All-female crew will call Orioles-Rays on Tuesday

Major League Baseball to make history Tuesday night as Orioles vs. Rays game aired by an all-women team

Major League Baseball will make sports broadcasting history Tuesday with the Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays game in St. Petersburg featuring an all-female broadcast team for the very first time.

The landmark event will be broadcast as MLB Game of the week on Youtube.

Melanie Newman, host of the Baltimore Orioles, will provide the play-by-play. MLB Network’s Alanna Rizzo will report from the field. MLB.com editor Sarah Langs will provide analysis of the game. Pre-game and post-game duties will be handled by MLB Network Hosts / Reporters, Lauren Gardner and Heidi Watney.

As the barrier continues to shrink for women in sport, this show is a reminder that the blockade should be non-existent. The five women welcome because they love and understand the game of baseball.

Newman looks forward to the day when it won’t be a last minute news.

“I can’t even put it into words,” Newman told Savannah McCann of MLB.com. “It was really stressful. I will be completely transparent. … You get used to it, in a way of hearing this tag. You focus on the big picture and hope it opens people’s minds, beyond considering gender in terms of qualifications for jobs… that it’s not a novelty act.

As women continue to break the glass ceiling, this show will give young girls optimism about the direction the sport is taking. Watney wants everyone to know this should be normalized.

“It’s important that not only little girls see, but little boys see that this is normal no matter your gender,” Watney said. MLB.com. “It is important that you are passionate and [have] love of sport, as well as your knowledge and understanding of sport. It’s important, but for me it’s gonna be another day at work. This is the preparation of Rays and O’s.

Women in sports were once considered a “curveball”. This crew will definitely get him out of the park.