CLEVELAND — This much we know: WKYC will be airing the Cleveland Guardians' home opener at Progressive Field against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
But as for the rest of the Guardians' games, questions have remained after Diamond Sports -- which owns the television rights of 14 MLB teams, including Cleveland, through the Bally Sports Network -- filed for bankruptcy earlier this month.
The Guardians, in particular, have been affected, with Cleveland being one of three teams -- along with the Minnesota Twins and Arizona Diamondbacks -- that Diamond has yet to pay for their television rights this season. Bally Sports Great Lakes has continued to broadcast Guardians games through the first week of the 2023 season, although a new motion by MLB seeking to terminate the contract if the payment isn't made by April 13, has put the team's future on the network in doubt.
Appearing on 3News' Guardians Opening Day extended coverage ahead of Friday's first pitch, 3News' Jim Donovan asked Guardians owner Paul Dolan about the situation. Dolan stated that despite the current predicament, all of the team's games will be televised this season -- one way or another.
"Bally's has said they're going to live up to their commitments and show the games," Dolan told Donovan. "Major League Baseball, who we are in constant contact with, has said that if for whatever reason they don't, they'll step in. So we fully expect all of our games to be viewable by our fans."
Dolan's comments line up with reports that MLB plans to distribute the games itself should Bally Sports fail to live up to its current contracts. As for the fact that the Guardians have yet to be paid their reported $55 million rights fee, Dolan admitted: "It does not help. We'll see how it all plays out."