Take me out to the ball game! Starting Sunday, Aug. 5, OMNI Television will be the exclusive home of the Toronto Blue Jays in the dialect of Tagalog. Every Sunday on OMNI.2, OMNI BC, OMNI Alberta and OMNI Regional throughout the rest of the regular season, sportscasters Mara Aquino, Mike Cruz and Charles de Torres will deliver Canada’s Team to ethnic and third language viewers with live coverage of home and away games on Blue Jays: Pinoy Edition.
“Sports has always had the ability to bring people together, and we’re so excited to be able to connect our Filipino communities across the country with this unique facet of Canadian culture,” said Manuel Fonseca, Director, OMNI, Lifestyle & Entertainment Production, Rogers Media. “With the diverse assets at Rogers Media, we’re able to build on a dynamic programming schedule that offers our multilingual audiences even more world-class sports content with our first-ever baseball broadcast in a third language.”
Meet the team:
Mara Aquino, Host – Aquino is no stranger to sports reporting, acting as a sportscaster and courtside reporter for the Philippine Basketball Association in the Philippines. Acquino also hosts the half-time show Moneyball on TV 5. Aquino is passionate about Filipino martial arts and is an ambassador for Bully Proof Society of Toronto.
Mike Cruz, Colour Commentator – Cruz is the CEO of Crossover Sports Canada, a sporting events management company. Cruz has extensive experience in planning and managing local community programs, including Durham Crossover Basketball Club. He graduated from Durham College in Sports Business Management.
Charles de Torres, Play-by-Play Announcer – Born and raised in Quezon City, Philippines, de Torres is a sports enthusiast and is actively involved in his Vancouver community baseball and basketball leagues. De Torres has been an extra in a variety of shows, including Riverdale, The Good Doctor, Colony and Salvation.
Watch the following games on OMNI Television:
- Sunday, Aug. 5 – Toronto @ Seattle Mariners (4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT)
- Sunday, Aug. 12 – Tampa Bay Rays @ Toronto (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT)
- Sunday, Aug. 19 – Toronto @ New York Yankees (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT)
- Sunday, Aug. 26 – Philadelphia Phillies @ Toronto (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT)
- Sunday, Sept. 2 – Toronto @ Miami Marlins (1p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT)
- Sunday, Sept. 9 – Cleveland Indians @ Toronto (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT)
- Sunday, Sept. 16 – Toronto @ New York Yankees (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT)
- Sunday, Sept. 23 – Tampa Bay Rays @ Toronto (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT)
- Sunday, Sept. 30 – Toronto @ Tampa Bay Rays (3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT)
Blue Jays on OMNI will air home and away games live every Sunday, using Sportsnet’s feed.