MLB Network Showcase

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MLB Network Showcase
StarringBob Costas
Matt Vasgersian
Dan Plesac
Tom Verducci
Jon Morosi
Theme music composerDavid Robidoux[1]
Country of originUnited States
Production
Running time3 hours (approximate)
Original release
NetworkMLB Network
ReleaseApril 9, 2009 (2009-04-09)[2] –
present

MLB Network Showcase is the title of a presentation of Major League Baseball on cable and satellite channel MLB Network that premiered on April 9, 2009.[3] The network produces in-house 26 non-exclusive live games a season. Since one or both teams' local TV rights holders also carry the games, the MLB Network feed is subject to local blackouts. In that event, the cities in the blacked-out markets will instead see a simulcast of another scheduled game via one team's local TV rights holder. MLB Network Showcase typically airs one game a week.

From

TBS
.

History

Prior to the formation of MLB Network, MLB had produced game telecasts in-house for the 1994 and 1995 seasons via The Baseball Network, a joint venture with ABC and NBC. However, the experiment was scuttled by ABC and NBC after the 1995 season due to lackluster ratings in the aftermath of the 1994–95 strike, which had resulted in the cancellation of the remainder of the 1994 season.[4][5]

From

CSN Chicago).[6] For the 2010 Civil Rights Game, again, MLB Network telecast the game except in Cincinnati (Fox Sports Ohio) and St. Louis (Fox Sports Midwest
).

On July 8, 2011,

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area during the game's middle innings, since the MLB Network broadcast was blacked out
in the Mets' and Giants' respective home markets.

On July 2, 2013, Matt Vasgersian and Sean Casey called the game between the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds (with Casey being a legend for the latter team), in which Reds pitcher Homer Bailey threw his second career no-hitter.

On September 25, 2014, Costas called Derek Jeter's final game at Yankee Stadium for MLB Network, where he hit an RBI single to win the game.

On July 8, 2016, NHL on NBC broadcaster Mike Emrick called his first MLB regular-season game at PNC Park when the Pirates hosted the Chicago Cubs for MLB Network with Bob Costas. The Pirates won the game, 8–4, with Emrick calling some of the action.

Postseason coverage

For the

FS1
, though with the caveat of airing the American League games in odd-numbered years, and National League games in even-numbered years.

The first postseason telecast took place on October 7, 2012 and featured the Detroit Tigers hosting the Oakland Athletics at Comerica Park in Detroit for Game 2 of the 2012 ALDS. Matt Vasgersian called the game alongside analyst Jim Kaat. The second telecast took place on October 10 and featured the Washington Nationals hosting the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., for Game 3 of the 2012 NLDS; this was the Nationals' first home postseason game since moving to Washington at the start of the 2005 season. Bob Costas provided the play-by-play commentary alongside analyst Jim Kaat.[9] Vasgersian and Jim Kaat called Game 3 of the 2013 American League Division Series, also between the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland Athletics on October 7 as well.

In 2017, Bob Costas called Game 1 of the American League Division Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros on MLB Network. The Astros went on to win 8–2. Costas and his color commentator Jim Kaat received criticism for their "bantering about minutia" and misidentification of plays. Costas also went on to become an internet meme after using the term the "sacks were juiced" to describe the bases being loaded.[10]

Following

TBS, replacing CNN en Español.[11]

Commentators

Longtime

color commentary.[13]

Siera Santos, CC Sabathia and Chris Young host select special "Clubhouse Edition" broadcasts, which have two former MLB players with Sabathia, Young and Santos to provide a unique look at the featured games.

In a deal announced in September 2022, Melanie Newman and CC Sabathia will host selected games for BBC Sport, these continue to be branded as an MLB Network Showcase broadcast.[14] In 2023, CC Sabathia was replaced by Xavier Scruggs as a game analyst for BBC Sport.

References

  1. ^ "David Robidoux". APM Music. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  2. ^ "SEARCHABLE NETWORK TV BROADCASTS". sabrmedia.org. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019.
  3. ^ Sandomir, Richard (October 2, 2008). "A Network to Satisfy the Appetite of Baseball-Hungry Fans". The New York Times. p. D8.
  4. .
  5. .
  6. The E.W. Scripps Company
    . Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  7. ^ Fang, Ken (June 29, 2011). "Al Michaels & Bob Costas To Call Game For MLB Network in July". Fangsbites.com. Wordpress. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  8. ^ Bloom, Barry M. (May 17, 2012). "TBS to televise Wild Card playoff games". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  9. ^ MLB Network To Televise Postseason And Regular Season Game Programming Through 2021, MLB.com, October 2, 2012
  10. ^ "Please keep Bob Costas away from Red Sox playoff games". October 6, 2017.
  11. ^ "Spanish-Language Games and MLB Tonight". MLB.com.
  12. ^ Costas Joins MLB Network's Team Multichannel News February 3, 2009
  13. ^ "MLB Network Sets Thursday Night Baseball Lineup". TV Week. March 25, 2009.
  14. ^ "Red Sox-Yanks to air in United Kingdom on Saturday". Brian Murphy. September 23, 2022.

External links