MLB on TBS
Encyclopedia
Major League Baseball on TBS is a presentation of Major League Baseball
games produced by Turner Sports
and airing on the television channel TBS.
baseball games had been a local staple on Atlanta station WTBS (which were both owned by Ted Turner
), and subsequently nationally with the launch of its national feed, one of America's first superstation
s. Along with WGN-TV
, the station was one of the few broadcasting local sports broadcasts nationally, with some even giving the Braves the title "America's Team
". When Major League Baseball realigned to three divisions in each league in , TBS offered Major League Baseball $
40-$45 million a year for rights to another round of playoffs (presumably, the newly created Division Series
). Instead, Major League Baseball along with ABC and NBC formed a revenue sharing joint venture
called The Baseball Network
(which was abolished after the 1995 season
). Meanwhile, CBS was offering $130 million a year to renew its previous contract (-) before being shut out, as well.
In 2003
, Braves games on TBS began to undergo significant change for the first time in many years. These changes reflected increased rights fee payments to Major League Baseball. In turn, national sponsors could fulfill their advertising commitments by purchasing ads on TBS, in addition to ESPN
or Fox. In the process, they let Don Sutton and Joe Simpson
be the lead commentators, while longtime play-by-play men Skip Caray
and Pete Van Wieren
had their roles cut back. This was done in an attempt to combat criticism of Caray's on-air "home team" bias and to market its baseball coverage to non-Braves fans. Meanwhile, the slogan Braves Baseball on TBS was replaced by Major League Baseball on TBS. The move was strongly criticized by Braves fans, the local Atlanta media, and Braves manager Bobby Cox
. Over 90%
of Braves fans who voted in an online poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution preferred Caray and Van Wieren to the more neutral broadcasts. The move backfired, and ratings for the TBS broadcasts declined sharply. After the All-Star Break
, TBS brought back Skip and Pete to work with the two analysts, while in the following year, the title reverted back to Braves Baseball on TBS.
playoff games, one of the League Championship Series
, as well as rights to the All-Star Selection Show
held in late June or early July, from 2007–2013. A national Sunday afternoon baseball package was also planned starting in the 2008
season. As a part of the deal, it was decided that Atlanta Braves games would now only air locally. On October 1, 2007, WTBS severed its ties with the TBS network to become an independent under the call letters WPCH-TV, branding as Peachtree TV. Along with this, the national TBS feed became available in Atlanta for the first time. Peachtree TV still airs Braves games, but only within the team's market and in Canada
due to local laws currently not allowing the "cable" TBS to be shown unbundled in Canada. TBS' games are shown on Rogers Sportsnet
in Canada.
Since the regular season package began, several contests aired on TBS have featured the Braves. On October 7, 2010, TBS covered their first Braves postseason game since the start of the package: Game 1 of the National League Division Series
against the San Francisco Giants
(a 1-0 win for the Giants).
On the July 2, 2011 edition of The CBS Sports Spectacular
, TBS' Atlanta based Major League Baseball studio crew of Matt Winer
, Dennis Eckersley
, Cal Ripken, Jr.
and David Wells
presented a 2011 Major League Baseball
midseason report. This was followed by MLB 2011: Down the Stretch, which aired on September 24. CBS Sports and Turner Sports
have in the past, teamed up on coverage of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
and the Winter Olympics
in 1992
, 1994
and 1998
.
. TBS does not show commercial breaks after the third, and sixth innings (and also after the 9th inning when the game goes to extra innings). Instead, it airs a "Game Break" allowing the studio host and analysts more air time (similar to what is done for British television coverage of an American sporting event). The studio shows originate from Studio J in Atlanta, Georgia
, the same one used for TNT's NBA coverage.
in local markets to protect local broadcasters. Under the deal, TBS can show an alternate game in those markets, but the network has elected not to do so thus far. Also, despite initial reports that TBS would carry games on Memorial Day
, the Fourth of July
, and Labor Day
, these holiday games are not part of the contract. For many years, games on these holidays were shown on ESPN
, but that network has discontinued them (with the occasional exception of when they fall into the regular Sunday/Monday/Wednesday night slots) in favor of other live sports events.
TBS released a partial schedule of its inaugural slate of Sunday games on February 27, 2008. More games would be added as the season progressed, generally two weeks before each telecast date. TBS has the second pick of game after ESPN.
Consequently, due to its non-exclusivity, highlights of a scheduled game aired on MLB on TBS were not shown on the ESPN
baseball highlight show Baseball Tonight
; instead local broadcasts of the scheduled game were shown. However, highlights of an MLB on TBS game do air on the MLB on FOX weekly program This Week in Baseball
, as well as MLB Tonight
on the MLB Network
.
championships. Should multiple tie-breaking games be played, or if multiple Division Series games are going on at the same time, those additional games air on TBS’ sister station, TNT
. If the tie-breaker game for the American League East
or the American League Wild Card is between the New York Yankees
and the Boston Red Sox
, then that game will air on Fox.
All games in the Division Series round are presented back-to-back, with each game scheduled for a -hour window. If a game exceeds this window, the first pitch of the next game will be switched to TNT
. If a game ends within hours, the studio team will return for interstitial programming. TBS' League Championship Series coverage will alternate yearly. TBS will air the ALCS in 2012 and the NLCS in 2013, alternating with Fox. However, if TBS is scheduled to air the ALCS, and the two teams playing are the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, then MLB might move the ALCS to Fox and broadcast the NLCS on TBS because Fox has often broadcast games between the two AL East rivals because of the nature of the rivalry.
In 2007, TBS switched the starts of four games to TNT in the Division Series round because the previous games exceeded the time limit. TNT was also scheduled to air Game 4 of the Diamondbacks
–Cubs
series, which overlapped with Game 3 of the Red Sox
–Angels
series, but the former game was not played; the night before, the Diamondbacks completed a three game sweep of the Cubs.
TNT was scheduled to air three entire Division Series games in 2011
due to conflicts with TBS. On October 1, it aired Game 2 of the Tampa Bay Rays
vs. the Texas Rangers
at 7 p.m. ET, which overlapped with the end of Game 1 of the St. Louis Cardinals
vs. the Philadelphia Phillies
and the continuation of Game 1 of the Detroit Tigers
vs. the New York Yankees
on TBS. (The latter was also to have been Game 2, but Game 1 was suspended after innings due to rain.) On October 2, it aired the rescheduled Game 2 between the Tigers and the Yankees at 3 p.m. ET, two hours before Game 2 of the Arizona Diamondbacks
vs. the Milwaukee Brewers
on TBS. On October 4, it aired Game 3 of the Diamondbacks vs. the Brewers at 9:30 p.m. ET, one hour after Game 3 of the Tigers vs. the Yankees started on TBS.
was required to make those games available on the air in local markets.
Some sports media critics were critical of the announcers used in the coverage as being more skewed towards the National League than the American League, along with the choice of Chip Caray (who along the way was criticized for making factual mistakes during postseason broadcasts) as the lead voice of the network's coverage, as he had only done Braves baseball telecasts in the 2007 season before the launch of TBS' playoff coverage. TBS and Caray parted ways following the 2009 playoffs. Ernie Johnson, Jr., Dick Stockton
and Brian Anderson
are currently handling play-by-play in his place.
TBS missed most of the first inning of Game 6 of the 2008 American League Championship Series
, with viewers getting a rerun of The Steve Harvey Show
instead. TBS picked up the game just prior to the last out in the bottom of the first, with announcer Chip Caray apologizing to viewers for "technical difficulties." TBS acknowledged there was a problem with one of their routers used in the broadcast transmission of the relay of the telecast from Atlanta.
During the TBS' coverage of Game 1 of the 2011 American League Division Series
between the Texas Rangers
and Tampa Bay Rays
, TBS was alleged to have featured fake headlines that were plagiarized by real journalists. On October 1, during the middle of an at-bat during Game 1 of the 2011 ALDS between the New York Yankees
and Detroit Tigers
, TBS suddenly cut to Tampa Bay-Texas game, which was airing on TNT for about 14 seconds. Moments later (as TBS was coming out of a replay and showing the Tigers' dugout), cameras missed Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher
making a diving catch (instead showing Yankees pitcher Iván Nova
walking off the mound and pumping his fist).
TBS has also been criticized for placing the center-field camera precisely in the center. Therefore, every time a pitcher began his windup, his head would block the view of home plate.
telecasts. It has been upgraded midway into the 2004 season to what it was through 2007.
graphic, which only took up the left half of the top. The look is almost identical to that of from Fox's baseball coverage, except that the illustration of the basepaths is near the left side of the screen instead of flush on the right. The batting order starting lineup used since 2008 resembles that of a cellphone. There is also a pitch tracker that can only be seen on high-definition feeds.
The screen on TBS's standard definition 4:3 feed now airs a letterbox
ed version of the native HD feed to match Fox's default widescreen
SD presentation, allowing the right side pitch tracking graphic to be seen by SD viewers.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
games produced by Turner Sports
Turner Sports
Turner Sports is the division of Turner Broadcasting System responsible for sports broadcasts on Turner channels including TBS, TNT, and TruTV, and for operating the interactive properties , , , and...
and airing on the television channel TBS.
Pre-2007: relationship with the Braves
Atlanta BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
baseball games had been a local staple on Atlanta station WTBS (which were both owned by Ted Turner
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
), and subsequently nationally with the launch of its national feed, one of America's first superstation
Superstation
Superstation in United States television can have several meanings. In its most precise meaning, a superstation is defined by the Federal Communications Commission as "A television broadcast station, other than a network station, licensed by the FCC that is secondarily transmitted by a satellite...
s. Along with WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
, the station was one of the few broadcasting local sports broadcasts nationally, with some even giving the Braves the title "America's Team
America's Team
The term America's Team is a popular nickname in American sports that refers to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. The nickname originated with the team's 1978 highlight film, where the narrator opens with the following introduction: The term is recognized and often used by media...
". When Major League Baseball realigned to three divisions in each league in , TBS offered Major League Baseball $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
40-$45 million a year for rights to another round of playoffs (presumably, the newly created Division Series
Division Series
In baseball, the Division Series is the official name for the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Currently, a total of four series are played in this opening round, two each for both the American League and the National League.-1981 season:...
). Instead, Major League Baseball along with ABC and NBC formed a revenue sharing joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
called The Baseball Network
The Baseball Network
The Baseball Network was a short-lived television broadcasting joint venture between ABC, NBC, and Major League Baseball. Under the arrangement, beginning in the 1994 season, the league produced its own in-house telecasts of games, which were then brokered to air on ABC and NBC...
(which was abolished after the 1995 season
1995 Major League Baseball season
Due to the 1994 Major League Baseball strike which carried into the 1995 season, a shortened 144 game schedule commenced on April 25, when the Florida Marlins played host to the Los Angeles Dodgers.-Regular season:...
). Meanwhile, CBS was offering $130 million a year to renew its previous contract (-) before being shut out, as well.
In 2003
2003 Atlanta Braves season
-Offseason:*November 20, 2002: Donzell McDonald was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.*December 18, 2002: Paul Byrd was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.*December 19, 2002: Greg Maddux was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves....
, Braves games on TBS began to undergo significant change for the first time in many years. These changes reflected increased rights fee payments to Major League Baseball. In turn, national sponsors could fulfill their advertising commitments by purchasing ads on TBS, in addition to ESPN
ESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD. ESPN's MLB coverage debuted on April 9, 1990 with three Opening Day telecasts. ESPN Major League Baseball is guaranteed to remain on air until 2013.The title is derived from...
or Fox. In the process, they let Don Sutton and Joe Simpson
Joe Simpson (broadcaster)
Joe Allen Simpson has been a radio and television broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves since 1992 and is a former Major League Baseball player.-Playing career:...
be the lead commentators, while longtime play-by-play men Skip Caray
Skip Caray
Harry Christopher "Skip" Caray, Jr. was an American sportscaster, best known for his long career as a radio and television play-by-play announcer for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball...
and Pete Van Wieren
Pete Van Wieren
Pete van Wieren is a former American sportscaster best known for his long career calling play-by-play for Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves.-Atlanta Braves:...
had their roles cut back. This was done in an attempt to combat criticism of Caray's on-air "home team" bias and to market its baseball coverage to non-Braves fans. Meanwhile, the slogan Braves Baseball on TBS was replaced by Major League Baseball on TBS. The move was strongly criticized by Braves fans, the local Atlanta media, and Braves manager Bobby Cox
Bobby Cox
Robert Joseph "Bobby" Cox is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. He first led the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1981, and then managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. He later rejoined the Braves in 1985 as a general manager...
. Over 90%
Percentage
In mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a fraction of 100 . It is often denoted using the percent sign, “%”, or the abbreviation “pct”. For example, 45% is equal to 45/100, or 0.45.Percentages are used to express how large/small one quantity is, relative to another quantity...
of Braves fans who voted in an online poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution preferred Caray and Van Wieren to the more neutral broadcasts. The move backfired, and ratings for the TBS broadcasts declined sharply. After the All-Star Break
2003 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2003 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 74th midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues constituting Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 15, 2003 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois, the home of the Chicago...
, TBS brought back Skip and Pete to work with the two analysts, while in the following year, the title reverted back to Braves Baseball on TBS.
2007: Going national
Under an agreement signed on July 11, 2006, TBS earned exclusive rights to all Division SeriesDivision Series
In baseball, the Division Series is the official name for the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Currently, a total of four series are played in this opening round, two each for both the American League and the National League.-1981 season:...
playoff games, one of the League Championship Series
League Championship Series
The League Championship Series is the official name for a round of postseason play in Major League Baseball which has been conducted since 1969...
, as well as rights to the All-Star Selection Show
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
held in late June or early July, from 2007–2013. A national Sunday afternoon baseball package was also planned starting in the 2008
2008 Major League Baseball season
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the...
season. As a part of the deal, it was decided that Atlanta Braves games would now only air locally. On October 1, 2007, WTBS severed its ties with the TBS network to become an independent under the call letters WPCH-TV, branding as Peachtree TV. Along with this, the national TBS feed became available in Atlanta for the first time. Peachtree TV still airs Braves games, but only within the team's market and in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
due to local laws currently not allowing the "cable" TBS to be shown unbundled in Canada. TBS' games are shown on Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
in Canada.
Since the regular season package began, several contests aired on TBS have featured the Braves. On October 7, 2010, TBS covered their first Braves postseason game since the start of the package: Game 1 of the National League Division Series
2010 National League Division Series
The 2010 National League Division Series were two best-of-five game series to determine the participating teams in the 2010 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—a "Wild Card"—played in two series from October 6 to 11...
against the San Francisco Giants
2010 San Francisco Giants season
The San Francisco Giants are an American Major League Baseball team. Their 2010 season marked their 128th year in Major League Baseball, and their fifty-third year in San Francisco since their move from New York following the 1957 season...
(a 1-0 win for the Giants).
On the July 2, 2011 edition of The CBS Sports Spectacular
CBS Sports Spectacular
CBS Sports Spectacular is a sports anthology program produced by CBS Sports. The series began on January 3, 1960 as The CBS Sports Spectacular, and has been known under many different names, including CBS Sports Saturday, CBS Sports Sunday, Eye on Sports and The CBS Sports Show.The program...
, TBS' Atlanta based Major League Baseball studio crew of Matt Winer
Matt Winer
Matthew Ward Winer is an American television personality for Turner Sports and formerly with ESPN.-Career:Turner Sports signed Winer in 2010 to contribute to coverage of sports across its networks. He became the primary studio host for Major League Baseball on TBS, replacing Ernie Johnson Jr., who...
, Dennis Eckersley
Dennis Eckersley
Dennis Lee Eckersley , nicknamed "Eck", is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. Eckersley had success as a starter, but gained his greatest fame as a closer, becoming the first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career .He...
, Cal Ripken, Jr.
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. , nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles ....
and David Wells
David Wells
David Lee Wells , nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Wells was considered to be one of the game's better left-handed pitchers, especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched the fifteenth perfect game in baseball history...
presented a 2011 Major League Baseball
2011 Major League Baseball season
The 2011 Major League Baseball season began on Thursday, March 31, and ended on Wednesday, September 28. This marked the first time a season began on a Thursday since , and the first time a regular season ended on a Wednesday since...
midseason report. This was followed by MLB 2011: Down the Stretch, which aired on September 24. CBS Sports and Turner Sports
Turner Sports
Turner Sports is the division of Turner Broadcasting System responsible for sports broadcasts on Turner channels including TBS, TNT, and TruTV, and for operating the interactive properties , , , and...
have in the past, teamed up on coverage of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
NCAA March Madness (CBS/Turner)
NCAA March Madness is the title of the coverage of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament jointly produced by CBS Sports and Turner Sports, with coverage airing on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, beginning with the 2011 tournament.Initially, CBS will continue to have coverage during most rounds,...
and the Winter Olympics
Olympics on TNT
The Olympics on TNT was the branding for Winter Olympic Games coverage produced by CBS for their cable partner, Turner Network Television. The last airing of the telecast was for the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano.-History:...
in 1992
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
, 1994
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
and 1998
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
.
2007
- First program: July 1 - The 2007 MLB All-Star Selection Show
- First game: October 1 - The one game playoff between the San Diego Padres2007 San Diego Padres seasonThe San Diego Padres' 2007 season began with the Padres' attempt to win a 3rd consecutive NL West title. After finishing 162 games in a tie with the Colorado Rockies for both the NL Wild Card and second place in the NL West, they were defeated in a tie-breaker which placed them third overall in...
and the Colorado Rockies2007 Colorado Rockies seasonThe Colorado Rockies' 2007 season started off with the team trying to improve on their 2006 record . They finished with a franchise record of 90 wins in 163 games and earned a playoff berth as the National League Wild Card team. The Rockies swept their first seven playoff games en route to winning...
(called by Don OrsilloDon OrsilloDon Orsillo is the play-by-play announcer for Boston Red Sox games on the New England Sports Network.-Early life and career:...
and Joe Simpson) for the 2007 NL Wild Card. - First postgame show: October 2 (Eastern Time ZoneEastern Time ZoneThe Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
), October 1 (Rest of the country) - Inside MLB presented by Captain Morgan hosted by Ernie Johnson, Jr. and Cal Ripken, Jr.Cal Ripken, Jr.Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. , nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles ....
immediately after the NL Wild Card playoff. - First pregame show: October 3 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time - Chevy MLB on Deck
- First postseason game: October 3 - Game 1 of the NLDS2007 National League Division Series-Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies:-Game 1, October 3:Chase Field in Phoenix, ArizonaEighteen-game winners Carlos Zambrano and Brandon Webb matched each other pitch for pitch in the opening game of the series. Stephen Drew's fourth-inning home run stood as the game's only run until Ryan...
between the Colorado Rockies2007 Colorado Rockies seasonThe Colorado Rockies' 2007 season started off with the team trying to improve on their 2006 record . They finished with a franchise record of 90 wins in 163 games and earned a playoff berth as the National League Wild Card team. The Rockies swept their first seven playoff games en route to winning...
and Philadelphia Phillies2007 Philadelphia Phillies seasonThe Philadelphia Phillies' 2007 season began with the Phillies approaching an historic mark. The Phillies started the year with an MLB-record 9,955 losses in franchise history. On July 15, they lost their 10,000th game to the St. Louis Cardinals...
.
2008
- First regular season game: April 6 - Boston Red Sox2008 Boston Red Sox seasonThe Boston Red Sox' 2008 season began on March 25, in Tokyo, Japan for the MLB Japan Opening Day 2008. The Red Sox were attempting to become the first repeat World Series Champions since the 1999–2000 New York Yankees and also be the first repeat Champions of the 21st century. They also tried to...
vs. Toronto Blue Jays2008 Toronto Blue Jays seasonThe Toronto Blue Jays season, the team's 32nd year of existence, saw the Blue Jays finish in fourth place in the American League East with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses for a .531 winning percentage, thus making this season the third consecutive winning season for the Jays, as well as being...
at Rogers CentreRogers CentreRogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
. - First interleague game: May 18 - Milwaukee Brewers2008 Milwaukee Brewers seasonThe 2008 Milwaukee Brewers season opened with optimism as the team attempted to build on the success of the 2007 season - their first winning season since 1992....
vs. Boston Red Sox2008 Boston Red Sox seasonThe Boston Red Sox' 2008 season began on March 25, in Tokyo, Japan for the MLB Japan Opening Day 2008. The Red Sox were attempting to become the first repeat World Series Champions since the 1999–2000 New York Yankees and also be the first repeat Champions of the 21st century. They also tried to...
at Fenway ParkFenway ParkFenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
.
Scheduling
TBS typically begins coverage with the pregame show MLB on Deck, followed by the first pitch of the first game about 38 minutes later. Each day's coverage ends with Inside MLB, its version of Inside the NBAInside the NBA
Inside the NBA is the five-time Emmy Award-winning postgame show for NBA on TNT broadcasts. The program features host Ernie Johnson with analysts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and starting in 2011, they will be joined by Shaquille O'Neal...
. TBS does not show commercial breaks after the third, and sixth innings (and also after the 9th inning when the game goes to extra innings). Instead, it airs a "Game Break" allowing the studio host and analysts more air time (similar to what is done for British television coverage of an American sporting event). The studio shows originate from Studio J in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, the same one used for TNT's NBA coverage.
Regular season
During the regular season, TBS broadcasts a weekly game nationally on Sunday afternoons, under the title Sunday MLB on TBS. These games are not exclusive to TBS and are blacked outBlackout (broadcasting)
Blackout usually relates to the broadcasting of sports events, television programming, that is prohibited in a certain media market.The purpose is theoretically to generate more revenue by obliging certain actions from fans, either by making them buy tickets or watch other games on TV...
in local markets to protect local broadcasters. Under the deal, TBS can show an alternate game in those markets, but the network has elected not to do so thus far. Also, despite initial reports that TBS would carry games on Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
, the Fourth of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, and Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
, these holiday games are not part of the contract. For many years, games on these holidays were shown on ESPN
ESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD. ESPN's MLB coverage debuted on April 9, 1990 with three Opening Day telecasts. ESPN Major League Baseball is guaranteed to remain on air until 2013.The title is derived from...
, but that network has discontinued them (with the occasional exception of when they fall into the regular Sunday/Monday/Wednesday night slots) in favor of other live sports events.
TBS released a partial schedule of its inaugural slate of Sunday games on February 27, 2008. More games would be added as the season progressed, generally two weeks before each telecast date. TBS has the second pick of game after ESPN.
Consequently, due to its non-exclusivity, highlights of a scheduled game aired on MLB on TBS were not shown on the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
baseball highlight show Baseball Tonight
Baseball Tonight
Baseball Tonight is a program that airs on ESPN. The show, which recapitulates the day's Major League Baseball action, has been on the air since 1990.-Air times:...
; instead local broadcasts of the scheduled game were shown. However, highlights of an MLB on TBS game do air on the MLB on FOX weekly program This Week in Baseball
This Week in Baseball
This Week in Baseball is a weekly television program, originally designed to show highlights of the previous week's Major League Baseball action. TWIB debuted in .-Genesis of the series:...
, as well as MLB Tonight
MLB Tonight
MLB Tonight is the signature program that airs on MLB Network and is simulcast on MLB Network Radio. The show offers complete coverage of all Major League Baseball games from 6pm ET till 1am ET during the regular season. It is taped live in Studio 3 of the MLB Network facility in Secaucus, New...
on the MLB Network
MLB Network
MLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...
.
Postseason
Before the postseason, TBS will air any tie-breaker games for divisional or wild cardMajor League Baseball Wild Card
In Major League Baseball, the wild-card playoff spot is given to the team in each league with the best record among the non-division winners. It was established for Major League Baseball's playoffs in 1994 with the intention of helping the best teams that did not win their division to still have a...
championships. Should multiple tie-breaking games be played, or if multiple Division Series games are going on at the same time, those additional games air on TBS’ sister station, TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
. If the tie-breaker game for the American League East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
or the American League Wild Card is between the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, then that game will air on Fox.
All games in the Division Series round are presented back-to-back, with each game scheduled for a -hour window. If a game exceeds this window, the first pitch of the next game will be switched to TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
. If a game ends within hours, the studio team will return for interstitial programming. TBS' League Championship Series coverage will alternate yearly. TBS will air the ALCS in 2012 and the NLCS in 2013, alternating with Fox. However, if TBS is scheduled to air the ALCS, and the two teams playing are the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, then MLB might move the ALCS to Fox and broadcast the NLCS on TBS because Fox has often broadcast games between the two AL East rivals because of the nature of the rivalry.
In 2007, TBS switched the starts of four games to TNT in the Division Series round because the previous games exceeded the time limit. TNT was also scheduled to air Game 4 of the Diamondbacks
2007 Arizona Diamondbacks season
The Arizona Diamondbacks' 2007 season started with the Diamondbacks attempting to win the NL West Division. The Arizona Diamondbacks' biggest move in the offseason was when, on January 9, 2007, they got their 2001 World Series co-MVP back, pitcher Randy Johnson after making a blockbuster deal with...
–Cubs
2007 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs' 2007 season began with the Cubs trying to rebound after a season in which they finished last in their division for the first time since .-Offseason:...
series, which overlapped with Game 3 of the Red Sox
2007 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox' 2007 season began with the Boston, Massachusetts-based Major League Baseball team trying to rebound after a disappointing 2006 season, in which they finished third in the American League East behind the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays, and missed the postseason for...
–Angels
2007 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim season
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2007 season was the franchise's 47th season since inception. The regular season ended with a record of 94–68 and the Angels winning the American League West division title for the sixth time...
series, but the former game was not played; the night before, the Diamondbacks completed a three game sweep of the Cubs.
TNT was scheduled to air three entire Division Series games in 2011
2011 Major League Baseball season
The 2011 Major League Baseball season began on Thursday, March 31, and ended on Wednesday, September 28. This marked the first time a season began on a Thursday since , and the first time a regular season ended on a Wednesday since...
due to conflicts with TBS. On October 1, it aired Game 2 of the Tampa Bay Rays
2011 Tampa Bay Rays season
The Tampa Bay Rays 2011 season was the team's 14th season of baseball. Despite starting the season 0-6 and trailing the Boston Red Sox by 9 games as late in the season as September 1, the Rays captured the AL Wild Card and made consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history...
vs. the Texas Rangers
2011 Texas Rangers season
The Texas Rangers’ 2011 season was the 51st season in the overall history of the franchise and the 40th since the team relocated to Arlington, Texas. Going into the season they were the defending American League champions....
at 7 p.m. ET, which overlapped with the end of Game 1 of the St. Louis Cardinals
2011 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals' 2011 season was the 130th season for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri, the 120th season in the National League, and the sixth season at Busch Stadium III. The Cardinals began their season at home against the San Diego Padres on March 31, coming off a 86-76 season and...
vs. the Philadelphia Phillies
2011 Philadelphia Phillies season
The Philadelphia Phillies 2011 season was the 129th season in the history of the franchise. The Phillies won their fifth consecutive National League East championship, and also finished with the best record in baseball for the second straight year. The Phillies, at 3-1 odds, were the heavy-favorite...
and the continuation of Game 1 of the Detroit Tigers
2011 Detroit Tigers season
The 2011 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 111th season. The season began on March 31 at New York against the Yankees, and the home opener was on April 8 against the Kansas City Royals. The Tigers honored the late Sparky Anderson during the season...
vs. the New York Yankees
2011 New York Yankees season
The 2011 New York Yankees season was the 111th season for the New York Yankees franchise. The Yankees began the season at home against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, March 31. The Yankees clinched a playoff berth in the first game of a doubleheader on September 21, 2011, and clinched the AL East...
on TBS. (The latter was also to have been Game 2, but Game 1 was suspended after innings due to rain.) On October 2, it aired the rescheduled Game 2 between the Tigers and the Yankees at 3 p.m. ET, two hours before Game 2 of the Arizona Diamondbacks
2011 Arizona Diamondbacks season
The Arizona Diamondbacks' 2011 season, the franchise's fourteenth season in Major League Baseball, included the team's first National League West championship since 2007, subsequently, their fifth division title since coming into the MLB...
vs. the Milwaukee Brewers
2011 Milwaukee Brewers season
The Milwaukee Brewers' 2011 season was their 42nd season for the franchise in Milwaukee, the 14th in the National League, and 43rd overall. The Brewers posted a franchise-best record of 96-66, winning their first-ever National League Central Division title...
on TBS. On October 4, it aired Game 3 of the Diamondbacks vs. the Brewers at 9:30 p.m. ET, one hour after Game 3 of the Tigers vs. the Yankees started on TBS.
Criticism of TBS' coverage
TBS' coverage has been met with criticism by some critics. As with TNT's NBA playoff coverage, MLB playoff games on TBS are not made available to local over-the-air broadcasters in the participating teams' markets. Under the previous contract, ESPNESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD. ESPN's MLB coverage debuted on April 9, 1990 with three Opening Day telecasts. ESPN Major League Baseball is guaranteed to remain on air until 2013.The title is derived from...
was required to make those games available on the air in local markets.
Some sports media critics were critical of the announcers used in the coverage as being more skewed towards the National League than the American League, along with the choice of Chip Caray (who along the way was criticized for making factual mistakes during postseason broadcasts) as the lead voice of the network's coverage, as he had only done Braves baseball telecasts in the 2007 season before the launch of TBS' playoff coverage. TBS and Caray parted ways following the 2009 playoffs. Ernie Johnson, Jr., Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
and Brian Anderson
Brian Anderson (broadcaster)
Brian Anderson is an American sportscaster. Since 2007, he has called play-by-play for the Milwaukee Brewers' telecasts on FSN Wisconsin. As a part of his work on the 2007 Brewers Preview Show, Anderson and the FSN team were awarded a regional Emmy Award....
are currently handling play-by-play in his place.
TBS missed most of the first inning of Game 6 of the 2008 American League Championship Series
2008 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Friday, October 10, 2008 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FloridaBoston won a pitcher's duel on a sac fly by Jed Lowrie in the fifth and an RBI double by Kevin Youkilis in the eighth. Starter Daisuke Matsuzaka was nearly unhittable in Game 1 of the 2008 ALCS. He held the Rays hitless...
, with viewers getting a rerun of The Steve Harvey Show
The Steve Harvey Show
The Steve Harvey Show is an American sitcom that aired for six seasons from August 25, 1996 to February 17, 2002 on The WB Television Network. It was created by Winifred Hervey and directed by Stan Lathan.-Synopsis:...
instead. TBS picked up the game just prior to the last out in the bottom of the first, with announcer Chip Caray apologizing to viewers for "technical difficulties." TBS acknowledged there was a problem with one of their routers used in the broadcast transmission of the relay of the telecast from Atlanta.
During the TBS' coverage of Game 1 of the 2011 American League Division Series
2011 American League Division Series
The 2011 American League Division Series were two best-of-five playoffs comprising the opening round of the Major League Baseball postseason, played to determine the participating teams in the 2011 American League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a fourth team—a wild card—played...
between the Texas Rangers
2011 Texas Rangers season
The Texas Rangers’ 2011 season was the 51st season in the overall history of the franchise and the 40th since the team relocated to Arlington, Texas. Going into the season they were the defending American League champions....
and Tampa Bay Rays
2011 Tampa Bay Rays season
The Tampa Bay Rays 2011 season was the team's 14th season of baseball. Despite starting the season 0-6 and trailing the Boston Red Sox by 9 games as late in the season as September 1, the Rays captured the AL Wild Card and made consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history...
, TBS was alleged to have featured fake headlines that were plagiarized by real journalists. On October 1, during the middle of an at-bat during Game 1 of the 2011 ALDS between the New York Yankees
2011 New York Yankees season
The 2011 New York Yankees season was the 111th season for the New York Yankees franchise. The Yankees began the season at home against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, March 31. The Yankees clinched a playoff berth in the first game of a doubleheader on September 21, 2011, and clinched the AL East...
and Detroit Tigers
2011 Detroit Tigers season
The 2011 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 111th season. The season began on March 31 at New York against the Yankees, and the home opener was on April 8 against the Kansas City Royals. The Tigers honored the late Sparky Anderson during the season...
, TBS suddenly cut to Tampa Bay-Texas game, which was airing on TNT for about 14 seconds. Moments later (as TBS was coming out of a replay and showing the Tigers' dugout), cameras missed Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher
Nick Swisher
Nicholas Thompson "Nick" Swisher is an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Swisher is a switch hitter who throws left-handed....
making a diving catch (instead showing Yankees pitcher Iván Nova
Iván Nova
Iván Manuel Nova Guance is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees.-Career:Nova was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Yankees in 2004. At the end of the 2008 season, Nova had not advanced beyond Class-A Advanced, where he pitched for the Tampa Yankees...
walking off the mound and pumping his fist).
TBS has also been criticized for placing the center-field camera precisely in the center. Therefore, every time a pitcher began his windup, his head would block the view of home plate.
Digital on-screen graphics
Before TBS' broadcast the 2007 postseason, they used a score bug on the top left-hand corner of the screen for their BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
telecasts. It has been upgraded midway into the 2004 season to what it was through 2007.
2007-2010
The on-screen score graphic covers the entire top of the screen, unlike the Braves TBS BaseballBraves TBS Baseball
Braves TBS Baseball or Braves Baseball on TBS is a Major League Baseball broadcast on the TBS cable network by Turner Sports, featuring Atlanta Braves regular season games...
graphic, which only took up the left half of the top. The look is almost identical to that of from Fox's baseball coverage, except that the illustration of the basepaths is near the left side of the screen instead of flush on the right. The batting order starting lineup used since 2008 resembles that of a cellphone. There is also a pitch tracker that can only be seen on high-definition feeds.
2011-
With the start of the 2011 postseason, TBS planned to introduce the following- Bloomberg StatsBloomberg TelevisionBloomberg Television is a 24-hour global network broadcasting business and financial news. It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. It is owned and operated by Bloomberg L.P...
: TBS would use Bloomberg States as means to integrate comprehensive statistical information into each telecast. - LiberovisionVizrtVizrt, short for VisualiZation Real Time, is a Norwegian company that creates content production tools for the digital media industry. Its products includes applications for the creation of real-time 3D graphics and maps including stereoscopic playout, integrated video workflow solutions and...
: This is an innovative 3D interactive telestratorTelestratorA telestrator is a device that allows its operator to draw a freehand sketch over a moving or still video image. The telestrator is most famously recognized in sports and weather broadcasts to diagram and analyze sports plays or incoming weather patterns. The talent typically draws on a...
meant to give fans a new perspective of instant replays. - New graphics that intend to feature improved functionality with a nostalgic feel.
- Pitch Trax: An in-game technology that illustrates pitch location throughout the games.
The screen on TBS's standard definition 4:3 feed now airs a letterbox
Letterbox
Letterboxing is the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the film's original aspect ratio. The resulting videographic image has mattes above and below it; these mattes are part of the image...
ed version of the native HD feed to match Fox's default widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
SD presentation, allowing the right side pitch tracking graphic to be seen by SD viewers.