Drone at the Field of Dreams game on Fox. Credit: Beverly Hills Aeriels
FoxBy Sean Keeley on

The 2023 World Series begins Friday evening with Game 1 between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks. Expect to see things from a very different angle than you might be used to.

As part of their 52-camera setup for the broadcast, Fox Sports will be incorporating aerial production drones for the first time in the World Series.

There will be three drones flying above Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Operated by Beverly Hills Aerials, the APDs are named “Gimbal Bee,” “Hummer Lite,” and “Hummingbird.”

“We’re just all excited to get to tonight after a great season that started off on Fox and FS1, which showed our commitment to baseball,” Brad Cheney, VP, field operations, Fox Sports, told SVG. “With a team led week in and week out by [Director, Field Ops,] Francisco Contreras; [Operations Manager] Nicole Perrin; [Technical Producer] Tom Lynch; and [Remote Production Operations] Nick Utley; joined by [MLB Network, Director, International Broadcast Operations,] Judy Acone; [freelancer] Pam Chvotkin; and many others during our postseason and jewel events. Alongside the team is our remote studio group, led by [Senior Manager, Remote Studio Operations,] Anil Letherwala. It’s a great team that gels well and has their finger on the pulse of baseball. They make things happen.”

As for when audiences can expect to see drone footage, the plan is to not just incorporate them into coverage introduction but also during play stoppages.

“That’s the big piece for us,” says Cheney. “Chief Pilot Michael Izquierdo is running the drones for us. We’ll use them in dead-play situations like pitching changes. We’re planning those shots now.”

Fox is also bringing its Ump Cam to the World Series for the first time. The camera, which made its postseason debut in the ALDS, will allow viewers a better sense of just how fast pitches are, as well as the movement on breaking balls.

Drones were allowed to fly during an MLB game for the first time at the All-Star Game in July.

[Fox Sports, SVG]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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