Baseball is back, at least in Spring Training form, and that's a good thing. The exhibitions have begun, and we're less than a month from the season starting in Australia. However, there'd been a small piece missing in MLB's 2014 calendar: the elements that would make up a brand new TV schedule for the Fox networks.
That's right, Fox networks. While Fox will still provide 12 regional split broadcasts in 2014, Fox Sports 1 will air a majority of the baseball. FS1 will air at least a game (and, in 10 weeks, a doubleheader) every Saturday of the season, plus a couple of midweek features. Fox will join for eight weeks of primetime coverage from May until July and then jump back in for the September pennant chace.
FS1 will also necessitate the return of Fox's baseball studio coverage to Los Angeles, after a three-year stint in Secaucus, NJ with the MLB Network gang. It appears that Fox Sports Live anchor Ryan Field will host the new pregame show (which will air 30 minutes prior to FS1 going on the air), though Fox would not comment on the matter. One would think Fox Sports Live breakout star Gabe Kapler and recent hire Frank Thomas might play a role.
Also a no comment at this point: Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci as new lead game analysts, but a rep for the network did tell AA that they will make their talent announcements next week.
What else is new? Live streaming of Fox games! Fox Sports Go and MLB.tv will both make the network's broadcasts avaialbe for out-of-market streaming, all the way up until the World Series. Finally, Fox has joined the future. Or at least the present.
One last feature: the Fox Sports 1 broadcasts will "co-exist" with the local broadcasts in the market of the teams playing in the game. Fox's games will continue to be exclusive nationally. Meaning, between Fox on Saturday and ESPN on Sunday, there will be just 38 exclusive, national baseball windows the entire 2014 season. Everything else is a co-exist or subject to a local blackout.
Here's the Fox schedule. Take a look, and then join us for a little looksie inside the schedule.
Date/Time | Game | Network |
April 5, 1 p.m. ET | Minnesota vs. Cleveland | FS1 |
4 p.m. ET | San Francisco vs. LA Dodgers | FS1 |
April 8, 8 p.m. ET | Cincinnati vs. St. Louis | FS1 |
April 12, 1 p.m. ET | Boston vs. NY Yankees | FS1 |
April 19, 1 p.m. ET | LA Angels vs. Detroit | FS1 |
8 p.m. ET | Arizona vs. LA Dodgers | FS1 |
April 26, 1 p.m. ET | LA Angels vs. NY Yankees | FS1 |
4 p.m. ET | Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis | FS1 |
May 3, 1 p.m. ET | St. Louis vs. CHI Cubs | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET | Detroit vs. Kansas City | FS1 |
May 10, 4 p.m. ET | San Francisco vs. LA Dodgers | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET | Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay | FS1 |
May 15, 12:30 p.m. ET | San Diego vs. Cincinnati | FS1 |
May 17, 4 p.m. ET | Pittsburgh vs. NY Yankees | FS1 |
May 24, 4 p.m. ET | Texas vs. Detroit | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET |
St. Louis vs. Cincinnati |
Fox |
May 31, 4 p.m. ET | Atlanta vs. Miami | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET |
Tampa Bay vs. Boston |
Fox |
June 7, 4 p.m. ET | Cleveland vs. Texas | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET |
Boston vs. Detroit |
Fox |
June 14, 4 p.m. ET | Minnesota vs. Detroit | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET |
Washington vs. St. Louis |
Fox |
June 21, 7 p.m. ET |
Atlanta vs. Washington |
Fox |
10 p.m. ET | Texas vs. LA Angels | FS1 |
June 28, 4 p.m. ET | Minnesota vs. Texas | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET |
Boston vs. NY Yankees |
Fox |
July 5, 4 p.m. ET | Arizona vs. Atlanta | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET |
Baltimore vs. Boston |
Fox |
July 12, 4 p.m. ET | St. Louis vs. Milwaukee | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET |
Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati |
Fox |
July 15, 8 p.m. ET | MLB All-Star Game (at Minnesota) | Fox |
July 19, 4 p.m. ET | LA Dodgers vs. St. Louis | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET | Cleveland vs. Detroit | FS1 |
July 26, 4 p.m. ET | Washington vs. Cincinnati | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET | Cleveland vs. Kansas City | FS1 |
July 29, 8 p.m. ET | NY Yankees vs. Texas | FS1 |
August 2, 4 p.m. ET | NY Yankees vs. Boston | FS1 |
August 9, 1 p.m. ET | Cleveland vs. NY Yankees | FS1 |
4 p.m. ET | St. Louis vs. Baltimore | FS1 |
August 16, 4 p.m. ET | NY Yankees vs. Tampa Bay | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET | San Diego vs. St. Louis | FS1 |
August 23, 4 p.m. ET | San Francisco vs. Washington | FS1 |
7 p.m. ET | Atlanta vs. Cincinnati | FS1 |
August 26, 8 p.m. ET | Minnesota vs. Kansas City | FS1 |
August 30, 4 p.m. ET | Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh | FS1 |
September 6, 1 p.m. ET |
San Francisco vs. Detroit |
Fox |
4 p.m. ET | Kansas City vs. NY Yankees | FS1 |
September 13, 1 p.m. ET |
Atlanta vs. Texas |
Fox |
8 p.m. ET | San Diego vs. Arizona | FS1 |
September 20 | TBD | Fox/FS1 |
September 27 | TBD | Fox/FS1 |
Here's the thing: much has been made about how Fox can take extra games of teams which it owns the regional sports network of, including now the New York Yankees. Take a look at how Fox doles out appearances between teams they do and do not own the regional rights to.
Team | Appearances |
NY Yankees* | 11 |
St. Louis* | 10 |
Cincinnati*, Detroit*, Texas* | 8 |
Cleveland*, Pittsburgh, Washington | 7 |
Boston, Kansas City*, LA Angels*, Atlanta*, LA Dodgers | 6 |
Baltimore, San Francisco | 5 |
Tampa Bay*, Minnesota*, San Diego* | 4 |
Arizona*, CHI Cubs | 3 |
Milwaukee*, Philadelphia | 2 |
Oakland, Miami*, NY Mets | 1 |
Toronto, Houston, Seattle, Colorado, CHI White Sox | 0 |
* = local rights owned by a Fox-affiliated regional sports network
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