In a groundbreaking moment for both sports and technology, a portion of the Cubs’ 5-3 loss to the Phillies on July 23, 1962, became the first baseball game ever broadcast via satellite. Viewers in 16 European countries caught a small piece of the third inning as part of an 18-minute program, marking the sport’s debut on the global stage (see a sample of what they saw and what we saw). While just a sliver of the game was shown, it symbolized baseball’s ability to connect fans far beyond American ballparks. From that modest start, baseball broadcasts would eventually reach millions worldwide..