Upcoming Orioles Game to Feature First All-Female Broadcast

An upcoming Rays-Orioles game will make history as five women will serve as the on-air crew for the contest.

Next Tuesday's Orioles-Rays game will make history as five women will serve as the on-air crew for the contest.

Melanie Newman, the Orioles’ radio play-by-play announcer since last year, will lead the play-by-play for the game. Sarah Langs, a writer for MLB.com, will serve as the analyst in the booth.

Alanna Rizzo will be the contests's on-field, in-game reporter, while Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner will anchor the pre- and postgame shows.

According to The New York Times' David Waldstein, who first reported the news of the broadcast, it is believed to be the first time an all-women team will handle the entire broadcast for a major league game.

"It can’t help but feel different,” Rizzo told The Times. “I’ve always had a male play-by-play voice in my ear during every game I’ve ever done. So, to do a game where those voices are Melanie and Sarah, that will be a unique feeling and a unique perspective of the game. It’s exciting to be a part of something like this.”

In recent years, a number of other sports, including the NHL and NBA, have featured all-female broadcasts.

 MLB's chief revenue officer Noah Garden told The Times baseball is planning to make all-female booths a more regular feature of games, and to add diversity of backgrounds and women of color.

The contest will serve as next week's, Game of the Week Live on YouTube.

Coming out of the All-Star break, the Orioles have the American League's worst record, at 28—61. The Rays are currently in second-place in the AL East, at 53—37.