Building on a trend from the previous two seasons, Fox Sports will increase the amount of MLB games from three to eight in 2012. This season, the primetime stretch begins on May 19 and will continue through July 7. According to Fox, all teams excluding Toronto will be featured during that 8 week stretch at least twice. Fox will choose from as many as six games to air. The least amount of games to be featured during that primetime stretch will be three on July 7.
This year, Fox will have the All-Star Game, being played in Kansas City, the National League Championship Series and the World Series.
In addition to eight primetime weeks, there will be three instances where games will start at 1 p.m. ET so as not to run into NASCAR primetime races and those dates are April 14, April 28 and May 12. The UEFA Champions League Final is on May 19 and that is MLB on Fox’s first primetime week of the season.
We have the Fox press release and the 2012 MLB on Fox schedule below.
MLB ON FOX LIGHTS THE NIGHT IN 2012
17th Season Highlighted by Eight Consecutive Saturday Primetime Dates Featuring All US Teams At Least Twice
New York & Los Angeles – MLB on FOX, the sport’s highest-rated and most-watched television package, today unveils its 17th FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK schedule highlighted by eight consecutive primetime dates, the most ever scheduled during the regular-season. During the stretch, all US-based teams appear at least twice beginning in May and continuing until the All-Star break.
Primetime coverage begins at 7:00 PM ET on those select nights and kicks off on Saturday, May 19 with five Interleague matchups including the Boston Red Sox taking on the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox facing their crosstown rival Chicago Cubs. The Phillies are back on Saturday, May 26 when they travel to St. Louis to take on the reigning World Champion Cardinals. The primetime schedule, which includes four Interleague dates, continues into June and culminates on Saturday, July 7 with a classic New York Yankees – Red Sox matchup in Fenway, while the Atlanta Braves play the Phillies and the Minnesota Twins take on the American League Champion Texas Rangers.
“We’re pleased that we were able work with our partners at Major League Baseball to develop our most extensive primetime schedule yet,” said FOX Sports Co-President and COO Eric Shanks. “Our hope is to increase viewership and by featuring so many teams, create additional exposure for the game’s many stars so they become more familiar to a broader fan base.”
MLB on FOX’s Opening Day schedule begins at 3:30 PM ET on Saturday, April 7 with a home run lineup featuring the last two World Series Champions. The Cardinals head to Milwaukee to face the Brewers in an NLCS rematch, while the San Francisco Giants go on the road against the NL West Champion Arizona Diamondbacks. Fans can also catch Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and Bobby Valentine in their new uniforms as the Anaheim Angels host the Kansas City Royals and the Red Sox take on the Detroit Tigers.
In addition to 24 weeks of regular season coverage, FOX Sports airs the 83rd MLB All-Star Game from Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO, the National League Championship Series and the 108th World Series. During the first 16 years the FOX has been the primary broadcast network home of MLB, FOX Sports has aired 14 World Series, 22 League Championship Series and 13 All-Star Games.
Over the first 24 weeks of the MLB season, the Red Sox, Cubs, Yankees and Giants are each scheduled to make a maximum nine appearances on FOX in 2012. The Rangers along with the Angels, Braves, Mets and are scheduled to appear eight times. The World Champion Cardinals appear seven times as are the Phillies.
The final two Saturdays of the regular season are designated as “wild card” dates, allowing FOX Sports and MLB to choose games of postseason significance each Saturday.
David Hill and Eric Shanks are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports. Don Bui serves as pregame producer. Pete Macheska is coordinating producer of FOX Sports’ Major League Baseball coverage. Bill Webb is lead director.
About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the flagship network of the FOX Sports Media Group. As America’s top-rated network for sports for 15 straight years (1997-2011), FOX Sports boasts rights agreements with each of the nation’s highest-rated sports. FOX Sports is the exclusive national over-the-air television rights holder for Major League Baseball, including the All-Star Game, alternating League Championship Series and World Series (2007-2013); the National Football League’s NFC package, including the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowls XLVIII, LI, LIV, LVII (through 2022 season); NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from February through May, including the Daytona 500 (2007-2014); Ultimate Fighting Championship (through 2018); the Big Ten Football Championship Games (2011-16); a minimum of eight regular- season Pac-12 football games (2012-22); the Pac-12 Football Championship Game (even years from 2012-22); the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic and the UEFA Champions League Final. Since its inception in 1994, FOX Sports has earned 85 Emmy Awards for production excellence. David Hill and Eric Shanks are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports. For the latest sports news, opinion and video, log on to www.FOXSports.com.2012 MLB on FOX REGULAR SEASON BROADCAST SCHEDULE
(Note: Schedule Subject to Change)April 7, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers
St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers
San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks
Kansas City Royals at Anaheim AngelsApril 14, 2012 (12:30 PM ET)
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
Anaheim Angels at New York Yankees
Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins
April 21, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox at Seattle MarinersApril 28, 2012 (12:30 PM ET)
Milwaukee Brewers at St. Louis Cardinals
Anaheim Angels at Cleveland Indians
Kansas City Royals at Minnesota TwinsMay 5, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers
Arizona Diamondbacks at New York Mets
Milwaukee Brewers at San Francisco GiantsMay 12, 2012 (12:30 PM ET)
Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers
Anaheim Angels at Texas Rangers
New York Mets at Miami MarlinsMay 19, 2012 (7:00 PM ET)
Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies
Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs
Texas Rangers at Houston Astros
Baltimore Orioles at Washington Nationals
Arizona Diamondbacks at Kansas City RoyalsMay 26, 2012 (7:00 PM ET)
Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates
Colorado Rockies at Cincinnati Reds
Anaheim Angels at Seattle MarinersJune 2, 2012 (7:00 PM ET)
New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers
Chicago Cubs at San Francisco Giants
Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians
Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres
Cincinnati Reds at Houston AstrosJune 9, 2012 (7:00 PM ET)
New York Mets at New York Yankees
Cleveland Indians at St. Louis Cardinals
Los Angeles Dodgers at Seattle Mariners
Tampa Bay Rays at Miami Marlins
Kansas City Royals at Pittsburgh PiratesJune 16, 2012 (7:00 PM ET)
Boston Red Sox at Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds at New York Mets
Miami Marlins at Tampa Bay Rays
Baltimore Orioles at Atlanta Braves
Houston Astros at Texas RangersJune 23, 2012 (7:00 PM ET)
New York Yankees at New York Mets
Atlanta Braves at Boston Red Sox
Washington Nationals at Baltimore Orioles
Los Angeles Dodgers at Anaheim Angels
San Francisco Giants at Oakland Athletics
Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago White Sox
June 30, 2012 (7:00 PM ET)
New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks at Milwaukee Brewers
Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays
Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers
San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies
Kansas City Royals at Minnesota TwinsJuly 7, 2012 (7:00 PM ET)
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
Minnesota Twins at Texas RangersJuly 10, 2012 (8:00 PM ET)
2012 MLB All-Star Game from Kansas CityJuly 14, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
New York Mets at Atlanta Braves
Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs
Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado RockiesJuly 21, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
Texas Rangers at Anaheim AngelsJuly 28, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta BravesAugust 18, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
San Francisco Giants at San Diego PadresAugust 25, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants
Minnesota Twins at Texas RangersSeptember 1, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves
San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs
Anaheim Angels at Seattle MarinersSeptember 8, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
Atlanta Braves at New York Mets
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
Kansas City Royals at Chicago White SoxSeptember 15, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees
Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies at San Diego PadresSeptember 22, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
Wild CardSeptember 29, 2012 (3:30 PM ET)
Wild Card
There you have it.
