feeds and home show trucks for early season games. For Host Feed and HRP national games, FOX augments those home trucks with proprietary HRP kits. FOX will also boost its camera complement and overall production levels for select marquee games throughout the season, starting with a Red Sox-Yankees matchup in The Bronx on June 6. FOX also plans to be bringing the studio show on-site for a handful of games in June and July to help enhance its coverage leading into the MLB All-Star Game. A Schedule Built for Big Moments After setting the tone with Saturday’s Opening Weekend broadcasts, FOX’s early season schedule primarily consists of Saturday telecasts on FOX and Monday telecasts on FS1. FOX’s slate includes a series of marquee matchups like the Subway series on May 16, the aforementioned Yankees-Red Sox game on June 6, and an Independence Day-themed Cubs-Cardinals matchup on July 4. Then comes one of FOX Sports’ biggest tentpole events: The MLB All-Star Game. As usual, expect FOX to pull out all the stops in terms of production toys. Last year’s effort featured a a mix of UmpCam and MindFly bodycams on the four umpires in the infield, an extended FlyCam cabled system, two AR-enabled drones in the air, and a whopping 10 player-mic kits — the most ever deployed for an All-Star Game. And the back half of the season is loaded with playoff-atmosphere matchups that could garner enhanced production resources – from the Dodgers visiting Yankee Stadium in July to a pair of late-August and September Red Sox-Yankees showdowns that could carry genuine standings implications. FOX then heads into the MLB Postseason in October, capping an extended year of baseball that began with the WBC’s opening pitch in early March and concludes with a World Series that could run into the first week of November. This season, will feature a new producer at the front bench following the retirement of Fox Sports MLB stalwart Pete Macheska. Aaron Stojkov will take over in the producer chair alongside returning director Matt Gangl. Behind the scenes, VP, Field Operations and Engineering, Brad Cheney and Exec Director, Field Operations, Francisco Contreras will continue to oversee the onsite infrastructure and day-to-day logistics, while Tom Lynch will once again serves as lead technical producer. The full operational ecosystem is supported by Jennifer Freund, Itzel Rocha, Nick Utley, Sam D’Amico, Erik Guyton, Chase Norman , and Nicole Perrin while T echnical Producers Sid Drexler, Taihe Miller, Lou D’Ermilio, Agustine Rivera and Jacob Frazier manage the complex systems that tie it all together. Key vendors contributing to this season coverage will include Beverly Hills Aerials, CP Communications, Game Creek Video, and Mobile TV Group. 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