FOX Sports was widely praised for its innovative coverage of the Rickwood Field game, including airing part of the game in 1954 mode.
The San Francisco Giants played the St. Louis Cardinals at historic Rickwood Field, the oldest stadium in the United States.
And baseball had the opportunity to honor the Negro Leagues, just three weeks after Major League Baseball said statistics from that circuit would enter the sport’s record books.
It was a night full of special moments, but perhaps the lasting memory is the 1954-style coverage.
Fox broadcast the start of the fifth inning the same way viewers would have watched it 70 years ago.
There was a fixed camera angle, no scorebug, and primitive graphics.
It was a far cry from the coverage fans expect today.
But baseball lovers everywhere expressed their approval of Fox turning back the clocks to a bygone era.
“I loved. I thought they should have done this longer,” said one fan.
“I love it. MLB leaning into the heritage and engaging the public is a really cool tribute,” said another fan.
“That was really cool. As a history fanatic, I loved it,” said a third fan.
“Very cool, they did it well,” said another fan.
“This really increased coverage,” said a fifth fan.
It was a significant night for Fox and they managed to weave all the themes together perfectly.
There have been a number of tributes to Willie Mays following his death earlier this week.
The broadcast was also filled with Negro Leagues anecdotes.
And the interviews included Ken Rosenthal talking to 99-year-old Bill Greason, the oldest former player in those leagues.
It was the first MLB game to be played in Rickwood.
The Cardinals managed a 6-5 victory.
The three-game series will resume in St. Louis on Saturday with another game on Sunday.
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