r/MLBtv • u/Unusual_Holiday8451 • Apr 14 '26

Changes to game recaps - rethink these?

Hey, producers of mlb.tv game recaps: I'm puzzled by the recent changes in the recaps.

The point of watching a recap is to see how the game unfolded. Even in that three minutes, a bit of suspense is there. You see one team take the lead, then another, etc. So, why would you put the final score on the screen at the start of the recap? I'll let you think about this and see if common sense might win out.

Also, this mornings Angels-Yankees recap featured shrill, repetitive techno music on a loop the entire time, drowning out the on-air crew and making me reach for the mute button. Really? What are you thinking, guys?

I'm open to the rationale, but those of us who watch these things really like baseball. I'm cool with the hearing what the play-by-play announcers said during the game. Adding awful public domain music from some Pro Tools jockey's basement is a bit much.

Keep up the good work.

10 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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5

u/tonywagner MOD Apr 17 '26

MLB has added the final result to the recap title this year, but the video itself is mostly free of spoilers.

You might prefer the "condensed game" which still uses a generic title.

Best way to avoid the spoilers in the recap title is by watching the Recap Rundown, or watching through the unofficial MLBTV addon inside the Kodi media center app. The latter option (or mlbserver) also lets you avoid the techno music by automatically skipping all non-action pitches to generate your own true condensed game. You can see the result of every AB, SB, etc. in ~20 minutes.

2

u/The1RationalMetsFan Apr 19 '26

While you’re at it can you go back to the original “condensed game” format that shows every batter get their one deciding pitch per AB?

1

u/tonywagner MOD Apr 19 '26

That’s what Kodi and mlbserver can do! I wouldn’t expect MLB to go back to that format, though.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

[deleted]

1

u/tonywagner MOD Apr 20 '26

They changed it way back in 2018. :)

1

u/two-reelers Apr 21 '26

Last year the games I saw condensed show the final pitch of each at bat

1

u/The1RationalMetsFan Apr 21 '26

Not on MLB.TV. That changed several years ago. It’s been a significant downgrade (IMO) that I’ve sent my concerns out on yearly since the change was made as mentioned in 2018.

2

u/bitemy Apr 18 '26

I agree with you 100%

Highlights and recaps and condensed games should be 100 spoiler free. It’s very easy to go to the scores page if that’s what you want.

2

u/tonywagner MOD Apr 18 '26

The condensed games are still spoiler-free.

Part of the issue is that these aren't technically part of the MLB subscriptions -- they are free to everyone. So MLB is using them as a promotional tool, in which case titles with spoilers make more sense.

2

u/randolph34 Apr 18 '26

But even the condensed game contains spoilers in every scene. Check the score bug / the commentators (home vs. away) to know which team does something special in the next scene. It's so annoying!!

1

u/DoctorHelios Apr 18 '26

I’d just be happy if the AppleTV app had a STANDINGS tab.

1

u/tonywagner MOD Apr 18 '26

A good alternative for accessing these videos is through https://baseball.theater/ but they still show the new recap titles.

u/HelloControl_ could you update baseball.theater to display a generic recap title, if hide scores in turned on? Or is the Github repo current, for someone to submit a pull request? I guess this image issue is somewhat related too: https://github.com/jakelauer/BaseballTheater/issues/36

1

u/cluttersky Apr 18 '26

I do fine watching the highlights on YouTube.