Why Joe Buck is calling Dodgers-Mets on ESPN for Jackie Robinson Day

Why Joe Buck is calling Dodgers-Mets on ESPN for Jackie Robinson Day originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Jackie Robinson Day is celebrated annually on April 15. This year, that date falls on a Wednesday, and ESPN will broadcast the final game of the day.

ESPN has partnered with MLB.TV for the 2026 season, combining the service with its ESPN Unlimited offering. The network will also broadcast 30 national games throughout the season. One of them will be the final game on April 15 between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. To add to the moment, ESPN is calling on veteran broadcaster Joe Buck to work the booth for the game.

Here is more on why Buck is calling the Dodgers-Mets game on Jackie Robinson Day.

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Why is Joe Buck calling Dodgers-Mets?

In late March, ESPN released the lineup for the Jackie Robinson Day broadcast between the Mets and the Dodgers. The day begins with ESPN's usual pregame show, featuring Karl Ravech, Eduardo Perez, Doug Glanville and Tim Kurkjian.

This will lead into the action broadcast, which will be manned by a three-person booth consisting of Buck, Ron Darling and Orel Hershiser. Buck has called baseball games in the past, but more recently has focused on announcing football games. He is part of ESPN's "Monday Night Football" tandem alongside Troy Aikman.

Buck was named the 2026 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, which is the Baseball Hall of Fame's highest honor for broadcasting excellence, per the release.

About calling a game alongside Darling and Hershiser, he said, "I can’t wait to work with these two guys. I loved watching them pitch and now really enjoy listening to them on the air. They’re the best at what they do, and I’ll be leaning on them a ton. To call a Dodgers game on Jackie Robinson Day makes it even more meaningful. There’s no more important figure in baseball history, and to honor him that night in Dodger Stadium will be truly special.”

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Last time Joe Buck called MLB game

Buck's last full season as a baseball broadcaster came in 2021. After that season, he left Fox Sports for ESPN and then began calling baseball games sporadically. The last time that Buck called a baseball game was over a year ago. He called the Opening Day game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Yankees in 2025.

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Why doesn't Joe Buck call MLB games?

Buck's prominent role at Fox Sports for 30 years, covering baseball. It is a hectic schedule, as each team plays 162 games, and even on national broadcasts, it is significantly more work than the 16 or so NFL broadcasts he will do in a given season. Buck has said he has declined to cover postseason baseball games since coming to ESPN. He said, "I just feel like that’s a chapter of my life that really it’s an itch that doesn’t need to be scratched anymore. I’ve done all that stuff.”

Even though he doesn't have that itch to cover baseball anymore and considers it a past of his career, he is still returning to the booth for ESPN for its 2026 Jackie Robinson Day broadcast.