FOX Sports Embarks on “Hunt for October” with Announcement of MLB Postseason Broadcaster Lineup
Los Angeles – Wild Card winners have been decided, and the 2016 Major League Baseball Postseason is fully underway. Presenting coverage of the National League Division Series and National League Championship Series, in addition to serving as the exclusive home of the World Series for the 17th consecutive season, FOX Sports announces its full on-air broadcaster lineup as the “Hunt For October” begins Friday, Oct. 7 at 5:00 PM ET on FS1. The announcement was made Thursday by John Entz, FOX Sports’ President of Production & Executive Producer.
“We’re as excited about this postseason as any in recent memory,” Entz said. “It has been an unbelievable year in Major League Baseball and it is shaping up to be an incredible October.”
This year’s lineup is highlighted by first-ballot Hall of Famer and 1995 World Series Champion John Smoltz as lead game analyst, as he calls his first-ever Fall Classic on network television. Smoltz, who served as FOX Sports’ lead analyst during the 2016 regular season, joins seven-time Emmy Award-winning announcer Joe Buck in the booth for NLCS and World Series games. He has previously called Division Series postseason games for FOX Sports, in addition to serving as the analyst on Major League Baseball’s international feed during the 2015 World Series.
Buck and Smoltz are joined by veteran Emmy Award-winning reporter Ken Rosenthal for the NLCS and World Series.
During FS1’s NLDS coverage, play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian is alongside Smoltz on the call for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs clash, with Rosenthal reporting from the field. On the other side of the National League bracket, announcer Kenny Albert calls the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers series, with Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci serving as analysts, and Jon Paul Morosi contributing reports.
NLCS and World Series games are led by producer Pete Macheska and directors John Moore (NLCS) and Bill Webb (World Series).
In the pregame and postgame studio, the colorful mix of characters that lit up FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2015 MLB Postseason returns, as host Kevin Burkhardt is flanked at the desk by all-time hits leader Pete Rose, Hall of Famer Frank Thomas and 14-time All-Star Alex Rodriguez before and after all games. Verducci joins the studio desk for the NLCS and World Series, while former pitchers and current FOX MLB analysts CJ Nitkowski and Dontrelle Willis also contribute to coverage. The studio team makes its 2016 Postseason debut on Friday, Oct. 7, at 5:00 PM ET on FS1, prior to the start of NLDS Game 1 between the Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington Nationals.
Studio coverage is led by Senior Vice President, Production Kent Camera, Vice President, Production Bardia Shah-Rais and Senior Producer Jonathan Kaplan.
All postseason games on FOX & FS1 are also televised in Spanish exclusively on FOX Deportes, the leader in Spanish-language sports media. FOX Deportes covers the action with pregame shows and expert analysis from former pitcher Duaner Sanchez and former outfielder Karim Garcia. Joining Sanchez and Garcia on the call is Carlos Alvarez, with special reports from Jaime Motta. FOX Deportes’ digital platforms supplement efforts through social media channels and provide additional coverage on FOXDeportes.com.
Complete broadcast assignments for FOX Sports’ coverge of the 2016 MLB Postseason are as follows:
National League Division Series
Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Play-by-play: Kenny Albert
Analysts: Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci
Reporter: Jon Paul Morosi
San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago Cubs
Play-by-play: Matt Vasgersian
Analyst: John Smoltz
Reporter: Ken Rosenthal
National League Championship Series
Play-by-play: Joe Buck
Analyst: John Smoltz
Reporter: Ken Rosenthal
World Series
Play-by-play: Joe Buck
Analyst: John Smoltz
Reporter: Ken Rosenthal
Studio
Host: Kevin Burkhardt
Analysts: CJ Nitkowski, Alex Rodriguez, Pete Rose, Frank Thomas, Tom Verducci and Dontrelle Willis
