NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Tom McCarthy won’t be calling tonight’s Phillies game

Where is Tom McCarthy?

That’s what fans might be wondering tonight when the Phillies take on the Toronto Blue Jays tonight on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

McCarthy, in his 19th season as the TV voice for the Phillies, will be a couple of channels over on TBS calling an American League matchup between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees. Joining him in the booth will be longtime New York Mets announcer Ron Darling.

TBS, which televises MLB games nationally on Tuesday nights, is a bit shorthanded due to sister station TNT airing the French Open for the first time this year. Hence McCarthy is pinch-hitting for one night — he’ll be back on NBC Sports Philadelphia on Wednesday night alongside former Phillies general manager turned broadcaster Rubén Amaro Jr.

Replacing McCarthy in the booth tonight alongside Amaro will be a familiar voice — longtime radio announcer Scott Franzke. Gregg Murphy will handle play-by-play for the night on 94.1 WIP.

McCarthy certainly keeps busy, spending just about the entire year in the booth. In addition to his main role as the TV voice of the Phillies, McCarthy also works for CBS, calling NFL and college basketball games. In fact, tonight’s gig stems from his work calling hoops, since CBS partners with TNT Sports to broadcast the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

It’s too bad TBS wasn’t able to pair McCarthy with former Phillies star Jimmy Rollins, who will be in the booth to call the second game of the network’s doubleheader — New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers. Joining Rollins will be Don Orsillo and one-time Phillies outfielder Jeff Francoeur.

Speaking of MLB, it’s still looking for a media partner to replace ESPN, which is in its final year televising Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby, and the wild card round of the playoffs.

While NBC has been kicking the tires and reportedly put in a bid, Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp reports that Apple — which already streams a Friday Night Baseball doubleheader on Apple TV+ — is emerging as leader to land at least some of ESPN’s TV package.

No final decision has been made, Karp reported, and Apple isn’t necessarily looking at the same rights NBC is interested in.

ESPN had reportedly been paying MLB $550 million per year, but moved to end its 35-year tenure airing MLB games after baseball refused to renegotiate terms. At issue was the fact that Roku reportedly pays MLB just $10 million a year for its weekly Sunday morning game.

It’s a tricky balancing act for MLB. On the one hand, Apple certainly can afford to pay the league handsomely, but it’s unclear how many fans are actually streaming games on its subscription platform. Apple could also look to a broadcast partner in order to reach more fans, but that would come at a financial cost to MLB.

Either way, MLB is looking to bridge the game for the next three years to 2028, when its TV deals with TNT Sports and Fox Sports also end.

As for Phillies fans, circle June 20 on your calendar. That’s the next time the Phillies are scheduled to appear on Apple TV+, when they’ll take on the Mets.