MLB Network has announced their schedule of live game telecasts for the month of April, and if you were looking for a change from the usual east coast heavy lineup, you're going to be disappointed.
Of the six MLB Network-produced Showcase games following the season-opening series between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in Australia, five feature either the Yankees or the Red Sox – the lone exception is the April 17th matchup between the Cardinals and Nationals. Bob Costas serves as the play-by-play commentator for all five of those games, while Matt Vasgersian takes the mic for that Cardinals-Nationals game. Costas and Vasgersian will be joined by a rotating crew consisting of John Smoltz, Jim Kaat, Sam Ryan, and Tom Verducci.
Excluding those six Showcase games, the Yankees have ten games simulcast on MLB Network in April, while the Red Sox have six. The other AL East teams are also represented well, with the Orioles and Rays each popping up nine times during the month (three Showcase games for Baltimore, none for Tampa Bay), and the Blue Jays showing up five times (no Showcase games).
The kings of the National League are the Reds, who have a mind-blowing 11 games on, all of which are simulcasts as opposed to Showcase games. They're followed by the Braves, Pirates, and Cardinals, who appear nine times each with just one Showcase game between them (the aforementioned Cardinals-Nationals matchup). Every team in baseball has at least one game on the network in April, with the Giants, Padres, Mets, and Marlins only showing up once and the Angels and Rangers shockingly only having two games telecast. Outside of those two games in Australia, the Diamondbacks only show up once, and the Dodgers just twice.
You can find the full schedule of games on MLB Network's website, but here's the schedule for the six showcase games that weren't already announced.
April 4th, 2 PM – Brewers at Red Sox (Costas, Kaat, Ryan)
April 10th, 7 PM – Red Sox at Yankees (Costas, Smoltz, Verducci)
April 17th, 7 PM – Cardinals at Nationals (Vasgersian, Smoltz, Ryan)
April 21st, 11 AM – Orioles at Red Sox (Costas, Kaat, Verducci)
April 22nd, 7 PM – Yankees at Red Sox (Costas, Kaat, Verducci)
April 29th, 7 PM – Mariners at Yankees (Costas, Smoltz, Ryan)
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