Chicago baseball fans will be greeted by familiar voices when they play the 2022 release of the video game “MLB: The Show.”
Cubs TV broadcaster Jon “Boog” Sciambi and former White Sox outfielder and radio analyst Chris Singleton are the new play-by-play and color commentary voices in “MLB: The Show.” The duo has worked together since 2010 as the broadcast team for ESPN Radio’s “Sunday Night Baseball.” Their behind-the-scenes work on the video game’s commentary began in the summer of 2019.
Sciambi and Singleton estimate they recorded about 200 and 150 hours of audio, respectively, for “MLB: The Show,” which comes out April 5.
“People of all ages play video games, but I do think that there is something cool about it feeling like you’re being tasked a little bit as well to deliver something to a younger generation of baseball fans who are video game fans as well,” Sciambi told the Tribune. “And that part’s exciting to me, and I think it’s one of the areas where Chris and I thrive because, for the most part, you hear the smiles on our faces when we’re doing games.”
Originally Sciambi and Singleton were slated to debut in last year’s game. Production expected to need at least two years to replace all of the existing play-by-play and color commentary for “MLB: The Show.”
During the process developer San Diego Studio realized it needed more time to ensure the game’s audio presentation met its standards. During Sciambi’s last recording trip to San Diego, he saw the game played and was shocked by how real the commentary sounded.
Sciambi and Singleton are under contract to continue in their roles for the game beyond the 2022 release. Matt Vasgersian had voiced the play-by-play in every edition since “MLB: The Show” debuted in 2006.
“They completely get what our vibe is and they understood that when Chris and I are delivering a standard broadcast that we are trying to make it interesting, we’re trying to have fun,” Sciambi said. “And we’ll nerd it up a little bit, too, to keep pace with what’s happening in the game. But more than anything, having fun.”
The process involved recording individually and together, both in person and remotely. Having to follow a quasi-script presented an adjustment for Sciambi, whose observations, conversational riffs and rapport with his broadcast partners are staples of his play-by-play work.
“There’s so many elements of the (live) job where I just react and I just talk,” Sciambi said. “And because (the ‘MLB: The Show’ creators) are taking stuff and repeating it and needing it to stitch together, your standard three-sentence call, recording it in three pieces, making sure that the intonation of the first sentence flows into the intonation of the second sentence — when I’m doing it live, I don’t think about that. And then when you have to do that, it makes your head explode, but eventually you get the hang of it.”
Sciambi got to create some of the home run calls in the game. He recorded countless versions for every long-ball scenario that could occur. Walk-off homers, game-winning blasts in Game 7 of the World Series, home runs in a meaningless blowout — they’re all ready for Sciambi’s call.
“I have to think my neighbors in Chicago at times were like, ‘Man, he really loves what he does,'” Sciambi said. “They’re hearing me, like, ‘Swung on belted!’ as I’m screaming a home run call in my office.”
While there is nuance to building an audio broadcast for a video game, the duo maintained a commitment to authenticity. The broadcast partners would note to producers when the prepared phrasing felt off compared with what they would say or emphasize during a real game.
Singleton appreciated the willingness to hear their feedback and to try to find middle ground within the constraints of creating the video game.
“And that’s the approach that we took,” Singleton told the Tribune. “We didn’t just check out and say, all right, give us lines, we’ll read these lines, pay us our money, we’re in the game. No, we’re going to do this and it’s got to be pretty close to who we really are.”
Serving as the voices in a game that connects different generations of baseball fans isn’t lost on either broadcaster. That they each have developed relationships with Chicago and passionate fan bases adds another element. Sciambi, entering his second season in the Cubs TV booth, tried to sing “Go Cubs Go” at the end of his recording sessions.
“You don’t know how hard it was to keep him from singing it,” Singleton chimed in.
Singleton, who played three of his six big-league seasons with the Sox and worked as the color analyst on their radio broadcasts in 2006 and 2007, still feels a deep connected to the city.
“Chicago is such a special city, and obviously there’s a dividing line between North Side and South Side, but I think you have to admit, regardless, that there’s a lot of respect there,” Singleton said. “It’s a strong baseball footprint. And from my playing time and broadcasting time there, you just don’t lose that connection or that affinity for the organization.”
