ESPN is taking one last swing at broadcasting Major League Baseball games -- and then hanging up its cleats.

The sports network will opt out of its TV contract with the MLB after this year, it announced on Thursday, ending a 35-year partnership with pro baseball. (The contract was set to run through 2028, but ESPN decided to opt out early.)

"We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN's coverage super-serves fans," ESPN said in a statement. "In making this decision, we applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN's industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audiences across linear, digital and social platforms. As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025."

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, however, fired shots at the Worldwide Leader on the way out, telling team owners in a letter obtained by The Athletic that the league has "not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN's platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage." ESPN was also reportedly trying to negotiate a lower rights fee, but those negotiations fell through.

ESPN, which began broadcasting MLB games in 1990, will continue to do so through the end of the 2025 season, including the weekly showcase Sunday Night Baseball and wild card round playoff games. There's no word yet on which network or streamer will pick up the MLB media rights that ESPN is leaving on the table.