FOX SPORTS’ MLB POSTSEASON BROADCAST TEAMS BLEND EXPERIENCE, VERSATILITY & DEPTH
Buck, Reynolds, Verducci Call Cardinals-Dodgers N.L. Division Series, NLCS & World Series
Indians 1B/OF Nick Swisher Added to World Series Pre- & Postgame Coverage
Los Angeles — As October approaches, the month when baseball legends are born, FOX Sports prepares for its 19th consecutive year of MLB postseason coverage, relying on the strength of its on-air roster and added bench strength to field a versatile team of veteran announcers and fresh voices to cover every pitch, hit and throw.
Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, and analysts Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci, themselves Emmy Award winners, are MLB on FOX’s new lead broadcast team and carry the bulk of the postseason load. The trio, plus reporter Ken Rosenthal, calls the National League Division Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Friday, Oct. 3 on FOX Sports 1. Play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian, analyst John Smoltz and reporter Jon Paul Morosi call all games of the National League Division Series between the Washington Nationals against either the Pittsburgh Pirates or San Francisco Giants, also televised on FOX Sports 1. After the Division Series round, reporter Erin Andrews joins Buck, Reynolds, Verducci and Rosenthal as the five-person team calling every game of the National League Championship Series and 110th World Series.
“As we gear up for our of MLB postseason coverage on FOX and FOX Sports 1, we’re proud to provide viewers the deepest roster of announcers, analysts and reporters we’ve had since baseball arrived at FOX Sports in 1996,” said John Entz, EVP, Production & Executive Producer, FOX Sports.
This October, to complement its game telecasts, FOX Sports is providing more hours of pre and postgame coverage devoted to MLB’s postseason than in any year prior. FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes have more than 60 hours of pre, between-game and postgame coverage planned, including expanded 90-minute editions of AMERICA’S PREGAME, hosted by Mike Hill with news anchor Molly McGrath and special guest analyst Royce Clayton; special editions of FOX SPORTS LIVE, FOX Sports 1’s signature news, highlights and analysis program between games; and regularly scheduled FOX SPORTS LIVE programs immediately following most games. FOX Sports’ programming schedules are to be announced alongside MLB’s postseason game schedule.
FOX Sports’ comprehensive pre and postgame coverage is led by host Kevin Burkhardt alongside analysts Gabe Kapler, Frank Thomas, Eric Karros and CJ Nitkowski. Come the World Series, current Cleveland Indians first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher, a World Champion with the New York Yankees in 2009 and one of MLB’s more ebullient personalities, joins the MLB on FOX studio team. FOX Sports’ pregame and postgame coverage originates at the FOX Network Center in Los Angeles during the National League Division Series presented by Budweiser and National League Championship Series before arriving on-site for the World Series.
“Between Gabe, Frank, CJ and Royce, we have a lot of baseball experience to break down the action,” added Entz. “We’re also very excited to welcome Nick Swisher to our World Series studio team. He’s always been one of baseball’s best on-field ambassadors, and his personality is infectious.”
FOX Sports 1 is scheduled to televise up to eight of 10 National League Division Series games beginning with the historic Friday, Oct. 3 doubleheader. FOX Sports’ coverage of the National League Championship Series gets underway with Game 1 on the FOX broadcast network, Saturday, Oct. 11. NLCS Games 2, 3 and 4 are scheduled for telecast on FOX Sports 1, as are NLCS Games 5 and 7, if necessary. NLCS Game 6, if necessary, is also set for broadcast on FOX, Saturday, Oct. 18. Coverage of the 110th World Series, the 15th straight broadcast by FOX and the network’s 17th overall, begins Tuesday, Oct. 21 in the home ballpark of the American League pennant winner.
In another first, FOX Sports offers fans watching NLCS Game 1 a unique opportunity to experience postseason baseball as never before. While FOX Sports provides a traditional broadcast on FOX, FOX Sports 1 offers fans a more analytics-driven game viewing experience under the banner of FOXSports.com’s exciting new baseball blog, Just a Bit Outside (JABO). NLCS ON FOX SPORTS 1 Powered by JABO is an unconventional game-viewing experience, with an emphasis on statistics, sabermetrics and graphics with open debate and conversation. Burkhardt hosts NLCS ON FOX SPORTS 1 Powered by JABO, with analysis from Kapler, Nitkowski and Rob Neyer with special guests joining via video remote or phone.
All postseason MLB games televised by FOX and FOX Sports 1 also are televised in Spanish exclusively on FOX Deportes, the leader in Spanish-language sports media, and for the first time via FOX Sports GO, the app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. FOX Deportes is poised to deliver its most comprehensive MLB postseason coverage ever, with pregame shows, plus special reports, interviews and postgame analysis on its signature studio show, CENTRAL FOX. Former Houston Astros first baseman Jose Tolentino and seasoned commentator Pablo Alsina are joined by retired Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Duaner Sanchez to call the action. FOX Deportes’ Digital platforms supplement efforts with live coverage across its social media networks, and provide behind-the-scenes access on FOXDeportes.com.