You know this was bound to happen. With Bob Costas calling games on MLB Network, you knew he would recruit his good friend Al Michaels to join him in the booth for one contest and it’s going to happen on July 8 when the New York Mets take on San Francisco. It will mark the first time to the two broadcasters will call a game together. They both called the 1995 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians for the old Baseball Network, a joint venture between ABC Sports and NBC Sports, but Michaels and Costas called the games for their respective networks with Michaels calling 3 games on ABC and Costas 3 for NBC.
So here’s the press release and I’ll post the schedule as well.
AL MICHAELS AND BOB COSTAS TO CALL NEW YORK METS AT SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ON MLB NETWORK ON FRIDAY, JULY 8
Telecast Marks the First Time Michaels and Costas Will Call an MLB Game Together
MLB Network’s July Game Schedule Also Features July 4th Holiday Doubleheader with Blue Jays at Red Sox and Yankees at IndiansSecaucus, N.J., June 29, 2011 – Legendary sports broadcaster Al Michaels will join MLB Network’s Bob Costas in the broadcast booth when the two call the New York Mets at NL West first-place San Francisco Giants at 10:00 p.m. ET on Friday, July 8, part of MLB Network’s live game schedule in July. The game marks the first time Michaels and Costas will call an MLB game together and the first MLB game Michaels will call since 1995. Costas and Michaels will also make special appearances on SNY’s broadcast and on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area’s broadcast in the game’s middle innings, while Mets announcers Gary Cohen and Ron Darling and Giants announcers Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow will appear in MLB Network’s booth during that time, as its telecast will not be available in the Giants’ and Mets’ home television markets.
MLB Network will host a media conference call with Michaels and Costas, who are expected to be joined by Cohen, Darling, Kuiper and Krukow, on Tuesday, July 5 to discuss the game telecast. Additional details on the call will be sent to media from MLB Network.
Throughout his renowned career, Michaels has called eight World Series, including Game Three of the 1989 World Series at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park that was interrupted by the Loma Prieta earthquake. He began his play-by-play career with the Hawaii Islanders in the Pacific Coast League in 1968, later joining the Cincinnati Reds in 1971, the San Francisco Giants’ broadcast booth in 1974 and ABC Sports in 1977. Michaels is currently the voice of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” has covered more major sports events than any sportscaster, and was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Emmy Awards.
In 2010, the SNY and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area on-air teams were ranked by GQ as the top two local broadcast booths in all of baseball, following only the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Vin Scully. Cohen has called Mets game coverage for 23 seasons and is currently the lead play-by-play announcer for SNY’s Mets game broadcasts. Darling, a former All-star Mets pitcher, 1986 World Series champion and Gold Glove Award winner, is in his sixth season as a game and studio analyst for SNY. In 2006, Darling won a local Emmy Award for best analyst in New York.
Kuiper, a seven-time local Emmy Award winner and former Major League infielder for the Cleveland Indians (1974-1981) and Giants (1982-1985), has been broadcasting with Comcast SportsNet Bay Area for 18 seasons. Krukow, color analyst for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, is spending his 21st season in the TV booth after a 14-year career pitching in the Major Leagues for the Chicago Cubs (1976-81), Philadelphia Phillies (1982) and Giants (1983-89).
MLB Network’s live game telecasts in July begin with an Interleague matchup between the Mets hosting their cross-town rival New York Yankees on Friday, July 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The schedule continues with an American League holiday doubleheader on Monday, July 4 featuring the Toronto Blue Jays against the Boston Red Sox at 1:00 p.m. ET and the AL East first-place Yankees visiting the Cleveland Indians at 6:00 p.m. ET. MLB Network will also showcase division leaders throughout the month, including the Giants at AL Central first-place Detroit Tigers, NL Central first-place Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds and the NL East first-place Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs. Later in the month, MLB Network will feature a rematch of the 2010 NLCS with the defending World Champion Giants against the 2009 National League Champion Phillies on July 26 and July 28.
Games will be blacked out in each team’s home television territory unless otherwise announced. Viewers in areas subject to blackouts will be provided with an alternate game telecast or other programming.
The schedule is after the jump.
And here’s the July schedule for MLB Network.
Game Date | Time (ET)** | Away Team | Home Team | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fri., July 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Or: | New York Yankees San Francisco Giants |
@ @ |
New York Mets Detroit Tigers |
Sat., July 2 | 8:00 p.m. | Or: | San Francisco Giants Boston Red Sox |
@ @ |
Detroit Tigers Houston Astros |
Mon., July 4 | 1:30 p.m. | Or: | Toronto Blue Jays Houston Astros |
@ @ |
Boston Red Sox Pittsburgh Pirates |
6:30 p.m. | Or: | New York Yankees Philadelphia Phillies |
@ @ |
Cleveland Indians Florida Marlins (6:00 p.m.) |
|
Tues., July 5 | 10:00 p.m. | Or: | San Diego Padres Detroit Tigers |
@ @ |
San Francisco Giants L.A. Angels of Anaheim |
Thurs., July 7 | 1:00 p.m. | Colorado Rockies*** | @ | Atlanta Braves | |
7:00 p.m. | Or: | Tampa Bay Rays Baltimore Orioles |
@ @ |
New York Yankees Boston Red Sox |
|
Fri., July 8 | 10:00 p.m. | Or: | New York Mets Seattle Mariners |
@ @ |
San Francisco Giants* L.A. Angels of Anaheim |
Sat., July 9 | 7:00 p.m. | Or: | Cincinnati Reds Baltimore Orioles |
@ @ |
Milwaukee Brewers Boston Red Sox |
Thurs., July 14 | 7:00 p.m. | Or: | New York Yankees Cleveland Indians |
@ @ |
Toronto Blue Jays Baltimore Orioles |
Fri., July 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Or: | Boston Red Sox New York Yankees |
@ @ |
Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays |
Sat., July 16 | 7:00 p.m. | Or: | St. Louis Cardinals Washington Nationals |
@ @ |
Cincinnati Reds Atlanta Braves |
Tues., July 19 | 8:00 p.m. | Or: | Philadelphia Phillies Atlanta Braves |
@ @ |
Chicago Cubs Colorado Rockies (8:30 p.m.) |
Thurs., July 21 | 12:00 p.m. | Or: | St. Louis Cardinals San Diego Padres*** |
@ @ |
New York Mets Florida Marlins |
7:00 p.m. | Or: | New York Yankees Detroit Tigers |
@ @ |
Tampa Bay Rays* Minnesota Twins (8:00 p.m.) |
|
Fri., July 22 | 7:00 p.m. | Or: | Atlanta Braves San Diego Padres |
@ @ |
Cincinnati Reds Philadelphia Phillies |
Sat., July 23 | 9:00 p.m. | Or: | Milwaukee Brewers Colorado Rockies |
@ @ |
San Francisco Giants Arizona D-backs (8:00 p.m.) |
Tues., July 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Or: | San Francisco Giants Seattle Mariners |
@ @ |
Philadelphia Phillies New York Yankees |
Thurs., July 28 | 12:30 p.m. | Or: | New York Mets Florida Marlins |
@ @ |
Cincinnati Reds Washington Nationals |
7:00 p.m. | Or: | San Francisco Giants Pittsburgh Pirates |
@ @ |
Philadelphia Phillies* Atlanta Braves |
|
Fri., July 29 | 8:00 p.m. | Or: | Boston Red Sox San Francisco Giants |
@ @ |
Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds (7:00 p.m.) |
Thurs., July 23 | 8:00 p.m. | Or: | San Francisco Giants Baltimore Orioles |
@ @ |
Cincinnati Reds New York Yankees (Gm 2, 7 p.m.) |
That’s it.