MLB Network announces exclusive game telecasts of 2021 American League Division Series presented by Good Sam
Costas, Kaat, Showalter and Verducci to Call Game 2, Chicago White Sox against Houston Astros this Friday, Oct. 8 at 2:07 p.m. ET; Vasgersian, Smoltz and Rosenthal to call Game 3, Tampa Bay Rays against Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 4:07 p.m. ET; 2021 Marks the 10th consecutive Postseason MLB Network will exclusively televise Division Series Games; Alex Avila and Hunter Pence to serve as in-studio guest analysts this Thursday through Sunday
October 5, 2021 – MLB Network today announced coverage details for its two exclusive game telecasts of the American League Division Series presented by Good Sam, marking the 10th consecutive year that MLB Network will exclusively televise two Division Series games.
Ford C. Frick Award winner Bob Costas, Jim Kaat, Buck Showalter and reporter Tom Verducci will call MLB Network’s telecast of ALDS Game 2 featuring the Chicago White Sox against the Houston Astros this Friday, Oct. 8 at 2:07 p.m. ET, live from Houston’s Minute Maid Park.
- Matt Vasgersian, Hall of Famer John Smoltz and reporter Ken Rosenthal will call MLB Network’s telecast of ALDS Game 3 featuring the Tampa Bay Rays against the winner of the AL Wild Card Game presented by Hankook Tire – the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees – this Sunday, Oct. 10 at 4:07 p.m. ET, live from Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium. MLB Network’s coverage of its two ALDS game telecasts will be presented by GEICO.
MLB Network free preview:
To make MLB Network’s Postseason coverage, including its two ALDS game telecasts, available to more viewers, MLB Network has partnered with several of its distributors to expand their existing carriage by providing a free preview of MLB Network from Oct. 6-15 to video customers of AT&T U-verse, Altice (Optimum), Comcast, Cox, DIRECTV, DISH Network, RCN, Sling TV, Verizon Fios and many others, bringing MLB Network’s distribution for that period to approximately 75 million homes. MLB Network’s ALDS game telecasts are also available anywhere in the United States via an authenticated live stream to customers of participating pay TV providers through the MLB app, MLBNetwork.com/Watch and MLB.TV.
MLB Network’s extensive Postseason coverage:
The multiple Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight presented by Evan Williams Bourbon will air live before and after every Postseason game, with Scott Braun, Lauren Gardner, Jon Morosi, Heidi Watney and Matt Yallof reporting on-site throughout the Postseason. MLB Network will televise more than 200 hours of Postseason coverage with special editions of its studio programs, including MLB Central co-hosted by Robert Flores, Mark DeRosa and Lauren Shehadi, High Heat presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance and hosted by Christopher Russo with contributor Alanna Rizzo, The Rundown, MLB Now presented by Fisher Investments and hosted by Brian Kenny, and Intentional Talk presented by Taco Bell and co-hosted by Stephen Nelson and Kevin Millar. MLB Network’s daily Postseason programming schedule is available here.
MLB Network will air wall-to-wall coverage from the 117th Fall Classic beginning Monday, Oct. 25. Highlights, interviews, in-studio demonstrations and insight will be provided by Greg Amsinger, Alexa Datt, Adnan Virk, Yonder Alonso, Sean Casey, Ron Darling, Cliff Floyd, John Hart, Jon Heyman, Al Leiter, Mike Lowell, Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, Dan O’Dowd, Carlos Peña, Dan Plesac, Harold Reynolds, Bill Ripken, Joel Sherman and Chris Young throughout the Postseason.
All-Star Alex Avila and two-tme World Series champion Hunter Pence join MLB Network’s Postseason coverage:
2011 All-Star Alex Avila and two-time World Series champion Hunter Pence will join MLB Network as in-studio guest analysts this week. Avila, a 13-year MLB veteran who made four consecutive trips to the Postseason with the Detroit Tigers (2011-2014), will appear on MLB Tonight this Thursday, Oct. 7 at 2:00 p.m. ET and on MLB Central and MLB Tonight this Friday, Oct. 8 at 10:00 a.m. ET and 12:00 p.m. ET, respectively. Pence, who batted .390 in 11 World Series games with the San Francisco Giants, will appear on MLB Tonight this Saturday, Oct. 9 at 12:00 a.m. ET and Sunday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET.