MLB Network Announces Early Season Thursday Night Baseball Schedule
tmc...@gmail.com
This is what happens when I leave the office for several hours. I find
my inbox is overflowing with stuff.
This is from the MLB Network, the announcement of the early season
Thursday Night Baseball schedule. Announcing assignments are also
included. Notice how Bob Costas is doing two games in the early
schedule, both involving New York teams. Matt Vasgersian and Victor
Rojas get the bulk of the work. Here's hoping that Costas does more
than two games and with teams other than the Yankees and Mets.
MLB NETWORK UNVEILS “THURSDAY NIGHT BASEBALL” SCHEDULE AND ANNOUNCERS
Bob Costas Returns to Broadcast Booth for First Game at New Yankee
Stadium
First Eight Games Feature 16 Different MLB Clubs
Secaucus, N.J. – MLB Network today announced its Thursday Night
Baseball schedule for April and May, featuring 16 different MLB clubs
in its first eight live regular season games. MLB Network’s first-ever
regular season game broadcast will occur on April 9 with the Milwaukee
Brewers at the San Francisco Giants. The following week, MLB Network
will air two games including the debut of the new Yankee Stadium on
April 16, which will also mark Bob Costas’ play-by-play debut for MLB
Network. Costas last appeared in a baseball broadcast booth at the old
Yankee Stadium for NBC on October 17, 2000, where the Yankees closed
out the ALCS with a win in Game Six over the Seattle Mariners.
Jim Kaat will make his MLB Network debut on April 16, joining Costas
and Harold Reynolds in the booth for the Yankees home opener. In
addition to that game, Costas will also call the May 7 game between
the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets at CitiField. Broadcast
teams for the additional Thursday Night Baseball games on MLB Network
in April and May will include play by play by Matt Vasgersian and
Victor Rojas, with analysis by Al Leiter, Joe Magrane, and Dan
Plesac.
Other highlights of the April and May game schedule include matchups
of division rivals such as the Boston Red Sox at the Tampa Bay Rays
(April 30), the Philadelphia Phillies at the New York Mets (May 7) and
the Chicago Cubs at the St. Louis Cardinals (May 21). The Toronto Blue
Jays, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Baltimore
Orioles and Kansas City Royals will also be featured. MLB Network will
announce future Thursday Night Baseball games coinciding with its
selection windows. Games will be blacked out in each team’s home
television territory. Viewers in areas subject to blackouts will be
provided with an alternate game telecast or other programming.
“It’s important for MLB Network right from the start to establish a
national footprint with live games, and we’ve done that with this
Thursday night package to complement our ambitious nightly studio
show, MLB Tonight,” said Tony Petitti, President and Chief Executive
Officer of MLB Network. “We’re very excited about the mix of games
we’ll show in the first two months, and think fans will continue to
appreciate the versatility of our on-air talent as they transition
seamlessly between the studio and the broadcast booth.”
The full MLB Network Thursday Night Baseball broadcast schedule for
April and May appears below.
MLB NETWORK THURSDAY NIGHT BASEBALL SCHEDULE
April 9, 7:00 p.m., Brewers @ Giants - Matt Vasgersian & Joe Magrane
April 16, 1:00 p.m., Indians @ Yankees - Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds &
Jim Kaat
April 16, 8:00 p.m., Blue Jays @ Twins - Victor Rojas & Dan Plesac
April 23, 8:00 p.m., Dodgers @ Astros - Matt Vasgersian & Joe Magrane
April 30, 7:00 p.m., Red Sox @ Rays - Victor Rojas & Joe Magrane
May 7, 7:00 p.m., Phillies @ Mets - Bob Costas & Al Leiter
May 14, 8:00 p.m., Orioles @ Royals - TBD
May 21, 8:00 p.m., Cubs @ Cardinals - TBD
During the regular season, MLB Network’s signature program will be MLB
Tonight, which will air live beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET until the final
MLB game of the night ends each Monday through Saturday, featuring
live look-ins of games in progress, updates, highlights, reporting and
analysis. On Thursday nights, the show will lead in to Thursday Night
Baseball and provide viewers with highlights and analysis after the
game as well as live studio updates during the game broadcast.
That's it for this release. I have more releases coming up.