Robert Flores, Lauren Shehadi and Mark DeRosa have been brightening up the mornings of baseball fans as the hosts of MLB Central on MLB Network since 2018 -- and for more than 1,000 episodes.
This Thursday, the trio will bring their blend of smarts and silliness to the broadcast booth as they will be on the call for the MLB Network Showcase Game between the Braves and Phillies. First pitch from Citizens Bank Park is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET. MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi will serve as the broadcast’s reporter.
This will be the second time Flores, Shehadi and DeRosa are on the call for a game; they were behind the mics for a Phillies-Royals game on MLB Network last August.
“I feel like games are best in conversation form; that’s kind of what I learned from [last year’s broadcast],” Shehadi said.
The MLB Central crew celebrated its 1,000th episode on June 26, and interest in MLB Network’s flagship morning show is still on the rise. As of Aug. 20, the program is seeing an 11% increase in average viewership from 2024.
MLB Central, which launched in 2015, will air weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET through the end of the World Series.