45 minutes in the past
The MLB Central crew is about to achieve an enormous milestone: 750 episodes collectively.
“For me, this is the most enjoyable show and professional experience I’ve ever had,” Flores mentioned. “And obviously it’s because of the people I work with. So I’m thrilled. I’m just so tickled that we’re making this 750th show a thing. Because it really is a lot of fun.”
“I like that people have grown to love watching our show,” mentioned DeRosa. “We try to be informative, but make people laugh, not take it too seriously, love on the players.”
“And I feel like everybody can find something and find some joy in it,” Shehadi mentioned. “From my mom, to my grandma, to the 5-year-old kid who throws in the backyard with their dad, to the players. This show runs the gamut, and everyone can enjoy it.”
The trio first hosted MLB Central collectively in 2018, when Flores took over for Matt Vasgersian, who had been a number alongside Shehadi and DeRosa for the reason that program debuted in 2015. Five years later, they’re nonetheless going sturdy.
MLB Central with Flores, Shehadi and DeRosa airs reside each weekday morning in the course of the MLB season from 9 to 11 a.m. ET.
On Wednesday’s 750th episode, Flores, Shehadi and DeRosa will look again at their memorable moments from their time collectively on MLB Central. A particular piece about milestone numbers in baseball, written by Flores and narrated by Bob Costas, will air in the course of the present.
Flores, Shehadi and DeRosa may also throw out the primary pitch earlier than Wednesday’s Orioles-Phillies recreation at Citizens Bank Park.
It’s a pleasant celebration of the three hosts, who’ve made MLB Central what it’s now.
“I think it’s the chemistry of the three of us,” DeRosa mentioned. “I know what makes Lauren tick; I know what makes Robert tick. … They’re great at what they do. So I let them be great at what they do, and they try to let me be great at what I think I can do.”
The three hosts have welcomed greater than 900 visitors to MLB Central through the years, together with over 300 lively huge league gamers and 13 Hall of Famers.
They’ve additionally hosted their fair proportion of superstar visitors, from Matt Damon to Jon Hamm to Nick Jonas to Guy Fieri to John Elway to Will Smith.
Along the best way, there have been loads of highlights for the trio, just like the breaking news of final yr’s Juan Soto blockbuster unfolding on the present, or when DeRosa was introduced because the supervisor of Team USA for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, reside on MLB Central.
“The joy Robert and I got for him — because we know him, we know he’s a leader, we knew what kind of impact he was gonna have — it was a special moment in time, because I feel like we’ve been through his baseball career with him,” Shehadi mentioned.
Flores, Shehadi and DeRosa have even taken MLB Central past the MLB Network studios. MLB Central has gone to London, for the 2023 London Series between the Cardinals and Cubs, and Los Angeles, for the 2022 All-Star Game.
“We were in the [London] Stadium, and of course, football is all the rage there in Europe, but baseball took center stage,” Shehadi mentioned. “It really did. Seeing the fans coming out, in all different jerseys, it was just cool to have a front-row seat to the game going international.”
“It’s different when you have a chance to talk with players in a more relaxed setting,” Flores mentioned. “You pick up and hear different things just from, as DeRo likes to say, having boots on the ground. We’re very appreciative when we get to put the show on the road. It’s been a nice evolution of the show.”
The three hosts have introduced MLB Central a slate of signature segments. DeRosa’s breakdowns of MLB’s star gamers particularly have grow to be a staple of MLB Central. DeRosa, who performed 16 years within the Major Leagues, makes use of movies, stats and his personal expertise to research the ins and outs of a participant’s recreation in an accessible means for all sorts of baseball followers.
“I love DeRo’s breakdowns,” Flores mentioned. “I’ve had a chance to work with some of the best analysts in the industry, not just baseball but in all other sports, and I think DeRo is among the most unique and among the best I’ve ever worked with.”
Those breakdowns typically include perception from the gamers themselves, as huge leaguers be part of DeRosa within the MLB Network studio to elucidate how they strategy the sport.
“I just want to give people at home kind of a teaching moment,” DeRosa mentioned. “I’m not trying to show you how to hit a baseball, I’m trying to show you that there are different ways to do it. Those Skyboxes showing how Austin Riley does it in comparison to J.D. Martinez in comparison to Ronald Acuña Jr. — whoever it may be — there’s some kid at home that’s gonna run outside and attempt to do something.”
Flores, Shehadi and DeRosa have earned acclaim because the hosts of MLB Central from fellow sportscasters like Ernie Johnson — the host of TNT’s in style “Inside the NBA” studio present alongside Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith — who was not too long ago named a 2023 inductee to the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
“Really, the biggest compliment I ever got was from Ernie Johnson,” Flores mentioned. “He texted me a couple of years ago and said how much he enjoys the show, and I was blown away. Because in my mind, I love this show as a baseball version to ‘Inside the NBA.’ I love the chemistry that Ernie has with his co-hosts, and I love the chemistry that I have with mine.”
They could not do it alone, after all. Flores, Shehadi and DeRosa made particular point out of the behind-the-scenes MLB Network crew that makes MLB Central occur — individuals like producer Mark Capalbo, researcher Eric Nehs, video producer Jacob Bader, director Lucas Altman, affiliate director Margaret Murphy and extra.
“I think we bring the best and showcase the best that the game has to offer,” Flores mentioned. “At the end of it, it’s always about the game. There’s enough that happens around the game where you can add your personality or color or flavor. I think we do a good job of making sure that the players and the game are always at the center of it.”
Now that they’ve carried out 750 episodes, what’s subsequent?
“Let’s see if we can get to 1,000,” Flores mentioned.
