List of American League Division Series broadcasters
The following is a list of the national
television and radio networks and announcers who have covered the American League Division Series
throughout the years. It does include any announcers who may have appeared on local radio broadcasts produced by the participating teams.
Television
2020s
Year | Series | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Field reporter(s) |
2023 | Baltimore Orioles/Texas Rangers | FS1 (Games 1–2) | Joe Davis | John Smoltz | Ken Rosenthal |
Fox (Game 3) | |||||
Houston Astros/Minnesota Twins | FS1 (Games 1–2, 4) | Adam Amin | A. J. Pierzynski and Adam Wainwright | Tom Verducci | |
Fox (Game 3) | |||||
2022 | Houston Astros/Seattle Mariners | TBS | Brian Anderson | Jeff Francoeur | Matt Winer |
New York Yankees/Cleveland Guardians | Bob Costas[1] | Ron Darling | Lauren Shehadi (Games 1–4) Matt Winer (Game 5) | ||
2021 | Tampa Bay Rays/Boston Red Sox | FS1 (Games 1–2, 4) | Joe Davis[2] | John Smoltz | Ken Rosenthal |
MLB Network (Game 3) | Matt Vasgersian | ||||
Houston Astros/Chicago White Sox | FS1 (Games 1, 3–4) | Adam Amin | A. J. Pierzynski and Adam Wainwright (in Chicago) | Tom Verducci | |
MLB Network (Game 2) | Bob Costas | Jim Kaat and Buck Showalter | |||
2020 | Tampa Bay Rays/New York Yankees | TBS | Brian Anderson | Ron Darling | Lauren Shehadi |
Oakland Athletics/Houston Astros | Don Orsillo | Jeff Francoeur | Matt Winer |
2010s
Notes
- TBS. On October 1, it aired Game 2 of the Tampa Bay Rays vs. the Texas Rangers at 7 p.m. ET, which overlapped with the end of Game 1 of the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Philadelphia Phillies and the continuation of Game 1 of the Detroit Tigers vs. the New York Yankees on TBS. (The latter was also to have been Game 2, but Game 1 was suspended after 1+1⁄2 innings due to rain.) On October 2, it aired the rescheduled Game 2 between the Tigers and the Yankees at 3 p.m. ET, two hours before Game 2 of the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. the Milwaukee Brewerson TBS. On October 4, it aired Game 3 of the Diamondbacks vs. the Brewers at 9:30 p.m. ET, one hour after Game 3 of the Tigers vs. the Yankees started on TBS.
- For the 2012 and 2013 seasons, TBS has been awarded the rights to televise both Wild Card Playoff games that occur on the day before the Division Series games. In exchange, MLB Network has been awarded the rights to televise two of the Division Series games that previously belonged to TBS.[10]
- Beginning in 2014, when Fox Sports began a new television contract with Major League Baseball, FS1 airs 40 regular season MLB games (mostly on Saturdays), along with up to 15 post-season games (eight Divisional Series games and one best-of-7 League Championship Series). The deal resulted in a reduction of MLB coverage on the Fox network, which will air 12 regular season games, the All-Star Game, and the World Series.[11]
- that he would not cover the Major League Baseball playoffs as a result of his treatment for the blood clots in both of his legs.
2000s
Notes
- In could carry the game. However, if there was no Pax availability and the local NBC affiliate aired the debate (which actually occurred in most NBC affiliates), then that market was shut out of the baseball telecast.
- Skip Caray filled-in for Bob Costas on NBC's coverage of the 2000 New York-Oakland Division Series because Costas had just finished anchoring NBC's prime time coverage of the Summer Olympic Games from Sydney, Australia. Meanwhile, NBC used Bob Wischusen as a field reporter (filling-in for Jim Gray, who like Bob Costas, was covering the Sydney Olympics) for Game 1 of the ALDS.
- News Corporation. The ABC Family/ESPN inherited Division Series package was included in Fox's then exclusive television contract with Major League Baseball (initiated in 2001). ABC Family had no other choice but to fulfill the contract handed to them. The only usage of the ABC Family "bug" was for a ten-second period when returning from a commercial break (in the lower right corner of the screen).
- Game 2 (played on October 2) of the Eastern Time) ran over the three-hour time window. The game was eventually switched back to ABC Family once the early game ended.
- Game 2 (played on October 2) of the
- Former longtime Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell served as a special guest commentator for two innings in Game 3 of the 2006 Tigers-Yankees series.
- Turner Sports provided a provisional plan in which if a League Division Series game televised on TBS ran into the start of the next LDS game scheduled to air on TBS, then TNT would provide supplementary coverage of the latter games' early moments. To be more specific, all games in the Division Series round were presented back-to-back, with each game scheduled for a 3+1⁄2-hour window. If a game exceeded this window, the first pitch of the next game would be switched to TNT. If a game ended within 3+1⁄2 hours, the studio team would return for interstitial programming.
- In Angelsseries, but the former game was not played; the night before, the D-Backs completed a three-game sweep of the Cubs.
- In
1990s
Notes
- 1995 marked the only year of postseason coverage provided by "The Baseball Network", which was a revenue sharing joint venture between Major League Baseball, ABC and NBC. "The Baseball Network" was also scheduled to cover the Division Series in 1994, but plans were scrapped when a strike caused the postseason to be canceled. All games in the first two rounds (including the League Championship Series) were scheduled in the same time slot for regional telecasts. Initially, under the alternating six-year plan, ABC would've covered the Division Series in even numbered years (as well as the World Series in even numbered years) while NBC would've covered the Division Series in odd numbered years (in even numbered years, they would've gotten the rights to the All-Star Game and League Championship Series).
- From Fox aired LDS games on Wednesday/Thursday nights, Saturdays in the late afternoon, plus Sunday/Monday nights (if necessary). Meanwhile, ESPNcarried many afternoon LDS contests. At this point, all playoff games were nationally televised (mostly in unopposed timeslots).
1981
Year | Series | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator |
1981 | Oakland Athletics/Kansas City Royals | ABC
|
Al Michaels[21] | Jim Palmer[22][23] |
New York Yankees/Milwaukee Brewers | Keith Jackson[24] (Games 1–3, 5) Don Drysdale (Game 4) |
Don Drysdale and Howard Cosell |
Notes
- In Oklahoma vs. Texas college football game for ABC. Consequently, Don Drysdale filled-in for him on play-by-play alongside Howard Cosell. Bob Uecker was originally named to join Al Michaels and Jim Palmeron ABC's secondary crew, but the network excused him due to the involvement of the Brewers (for whom Uecker was a local radio announcer) in the ALDS.
Radio
National
2020s
Year | Series | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
2023 | Baltimore Orioles/Texas Rangers | ESPN | Karl Ravech | Tim Kurkjian |
Houston Astros/Minnesota Twins | Dave O'Brien (Games 1–3) Mike Couzens (Game 4) |
Eduardo Pérez | ||
2022 | Seattle Mariners/Houston Astros | ESPN | Dave O'Brien | Marly Rivera |
Cleveland Guardians/New York Yankees | Dan Shulman | Eduardo Pérez | ||
2021 | Tampa Bay Rays/Boston Red Sox | ESPN | Dan Shulman | Xavier Scruggs |
Houston Astros/Chicago White Sox | Kevin Brown | Chris Burke | ||
2020 | Tampa Bay Rays/New York Yankees | ESPN | Dan Shulman | Chris Singleton |
Oakland Athletics/Houston Astros | Dave O’Brien | Jim Bowden (Games 1, 3–4) Kyle Peterson (Game 2) |
Notes
- Due to health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, all of ESPN Radio's commentators for the 2020 postseason called the games off of monitors at the ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut.[25]
2010s
2000s
1990s
1981
Year | Series | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator |
1981 | Oakland Athletics/Kansas City Royals | CBS | Ned Martin | Bill White |
New York Yankees/Milwaukee Brewers | Ernie Harwell | Curt Gowdy |
Local
2000s
Year | Series | Flagship station | Play-by-play #1 | Play-by-play #2 | Color commentator(s) |
2002 | Anaheim–New York (AL) | KLAC (Anaheim) WCBS–AM (New York (AL)) |
Rory Markas John Sterling |
Terry Smith
Charley Steiner |
|
Minnesota–Oakland |
1990s
Year | Series | Flagship station | Play-by-play #1 | Play-by-play #2 | Color commentator(s) |
1997 | Cleveland-New York (AL) | WKNR-AM (Cleveland) WABC-AM (New York (AL)) |
Herb Score |
Tom Hamilton |
|
Baltimore-Seattle | |||||
1995 | Cleveland-Boston | WKNR-AM (Cleveland) WEEI-AM (Boston) |
Herb Score |
Tom Hamilton |
|
Seattle-New York (AL) |
References
- ^ Lucia, Joe (October 10, 2022). "Your 2022 MLB Division Series announcing schedule". Awful Announcing. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ Lucia, Joe (October 5, 2021). "Your 2021 MLB Division Series announcing schedule". Awful Announcing.
- ^ Yoder, Matt (30 September 2014). "Your MLB Postseason Announcing Schedule: Part I". Awful Announcing.
- ^ Fang, Ken (30 September 2013). "Turner Sports Unveils Announcing Crews for MLB Wild Card Games & League Division Series". Fang's Bites. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ Fang, Ken (4 October 2012). "TBS Assigns Announcing Crews To Wild Card Games & Two League Division Series". Fang's Bites. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ Costa, Brandon (5 October 2012). "MLB Network Aims To Make Its Mark With First Division Series Games". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ^ Fang, Ken (26 September 2011). "TBS Announces League Division Series Schedule From Friday Through Monday". Fangsbites.com. Wordpress. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011.
- ^ Reynolds, Mike (September 29, 2011). "TBS Sets Schedule For First Four Days Of MLB Postseason Coverage". Multichannel News. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
- ^ TBS Announces 2010 League Division Series Schedule & Announcer Assignments
- ^ Bloom, Barry M. (17 May 2012). "TBS to televise Wild Card playoff games". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ "MLB on Fox: New voices, channel, platforms". Retrieved April 2, 2014.
- ^ "TBS' Ernie Johnson announces he won't cover the Major League Baseball playoffs due to blood clots in his legs". TMZ.com. October 1, 2018.
- ^ "2001 ALDS – Game 3". MLB.com. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- YouTube
- ^ "1999 ALDS – Game 5". MLB.com. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- YouTube
- ^ "1996 ALDS – Game 2". MLB.com. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "1995 ALDS – Game 2". MLB.com. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "1995 ALDS – Game 5". MLB.com. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- YouTube
- ^ Bock, Hal (October 8, 1981). "New Approach to TV Sports". Tri City Herald. Associated Press. p. 31.
- ^ "Orioles' Palmer Joins ABC Broadcast Crew". Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. October 2, 1981. p. D2.
- ^ "ABC Announces Crew". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. October 17, 1981. p. 7C.
- Beaver County Times. Associated Press. p. B1.
- ^ Cafardo, Ben (October 4, 2020). "ESPN Continues its 2020 MLB Postseason Coverage with Every Game on ESPN Radio". ESPN Press Room.
- ^ Fang, Ken (26 September 2011). "ESPN Radio Announcing Assignments For 2011 MLB Postseason". Fangsbites.com. Wordpress. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011.