Opening Day program to feature exclusive hitting demo with American League MVP Aaron Judge

March 23, 2023 – With Opening Day one week away, MLB Network announced that Harold Reynolds and Adnan Virk will team up to co-host a new-look, daily 6 p.m. ET edition of the Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight. Reynolds and Virk will make their MLB Tonight debut together on Opening Day, Thursday, March 30, at 12 p.m. ET and again at 4 p.m. ET, before settling into the normal 6 p.m. ET timeslot on Friday, March 31.

The duo will bring a consistency and fresh approach to the program, including Reynolds stationed live from ballparks across the country. The Opening Day program will feature an exclusive one-on-one hitting demo with New York Yankees 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge. Reynolds, a three-time National Sports Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Studio Analyst, moves from his regular spot on the late-night edition of MLB Tonight to this new role. Virk, a veteran television anchor who has worked in the game for more than 15 years, has hosted across MLB Network’s wide array of studio programming since 2019.

“I’m thrilled about the chance to work with the talented Adnan Virk as this is going to be one of the most creative pregame shows ever,” said Reynolds. “We’re going to use all our bells and whistles. I’ll be at the park for interviews with players and coaches, we’ll do demos on our field in Studio 42 and bring analysis that you won’t find anywhere else. This show is going to touch on everything going on in our sport. If there’s a big game or moment in the Minor Leagues, college baseball and softball, we’re going to cover it. If a youth player makes this crazy play, we want the highlight to be on this show. This will be a premiere pregame show for the entire sport of baseball.”

“I’m thrilled to have been at MLB Network for the last four years and now to have found a home on the 6,” said Virk. “If you’re a baseball fan, there’s no better place to get prepared for the night’s action and be up to date on all that’s happening in our great sport. To be alongside my friend and Emmy Award winner Harold Reynolds, makes this latest journey all the more sweeter.”

A rotating group of MLB Network analysts will join Reynolds and Virk, including Chris Young (12 p.m. ET) and Carlos Peña (4 p.m. ET) on Opening Day. For the March 31 6 p.m. ET edition, Virk and Reynolds will be joined by Bill Ripken, the 2016 National Emmy Award-winner for Outstanding Studio Analyst. MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger, Dan Plesac and a rotating group of MLB Network analysts will continue to lead the late-night edition of MLB Tonight.

As the long-standing signature program of MLB Network, MLB Tonight has won the National Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Daily Studio Show seven times. MLB Tonight has also captured National Sports Emmy Awards in several other categories, including Outstanding Writing – Long Form, Outstanding Studio Analyst, Outstanding Graphic Design – Post Produced, Outstanding Technical Team Studio and Outstanding Production Design/Art Direction.

In addition to Reynolds and Virk co-hosting the early edition of MLB Tonight, MLB Network most recently announced that Ryan Dempster and Siera Santos will join Kevin Millar as the new co-hosts of Intentional Talk.