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List of World Series broadcasters

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The following is a list of national American television and radio networks and announcers that have broadcast World Series games over the years, as well as local flagship radio stations that have aired them since 1982.

Television

Television coverage of the World Series began in 1947. Since that time, eight different men have called eight or more different World Series telecasts as either a play-by-play announcer or color commentator. They are (through 2022) Joe Buck (24), Tim McCarver (24), Curt Gowdy (12), Mel Allen (11), Vin Scully (11), Joe Garagiola (10), Tony Kubek (8), and Al Michaels (8).

2020s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Field reporter(s) Pregame hosts Pregame analysts Trophy presentation
2022 Fox Joe Davis John Smoltz Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci Kevin Burkhardt Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and Frank Thomas Kevin Burkhardt
2021 Fox Joe Buck John Smoltz Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci Kevin Burkhardt Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and Frank Thomas Kevin Burkhardt
2020 Fox Joe Buck John Smoltz Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci Kevin Burkhardt Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and Frank Thomas Tom Verducci

2010s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Field reporter(s) Pregame hosts Pregame analysts Trophy presentation
2019 Fox[1] Joe Buck John Smoltz Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci Kevin Burkhardt Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and Frank Thomas Kevin Burkhardt
2018 Fox Joe Buck John Smoltz Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci Kevin Burkhardt Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and Frank Thomas Kevin Burkhardt
2017 Fox Joe Buck John Smoltz Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci Kevin Burkhardt Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Keith Hernandez, and Frank Thomas Kevin Burkhardt
2016 Fox Joe Buck John Smoltz Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci Kevin Burkhardt Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas, Pete Rose, and Tom Verducci Kevin Burkhardt
2015 Fox Joe Buck Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci Ken Rosenthal and Erin Andrews Kevin Burkhardt Alex Rodriguez, Raúl Ibañez, Frank Thomas, Pete Rose (Games 1–3) and Kevin Millar (Games 4–5) Erin Andrews
2014 Fox Joe Buck Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci Ken Rosenthal and Erin Andrews Kevin Burkhardt Gabe Kapler, Frank Thomas, Nick Swisher, and David Ortiz (Games 1–2) Erin Andrews
2013 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Ken Rosenthal and Erin Andrews Matt Vasgersian Harold Reynolds, Jimmy Rollins, and A. J. Pierzynski Erin Andrews
2012 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Ken Rosenthal
Erin Andrews (Games 1–2, 4)
Chris Myers (Game 3)
Matt Vasgersian Harold Reynolds, Eric Karros, and A. J. Pierzynski Erin Andrews
2011 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Ken Rosenthal Chris Rose Eric Karros and A. J. Pierzynski Chris Rose
2010 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Ken Rosenthal Chris Rose Eric Karros and Ozzie Guillén Chris Rose

Notes

2000s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Field reporter(s) Pregame hosts Pregame analysts Trophy presentation
2009 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Ken Rosenthal and Mark Grace Chris Rose Eric Karros, Mark Grace, and Ozzie Guillén Chris Rose
2008 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Chris Myers and Ken Rosenthal Jeanne Zelasko Kevin Kennedy
Mark Grace (in Tampa Bay)
Eric Karros (in Philadelphia)
Jeanne Zelasko
2007 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Chris Myers and Ken Rosenthal Jeanne Zelasko Kevin Kennedy
Eric Byrnes and Eric Karros (in Boston)
Joe Girardi and Mark Grace (in Denver)
Jeanne Zelasko
2006 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Chris Myers and Ken Rosenthal Jeanne Zelasko Kevin Kennedy
Eric Byrnes (in Detroit)
Joe Girardi (in St. Louis)
Jeanne Zelasko
2005 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Chris Myers Jeanne Zelasko Kevin Kennedy Jeanne Zelasko
2004 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Chris Myers Jeanne Zelasko Kevin Kennedy Jeanne Zelasko
2003 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Steve Lyons Jeanne Zelasko Kevin Kennedy Jeanne Zelasko
2002 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Steve Lyons Jeanne Zelasko Kevin Kennedy Jeanne Zelasko
2001 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver Steve Lyons Jeanne Zelasko Kevin Kennedy Jeanne Zelasko
2000 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver and Bob Brenly Steve Lyons and Keith Olbermann Keith Olbermann Steve Lyons Keith Olbermann

Notes

  • The 2000 World Series telecast on Fox was the first year of their exclusive coverage of the World Series (although the new contract technically began the next year). As in previous World Series televised by the network, Joe Buck called the play-by-play, with Tim McCarver (himself a Yankees broadcaster and a former Mets broadcaster) and Bob Brenly (who was a on-field analyst) serving as color commentators. This World Series was Brenly's last broadcast for Fox, as he left to become manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks and, incidentally, go on to defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series the following year. Brenly returned to broadcasting in 2005 as part of the Chicago Cubs broadcasts on NBC Sports Chicago and WGN, and also has called postseason games for TBS.
  • 2001 – For the second consecutive year, Fox carried the World Series over its network with its top broadcast team, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver (himself a former New York Yankees broadcaster). This was the first year of Fox's exclusive rights to the World Series (in the previous contract, Fox only broadcast the World Series in even numbered years while NBC broadcast it in odd numbered years), which it has held ever since (this particular contract also had given Fox exclusive rights to the entire baseball postseason, which aired over its family of networks; the contract was modified following Disney's purchase of Fox Family Channel shortly after the World Series ended, as ESPN regained their postseason rights following a year of postseason games on ABC Family, Fox Family's successor).
  • Fox's telecast of the 2002 World Series marked the first time the World Series was telecast in high-definition.
  • The 2004 World Series was broadcast by Fox, and the announcers were Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. Jeanne Zelasko covered the pre-game build up to all four games and the presentation of the World Series trophy.[citation needed]
    • An average of 23.1 million people watched Game 1. These were the highest television ratings for the opening game of a World Series in five years and had the highest average number of viewers since 1996. It was also the highest rated broadcast on any network in the past ten months. The ratings for the first two games were also the highest average since 1996,[25] and the average for the first three games was the highest since 1999.[26] Game 3 had the highest average number of viewers with 24.4 million, since 1996 when 28.7 million watched the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees. It was also the Fox network's highest rating for a Game 3 of a World Series ever.[27] Game 4 posted an 18.2 national rating giving the series an overall average of 15.8. This was the highest average in five years, and the average number of viewers of 25.4 million, was the highest since 1995.[28]
  • 2006 – Games 1, 3 and 4 set all-time lows for television ratings, with Game 4 falling 20% from the previous year's Game 4.[29] The Series as a whole was also the lowest-rated ever, with the four games averaging a Nielsen rating of only 10.0 and a share of 17. By contrast, the six games of the 1980 Series—in the pre-cable television era—garnered a record-high rating of 32.8 and a share of 56.
    • The starting time for each television broadcast was 8 pm EDT/6 pm MDT.
  • 2007 – The starting time for each television broadcast was 8 pm EDT (6 pm MDT). The series broke with the recent tradition of starting the World Series on a Saturday, as Major League Baseball had become convinced that weekend games drew lower television ratings. Prior to this season, every World Series since 1985 had opened on a Saturday, with the exception of the 1990 World Series. Rogers Sportsnet (RSN) in Canada used the MLB International feed with Dave O'Brien and Rick Sutcliffe as booth announcers. NASN showed the games live to most of Europe, while in the United Kingdom, all games were shown terrestrially on Five. NHK aired the Series in Japan.
    • During Fox's broadcast of Game 3 of the 2007 World Series between the Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox, a blackout occurred during the top half of the seventh inning, resulting in the disruption of a key moment in the game.
  • 2008 – All games were televised on Fox in the United States with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver (himself a former Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster) as booth announcers and Chris Myers and Ken Rosenthal as field reporters.[30] Jeanne Zelasko hosted the pre-game and post-game show with Kevin Kennedy and Mark Grace (in Tampa) or Eric Karros (in Philadelphia). Fox Deportes did the simulcast of the Series in Spanish-language with Ángel Torres, Miguel Morales and Cos Villa behind the microphones. Fox's broadcasts were also streamed online at MLB.com.
    • For international viewers, MLB International televised the game with commentators Rick Sutcliffe and Dave O'Brien. This feed was also carried to U.S. service personnel stationed around the globe via the American Forces Network.
    • Game 1 of the 2008 World Series was watched by 10.1 million viewers in the United States; Commissioner Bud Selig stated he was satisfied with the ratings.[31] Overall viewership was 25% lower than the previous World Series.[32]
    • Game 5 on October 27 was postponed after the top of the sixth inning due to rain. When the game finally resumed on October 29, the start of the game was delayed by 15 minutes so that a 30-minute paid advertisement for U.S. Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama could be aired on Fox, CBS, and NBC.[33]
  • Game 1 of the 2009 World Series was watched by 19.5 million viewers, second only to the opening of the 2004 World Series in viewership for a series opener since 2000.[34] The viewership for the opening game resulted in a ratings percentage of 11.9% of households in the United States.[35] Game 4 produced the highest ratings of the series with 22.8 million viewers, the highest for any World Series game since 2004 and the highest for a "non-decisive Game 4" since 2003.
    • Fox Deportes also broadcast the Series for the US Spanish-speaking audience.[36]

1990s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Field reporter(s) Pregame hosts Pregame analysts Trophy presentation
1999 NBC Bob Costas Joe Morgan Jim Gray and Craig Sager Hannah Storm Barry Larkin Jim Gray
1998 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver and Bob Brenly Chip Caray Steve Lyons Chip Caray
1997 NBC Bob Costas Joe Morgan and Bob Uecker Jim Gray and Keith Olbermann Hannah Storm and Keith Olbermann Hannah Storm and Jim Gray
1996 Fox Joe Buck Tim McCarver and Bob Brenly Chip Caray Steve Lyons and Dave Winfield Chip Caray
1995 ABC (Games 1, 4–5) Al Michaels Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver Lesley Visser John Saunders
NBC (Games 2–3, 6) Bob Costas Joe Morgan and Bob Uecker Jim Gray Hannah Storm Hannah Storm
1993 CBS Sean McDonough Tim McCarver Lesley Visser and Jim Gray Pat O'Brien and Andrea Joyce Tim McCarver
1992 CBS Sean McDonough Tim McCarver Jim Kaat and Lesley Visser Pat O'Brien Jim Kaat
1991 CBS Jack Buck Tim McCarver Jim Kaat, Lesley Visser, and Andrea Joyce Pat O'Brien Tommy Lasorda[37] (Games 1–2, 4–7) Jim Kaat
1990 CBS Jack Buck Tim McCarver Jim Kaat and Lesley Visser Pat O'Brien Jim Kaat

Notes

  • The 1990 postseason started on a Thursday, while the World Series started on a Tuesday due to the brief lockout.
    • This was the first of four consecutive World Series to be televised on CBS. From 1976 to 1989, World Series telecasts alternated between ABC (in odd numbered years) and NBC (in even numbered years). For CBS' coverage of the 1990, 1991, and 1992 World Series, Jim Kaat provided periodic commentary on the field during the telecasts, but he was not in the booth with Jack Buck (for 1990 and 1991), Sean McDonough (for 1992), and Tim McCarver.
    • In 1990, CBS field reporter Lesley Visser became the first female sportscaster to cover a World Series.
  • All World Series games from 1981 to 1996 were televised in Canada on CTV, using the feed from the US network broadcaster.[38]
  • In 1991, CBS used three field reporters: Jim Kaat (both teams and covering the trophy presentation), Lesley Visser (Twins' dugout) and Andrea Joyce (Braves' dugout). This was also the last World Series to be broadcast by Jack Buck (who was replaced by Sean McDonough on the CBS telecasts in the role of lead play-by-play man).
    • The World Series telecast drew an overall national Nielsen rating of 24.0 and a 39 share for CBS. Game 7 drew a 32.2 rating and 49 share; as of 2012, no subsequent World Series game has approached either number in national TV ratings.
  • In 1992, at 30 years of age, CBS' Sean McDonough became the youngest man to call all nine innings and games of a World Series while serving as a full network television employee. Although Vin Scully and Al Michaels were several years younger when they called their first World Series, they were products of the then broadcasting policy of announcers representing the participating teams (a process that ended following the 1976 World Series). McDonough's record was subsequently be broken by Fox's Joe Buck, who at 27 years of age, called the 1996 World Series. Coincidentally, McDonough replaced Joe Buck's father, Jack, as CBS' lead play-by-play man.
  • Game 6 of the 1993 World Series (October 23), is to date, the last Major League Baseball game to be televised on CBS. Sean McDonough (play-by-play) and Tim McCarver (color commentary and himself a former Phillies broadcaster) called the action for CBS. The following season, Major League Baseball entered into a revenue sharing joint venture with ABC and NBC called The Baseball Network. CBS' Andrea Joyce became the first woman to co-host (alongside Pat O'Brien) a World Series. Serving as field reporters for CBS were Lesley Visser (in the Blue Jays' dugout) and Jim Gray (in the Phillies' dugout).
  • The 1995 World Series was broadcast on two networks[39] (ABC and NBC) so that they could recoup losses in the aftermath of the 1994–95 strike. The arrangement was a compromise from both networks, which chose to opt out of a six-year revenue sharing deal with Major League Baseball called "The Baseball Network." Prior to the strike, ABC was scheduled to broadcast the 1994 World Series and NBC was scheduled to televise the 1995 World Series. For 1995, ABC and NBC alternated games; ABC cover Games 1, 4, and 5 (and would have aired Game 7 if it was needed), while NBC covered Games 2, 3 and 6.
    • Also during the 1995 World Series, NBC's Hannah Storm was the first woman to serve as solo host of a World Series, and the first to preside over a World Series trophy presentation.
  • For Game 2 of the 1996 World Series (rescheduled to Monday night due to a rainout), Fox used an early start (7:00 p.m. Eastern Time) to minimize the overlap with Monday Night Football on ABC.
  • 1997 – This marked the first time since 1988 that NBC televised a World Series in its entirety. In 1995, NBC televised Games 2, 3, and 6, while rival ABC televised Games 1, 4, and 5, having split that series since ABC was promised the strike-cancelled 1994 World Series. Both networks had announced prior to the 1995 season, that they were bailing out what was initially, a six-year-long revenue sharing joint venture with Major League Baseball called "The Baseball Network". NBC's West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer disturbed Major League Baseball when he publicly wished the World Series to end in a four-game sweep so that it wouldn't derail NBC's fall entertainment schedule. (Game 5 fell on a Thursday, which had long been the highest rated night on NBC's schedule, if not on all of television.)
  • The 1999 World Series was NBC's 39th and, to date, final World Series telecast. Fox aired the next World Series as part of the contract in place, and Fox acquired the exclusive broadcast rights of Major League Baseball beginning in 2001. With the Knicks having played in the NBA Finals in June, this was the second championship series in 1999 that NBC broadcast involving teams from New York. Bob Costas, Jim Gray, and Hannah Storm were involved both times. Costas with play-by-play, Gray as a reporter, and Storm as pre-game host. Prior to Cleveland in 2016, this was the most recent year of a same city hosting both NBA Finals and World Series in the same year.

1980s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s)/Secondary play-by-play Field reporter(s) Pregame host Pregame analysts Trophy presentation
1989 ABC[40] Al Michaels Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver Gary Thorne and Joe Morgan Al Michaels[41] Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver Gary Thorne
1988 NBC[42] Vin Scully[43] Joe Garagiola Bob Costas and Marv Albert Bob Costas
1987 ABC[44] Al Michaels[45] Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver Reggie Jackson and Gary Bender Al Michaels Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver Reggie Jackson
1986 NBC Vin Scully Joe Garagiola Bob Costas[46][47] and Marv Albert Bob Costas
1985 ABC Al Michaels[48] Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver Reggie Jackson Al Michaels Reggie Jackson[49]
1984 NBC Vin Scully[50] Joe Garagiola Bob Costas and Len Berman Bob Costas
1983 ABC Al Michaels Howard Cosell and Earl Weaver Reggie Jackson and Tim Brant[51] Howard Cosell Reggie Jackson
1982 NBC[52] Joe Garagiola and Dick Enberg[53] Tony Kubek[54] Bob Costas and Byron Day[55][56] Dick Enberg[57] Tom Seaver Bob Costas
1981 ABC Keith Jackson (in New York)
Al Michaels (in Los Angeles)
Howard Cosell and Jim Palmer Bob Uecker and Jim Lampley Howard Cosell[58] Jim Palmer Bob Uecker
1980 NBC Joe Garagiola[59] Tony Kubek and Tom Seaver Merle Harmon[60] Bryant Gumbel[61] Bob Gibson and Ron Luciano Bryant Gumbel

Notes

  • 1980 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Philadelphia by WPHL-TV, the Phillies' flagship TV station, and KYW-TV, the Philadelphia NBC station; and in Kansas City by WDAF-TV, the Royals' flagship TV station as well as the Kansas City NBC station.
    • This series is tied with the 1978 World Series for the highest overall television ratings to date, with the six games averaging a Nielsen rating of 32.8 and a share of 56.[62]
    • Although Bryant Gumbel anchored NBC's pregame coverage for Game 5 of series, he was not present at Kansas City's Royals Stadium. Game 5 landed on a Sunday, which created conflict with Gumbel's NFL '80 hosting duties. As a result, Gumbel had to anchor the World Series coverage from NBC's studios in New York City. Gumbel however, would be present in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium for Game 6, which turned out to be the clincher for the Phillies.
  • 1981 – Locally, the ABC feed was carried in Los Angeles by KTTV, the Dodgers' flagship TV station, and KABC-TV, the Los Angeles ABC station; and in New York by WPIX, the Yankees' flagship TV station, and WABC-TV, the New York City ABC station.
  • 1982 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in St. Louis by KSDK, the Cardinals' flagship station as well as the St. Louis NBC station; and in Milwaukee by WVTV, the Brewers' flagship TV station, and WTMJ-TV, the Milwaukee NBC station.
    • Dick Enberg and Joe Garagiola traded off play-by-play duties (just as Garagiola and Tony Kubek had done for NBC's previous two World Series broadcasts). Garagiola called the first three and last three innings of each game. Enberg, meanwhile, hosted the pregame show and then called the middle innings.
  • 1983 – Locally, the ABC feed was carried in Baltimore by WMAR-TV, the Orioles' flagship TV station, and WJZ-TV, the Baltimore ABC station; and in Philadelphia by WTAF-TV, the Phillies' flagship TV station, and WPVI-TV, the Philadelphia ABC station. (This was the last year in which the participating teams' regular-season flagship TV stations were permitted to simulcast the network feed of the World Series even if they were not affiliated with that network. Beginning in 1984 the network affiliates would have Series exclusivity in every city.)
    • This was the last World Series aired on ABC before the network was taken over by Capital Cities Communications (coincidentally, that company's flagship station was Philadelphia's ABC affiliate, WPVI-TV—also the network's first affiliate).
    • Earl Weaver was ABC's lead baseball analyst in 1983, but was also employed by the Baltimore Orioles as a consultant. At the time, ABC had a policy preventing an announcer who was employed by a team from working games involving that team. So whenever the Orioles were on the primary ABC game (ABC during this period, broadcast Monday night games), Weaver worked the backup game. This policy forced Weaver to resign from the Orioles' consulting position in October in order to be able to work the Series telecasts for ABC.
  • The 1984 World Series was scheduled to start in the National League park. But Major League Baseball actually had a contingency plan to instead start the World Series in the American League park in the event that the Chicago Cubs won the National League Championship Series against the San Diego Padres. This would have allowed the Wrigley Field-hosted (i.e. daytime) games[63][64][65][66][67] to be held over the weekend. In return, only one prime time game (Game 3 on Friday) would have been lost. Wrigley Field wouldn't have lights installed until four years later. In other words, had the Cubs advanced to the Series instead of the Padres, the Detroit Tigers would have hosted Games 1–2, and 6–7 (on Tuesday and Wednesday nights), while the Cubs would have hosted Games 3–5 (on Friday, Saturday and Sunday), with all three games in Chicago starting no later than 1:30 p.m. Central Time.
  • 1985 marked the first time that all World Series games were aired in prime time. Since 1985 marked the first year of the League Championship Series having a best-of-seven format, Game 1 started on a Saturday. Tim McCarver (who was originally slated to be a roving World Series reporter[68]) was practically a last minute replacement for Howard Cosell[69] on ABC's coverage. Cosell was removed from the telecasts on the eve of the World Series (October 18), by order of Jim Spence and Roone Arledge (the then Vice President and President of ABC Sports respectively) after the excerpts from Cosell's book (I Never Played the Game), which criticized colleagues at ABC, first appeared in TV Guide.
  • 1986NBC preceded its broadcast of Game 5 by airing an episode of The Cosby Show (at the time the network's top-rated prime time series) in lieu of a pregame show.[70]
    • Vin Scully's call of the final play in Game 6 would quickly become an iconic one to baseball fans, with the normally calm Scully growing increasingly excited:

      So the winning run is at second base, with two outs, three and two to Mookie Wilson. [A] little roller up along first... behind the bag! It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight, and the Mets win it![71]

      Scully then remained silent for more than three minutes, letting the pictures and the crowd noise tell the story. Scully resumed with:

      If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well, and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow![72]

    • Game 6 caused the first-ever preemption of Saturday Night Live, due to extra innings. Ron Darling explained that when the Mets entered the locker room, they were informed to their dismay that they'd inadvertently caused the first delay in SNL's (then) 11-year history; the delayed episode was aired two weeks later on November 8.
    • NBC's broadcast of Game 7 (which went up against a Monday Night Football game between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants on ABC) garnered a Nielsen rating of 38.9 and a 55 share, making it the highest-rated single World Series game to date. Game 7 was scheduled for Sunday, but a rain-out forced the game to Monday.
  • Game 6 of the 1987 World Series (played on Saturday, October 24) was the last World Series game to not be played in prime time (ironically, the game was played in the Metrodome even though it took place under artificial illumination all the same).[73] The game started at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Another weekend afternoon sixth game was planned for 1988, but since the World Series ended in five games, it was unnecessary.
  • The 1988 World Series marked the last time that NBC[74] would televise a World Series for seven years. Beginning in 1990, NBC was shut out of Major League Baseball coverage completely, after CBS signed a four-year, exclusive television contract. After splitting coverage of the 1995 World Series with ABC, NBC would next cover a World Series exclusively in 1997.
    • Longtime Los Angeles Dodgers' broadcaster Vin Scully called the 1988 World Series for a national television audience on NBC with Joe Garagiola. Unknown to the fans and the media at the time, Kirk Gibson was watching the game on television while undergoing physical therapy in the Dodgers' clubhouse.[75] At some point during the game, television cameras scanned the Dodgers dugout and Scully, observed that Gibson was nowhere to be found.[75] This spurred Gibson to tell Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda that he was available to pinch hit.[75] Gibson immediately returned to the batting cage in the clubhouse to take practice swings.[75] Bob Costas, who along with Marv Albert, hosted NBC's World Series pregame coverage and handled postgame interviews made on-air statements that enraged many in the Dodgers' clubhouse (especially manager Tommy Lasorda). After the Dodgers won Game 4, Lasorda (during a postgame interview with Marv Albert) sarcastically said that the MVP of the World Series should be Bob Costas. While Kirk Gibson was taking practice swings in the Dodgers' clubhouse during Game 1, Orel Hershiser set up the hitting tee for his teammate. Along the way, Costas could hear Gibson's agonized-sounding grunts after every hit.[76] Costas said that the 1988 Dodgers possibly had the weakest hitting line-up in World Series history.
      • The following is Vin Scully's call of Kirk Gibson's game inning home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series:

        All year long, they looked to him to light the fire, [Scully began] and all year long, he answered the demands, until he was physically unable to start tonight—with two bad legs: The bad left hamstring, and the swollen right knee. And, with two out, you talk about a roll of the dice... this is it.

        Scully made repeated references to Gibson's legs, noting at one point that the batter was "shaking his left leg, making it quiver, like a horse trying to get rid of a troublesome fly." Gibson worked the count to 3–2 as Mike Davis stole second base; the camera turned at that point to Steve Sax getting ready for his turn at the plate, and Scully reminded the viewers that Sax waiting on deck but the game right now is at the plate. He then said:

        High fly ball into right field, she i-i-i-is... GONE!!!

        Scully said nothing for over a minute, allowing the pictures to tell the story. Finally, he said:

        In a year that has been so improbable... the impossible has happened!

        Returning to the subject of Gibson's banged-up legs during a replay, Scully joked,

        And, now, the only question was, could he make it around the base paths unassisted?! You know, I said it once before, a few days ago, that Kirk Gibson was not the Most Valuable Player; that the Most Valuable Player for the Dodgers was Tinkerbell. But, tonight, I think Tinkerbell backed off for Kirk Gibson. And, look at Eckersley – shocked to his toes! They are going wild at Dodger Stadium – no one wants to leave!

        As NBC showed a replay of Gibson rounding second base in his home run trot, Scully then made a point to note Eckersley's pitching performance throughout the 1988 season, to put things in perspective.

        Dennis Eckersley allowed five home runs all year. And we'll be back.

  • Game 3 of the 1989 World Series (initially scheduled for October 17) was delayed by 10 days due to the Loma Prieta earthquake. The earthquake struck at approximately 5:04 p.m. Pacific Time. After about a 15-minute delay (ABC aired a rerun of Roseanne and subsequently, The Wonder Years in the meantime), ABC was able to regain power via a backup generator. ABC's play-by-play man, Al Michaels (who was familiar with the San Francisco Bay Area dating back to his days working for the San Francisco Giants from 19741976) then proceeded to relay reports[77] to Ted Koppel at ABC News' headquarters in Washington, D.C. Al Michaels was ultimately be nominated for an Emmy for his on-site reporting at the World Series. NBC News also began continuous coverage, with Tom Brokaw, about an hour later. KGO-TV, an owned and operated station of the American Broadcasting Company, later won a Peabody Award for their news coverage, as did radio station KCBS (AM).[78] In Los Angeles, also an ABC owned and operated station KABC chose not to air the network feed. It aired its own coverage, anchored by Mark Coogan. However, some network footage was incorporated into its coverage.
    • This was the last World Series that ABC televised from start to finish (and also the last they would produce themselves) and the last MLB game on ABC, period, until July 1994. The television rights would move exclusively (ABC had shared coverage with NBC since 1976 up until the end of the 1989 season) to CBS the following year. ABC would next televise a World Series in 1995, but only broadcast Games 1, 4, and 5 (the other games were covered by NBC, who had a joint venture with ABC and MLB called The Baseball Network). Due in part to the earthquake and subsequent interruption of play, combined with the four-game sweep by the A's, ABC only drew an overall Nielsen rating of 16.4 for the Series. This was the first World Series since the introduction of prime-time games in 1971 to draw a rating of less than 20.[79]

1970s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s)/Secondary play-by-play Field reporters Pregame host Pregame analyst(s) Trophy presentation
1979 ABC Keith Jackson (in Baltimore)
Al Michaels (in Pittsburgh)
Don Drysdale and Howard Cosell Howard Cosell Don Drysdale
1978 NBC Joe Garagiola Tony Kubek and Tom Seaver Curt Gowdy Tony Kubek
1977 ABC Keith Jackson Howard Cosell and Tom Seaver Bill White[80] (in New York)
Ross Porter (in Los Angeles)
Bill White
1976 NBC Joe Garagiola Tony Kubek
Marty Brennaman (in Cincinnati)
Phil Rizzuto (in New York)
Joe Garagiola Tony Kubek
1975 NBC Curt Gowdy (Games 1, 3, 5, 7)
Joe Garagiola (Games 2, 4, 6[81])
Tony Kubek
Dick Stockton[82] (Games 1, 6)
Ned Martin (Games 2, 7)
Marty Brennaman (in Cincinnati)[83]
Joe Garagiola Tony Kubek and Marty Brennaman
1974 NBC Curt Gowdy Tony Kubek
Vin Scully (in Los Angeles)
Monte Moore (in Oakland)
Joe Garagiola Tony Kubek and Monte Moore
1973 NBC Curt Gowdy Tony Kubek
Monte Moore (in Oakland)
Lindsey Nelson (in New York)
Joe Garagiola Tony Kubek and Monte Moore
1972 NBC Curt Gowdy Tony Kubek
Al Michaels[84] (in Cincinnati)
Monte Moore[85] (in Oakland)
Joe Garagiola Tony Kubek and Monte Moore
1971 NBC Curt Gowdy Chuck Thompson (in Baltimore)
Bob Prince (in Pittsburgh)
Tony Kubek Joe Garagiola Sandy Koufax Bob Prince
1970 NBC Curt Gowdy Jim McIntyre (in Cincinnati)
Chuck Thompson (in Baltimore)
Tony Kubek Joe Garagiola Sandy Koufax and Mickey Mantle Chuck Thompson

Notes

  • 1970 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Baltimore by WJZ-TV, the Orioles' flagship TV station, and WBAL-TV, the Baltimore NBC station; and in Cincinnati by WLWT, the Reds' flagship TV station as well as the Cincinnati NBC station.
  • 1971 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Pittsburgh by KDKA-TV, the Pirates' flagship TV station, and WIIC, the Pittsburgh NBC station; and in Baltimore by WJZ-TV, the Orioles' flagship TV station, and WBAL-TV, the Baltimore NBC station.
  • 1972 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Oakland by KBHK-TV, the Athletics' flagship TV station, and KRON-TV, the Bay Area NBC station; and in Cincinnati by WLWT, the Reds' flagship TV station as well as the Cincinnati NBC station.
    • After having been used as an in-the-stands reporter for NBC's Series coverage since 1968, Tony Kubek was promoted to the booth as a color analyst for the telecasts, becoming the first former player to serve in this capacity since Joe Garagiola in 1961.
    • NBC aired the soap opera Return to Peyton Place prior to game 5, the first time that NBC had skipped the pregame show before a Series game (a move the network would not repeat until 1986 with The Cosby Show). This move was necessitated by the fact that Game 3 was rained out, forcing Game 5 to be played on a Friday, originally scheduled as a travel day.
  • 1973 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in New York by WOR-TV, the Mets' flagship TV station, and WNBC-TV, the New York City NBC station; and in Oakland by KTVU, the Athletics' flagship TV station, and KRON-TV, the Bay Area NBC station.
  • 1974 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Oakland by KTVU, the Athletics' flagship TV station, and KRON-TV, the Bay Area NBC station; and in Los Angeles by KTTV, the Dodgers' flagship TV station, and KNBC-TV, the Los Angeles NBC station.
  • 1975 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Cincinnati by WLWT, the Reds' flagship TV station was well as the Cincinnati NBC station; and in Boston by WSBK-TV, the Red Sox' flagship TV station, and WBZ-TV, the Boston NBC station.
  • 1976 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in New York by WPIX, the Yankees' flagship TV station, and WNBC-TV, the New York City NBC station; and in Cincinnati by WLWT, the Reds' flagship TV station as well as the Cincinnati NBC station.
  • 1977 – Locally, the ABC feed was carried in Los Angeles by KTTV, the Dodgers' flagship TV station, and KABC-TV, the Los Angeles ABC station; and in New York by WPIX, the Yankees' flagship TV station, and WABC-TV, the New York City ABC station.
    • Beginning in 1977 the participating teams' local announcers were no longer featured as booth announcers[88] on the network telecast of a World Series.
    • Also in 1977, Yankees announcer Bill White and Dodgers announcer Ross Porter split pre-game and post-game duties on ABC, with White working the telecasts for the games in New York (including the clubhouse trophy presentation ceremony after Game 6) and Porter doing likewise for the games in Los Angeles. (The pair also worked on CBS Radio's coverage of the Series, with Porter doing play-by-play of the games in New York and White the games in Los Angeles.)
  • 1978 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in New York by WPIX, the Yankees' flagship TV station, and WNBC-TV, the New York City NBC station; and in Los Angeles by KTTV, the Dodgers' flagship TV station, and KNBC-TV, the Los Angeles NBC station.
  • 1979 – Locally, the ABC feed was carried in Pittsburgh by KDKA-TV, the Pirates' flagship TV station, and WTAE-TV, the Pittsburgh ABC station; and in Baltimore by WMAR-TV, the Orioles' flagship TV station, and WJZ-TV, the Baltimore ABC station.

1960s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s)/Secondary play-by-play Field reporter Pregame hosts Pregame analysts Trophy presentation
1969 NBC Curt Gowdy Bill O'Donnell (in Baltimore)
Lindsey Nelson (in New York)
Tony Kubek Jim Simpson Sandy Koufax[90] and Mickey Mantle Lindsey Nelson[91]
1968 NBC Curt Gowdy Harry Caray (in St. Louis)
George Kell (in Detroit)
Tony Kubek Jim Simpson Sandy Koufax Ernie Harwell
1967 NBC Curt Gowdy Ken Coleman (in Boston)
Harry Caray (in St. Louis)
Jim Simpson Sandy Koufax Harry Caray
1966 NBC Curt Gowdy Vin Scully[92] (in Los Angeles)
Chuck Thompson (in Baltimore)
Jim Simpson Harry Walker and Alvin Dark[93] Chuck Thompson
1965 NBC Ray Scott and Vin Scully Bob Wolff Joe Garagiola Vin Scully
1964 NBC Harry Caray and Curt Gowdy (in St. Louis)
Phil Rizzuto and Joe Garagiola (in New York)
Bob Wolff Joe Garagiola Harry Caray
1963 NBC Mel Allen and Vin Scully Bob Wolff Joe Garagiola Vin Scully
1962 NBC Russ Hodges and Mel Allen Bob Wolff Joe Garagiola Mel Allen
1961 NBC Mel Allen Joe Garagiola   Mel Allen
1960 NBC Bob Prince and Mel Allen Bob Prince

Notes

  • 1960 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in New York by WPIX, the Yankees' flagship TV station, and WNBC-TV, the New York City NBC affiliate; and in Pittsburgh by WIIC, the Pittsburgh NBC affiliate.
    • As mentioned several times here, prior to the mid-1970s, television networks and stations generally didn't preserve their telecasts of sporting events, choosing instead to tape over them. As a result, the broadcasts of six of the seven 1960 games are no longer known to exist. The lone exception is a black-and-white kinescope of the entire telecast of Game 7, which was discovered in a wine cellar in Bing Crosby's home in Hillsborough, California in December 2009.[94] A part-owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who was too superstitious to watch the Series live, Crosby listened to the decisive contest with his wife Kathryn and two friends on a shortwave radio in Paris, France. Wanting to watch the game at a later date only if the Pirates won, he arranged for a company to record it. After viewing the kinescope, he placed it in his wine cellar, where it went untouched for 49 years. It was finally found by Robert Bader, vice president of marketing and production for Bing Crosby Enterprises, while looking through videotapes of Crosby's television specials which were to be transferred to DVD. The five-reel set is the only known complete copy of the historic match, which was originally broadcast in color.[94] The NBC television announcers for the Series were Bob Prince and Mel Allen, the primary play-by-play voices for the Pirates and New York Yankees respectively. Prince called the first half of Game 7, while Allen did the rest of the game.[94]
  • 1961 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Cincinnati by WLWT, the Reds' flagship TV station was well as the Cincinnati NBC affiliate; and in New York by WPIX, the Yankees' flagship TV station, and WNBC-TV, the New York City NBC affiliate.
    • In contrast to preceding years, in which NBC's World Series telecasts featured two announcers (usually one from each participating team) who split the play-by-play, each working his portion of the game by himself, in 1961 NBC had Yankees announcer Mel Allen handle all of the play-by-play on television (with Reds announcer Waite Hoyt confined to radio) while Joe Garagiola provided color commentary. This format eventually became the standard form of presentation on World Series telecasts.[95]
  • 1962 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in New York by WPIX, the Yankees' flagship TV station, and WNBC-TV, the New York City NBC affiliate; and in San Francisco by KTVU-TV, the Giants' flagship TV station, and KRON-TV, the San Francisco NBC affiliate.
  • 1963 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Los Angeles by KTTV, the Dodgers' flagship TV station, and KNBC, the Los Angeles NBC affiliate; and in New York by WPIX, the Yankees' flagship TV station, and WNBC-TV, the New York City NBC affiliate.
    • During the fourth and final game of the series, Yankees announcer Mel Allen was calling the top of the ninth inning for NBC when his voice gave out due to a bout of severe laryngitis, forcing Dodgers announcer Vin Scully (who had called the first four-and-a-half innings of the game per the network's usual setup) to resume play-by-play duties for the remainder of the game. After the Series New York Daily News sportswriter Dick Young opined that Allen, the voice of the Yankees, had been stricken by "psychosomatic laryngitis" caused by his team being swept.[96]
  • 1964 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in New York by WPIX, the Yankees' flagship TV station, and WNBC-TV, the New York City NBC affiliate; and in St. Louis by KSD-TV, the Cardinals' flagship TV station as well as the St. Louis NBC affiliate.
    • In 1964, the Yankees made the World Series for the 15th time in 19 years—but Mel Allen wasn't there. Back in September, before the end of the season, the Yankees informed Allen that his contract with the team would not be renewed. In those days, the main announcers for the Series participants always called the World Series on NBC. Although Allen was thus technically eligible to call the Series, Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick honored the Yankees' request to have Phil Rizzuto join the Series crew instead.[97] It was the first time Allen had missed a World Series for which the Yankees were eligible since 1943, and only the second World Series (not counting those missed during World War II) that he'd missed since he began calling baseball games in 1938. On December 17, after much media speculation and many letters to the Yankees from fans disgruntled at Allen's absence from the Series, the Yankees issued a terse press release announcing Allen's firing; he was replaced by Joe Garagiola, who'd teamed with Rizzuto on the Series. NBC and Movietone dropped him soon afterward. To this day, the Yankees have never given an explanation for Allen's sudden firing, and rumors abounded. Depending on the rumor, Allen was either homosexual, an alcoholic, a drug addict, or had suffered a nervous breakdown.[98] Allen's sexuality was sometimes a target in those more conservative days because he hadn't married (and never did). Years later, Allen told author Curt Smith that the Yankees had fired him under pressure from the team's longtime sponsor, Ballantine Beer. According to Allen, he was fired as a cost-cutting move by Ballantine, which had been experiencing poor sales for years[98] (it would eventually be sold in 1969). Smith, in his book Voices of Summer, also indicated that the medications Allen took in order to maintain his busy schedule may have affected his on-air performance. (Stephen Borelli, another biographer, has also pointed out that Allen's heavy workload didn't allow him time to take care of his health.)
  • 1965 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Los Angeles by KTTV, the Dodgers' flagship TV station, and KNBC, the Los Angeles NBC affiliate; and in Minnesota by WTCN-TV, the Twins' flagship TV station, and KSTP-TV, the Twin Cities NBC affiliate.
  • 1966 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Baltimore by WJZ-TV, the Orioles' flagship TV station, and WBAL-TV, the Baltimore NBC affiliate; and in Los Angeles by KTTV, the Dodgers' flagship TV station, and KNBC, the Los Angeles NBC affiliate.
    • Prior to 1966, NBC typically paired the top announcers for the respective World Series teams to alternate play-by-play during each game's telecast. For example, if the Yankees played the Dodgers in the World Series, Mel Allen (representing the Yankees) would call half the game and Vin Scully (representing the Dodgers) would call the rest of the game. However, in 1966, NBC wanted their regular network announcer, Curt Gowdy, to call most of the play-by-play at the expense of the top local announcers. So instead of calling half of every World Series game on television (as Vin Scully had done in 1953, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1963, and 1965), they only got to call half of all home games on TV, providing color commentary while Gowdy called play-by-play for the rest of each game. The visiting teams' announcers participated in the NBC Radio broadcasts. In broadcasts of Series-clinching (or potentially Series-clinching) games on both media, NBC sent the announcer for whichever team was ahead in the game to that team's clubhouse in the ninth inning in order to help cover the trophy presentation and conduct post-game interviews.
  • 1967 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in St. Louis by KSD-TV, the Cardinals' flagship TV station as well as the St. Louis NBC affiliate; and in Boston by WHDH-TV, the Red Sox' flagship TV station, and WBZ-TV, the Boston NBC affiliate.
  • 1968 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Detroit by WJBK, the Tigers' flagship TV station, and WWJ-TV, the Detroit NBC affiliate; and in St. Louis by KSD-TV, the Cardinals' flagship TV station as well as the St. Louis NBC affiliate.
  • 1969 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in New York by WOR-TV, the Mets' flagship TV station, and WNBC-TV, the New York City NBC affiliate; and in Baltimore by WJZ-TV, the Orioles' flagship TV station, and WBAL-TV, the Baltimore NBC affiliate.

1950s

Year Network Play-by-play
1959 NBC Jack Brickhouse[99] and Vin Scully[100][101]
1958 NBC Curt Gowdy and Mel Allen
1957 NBC Mel Allen and Al Helfer[102]
1956 NBC Vin Scully and Mel Allen
1955 NBC Mel Allen and Vin Scully
1954 NBC Russ Hodges and Jack Brickhouse
1953 NBC Mel Allen and Vin Scully[103]
1952 NBC Red Barber and Mel Allen[104]
1951 NBC Jim Britt and Russ Hodges[105]
1950 NBC Jim Britt and Jack Brickhouse[106]
CBS
ABC

Notes

  • By 1950, World Series games could be seen in most of the country,[107][108][109] but not all. Also in 1950, the Mutual Broadcasting System acquired the exclusive television broadcast rights to the World Series and All-Star Game for the next six years. Mutual, which had no television network at the time (and indeed never developed one), may have been reindulging in TV network dreams or simply taking advantage of a long-standing business relationship; in either case, the network sold its rights to NBC in time for the following season's games at an enormous profit.
  • 1951 marked the first time that the World Series was televised exclusively by one network (NBC), as well as the first time it was televised from coast[110] to coast.[111][112][113]
  • 1953Brooklyn Dodgers announcer Red Barber wanted a higher fee from Gillette, which sponsored the World Series telecasts on NBC, than was offered. When Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley refused to back him, Barber declined Gillette's fee, and his then-assistant Vin Scully (who at 25 years of age became the youngest announcer to call the play-by-play of a World Series, a distinction which still stands) was partnered with the New York Yankees' Mel Allen during the series instead. In his 1968 autobiography Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat, Barber claims O'Malley's lack of support as his reason for subsequently resigning from the Dodgers' booth and joining the Yankees' prior to the 1954 season.[114]
  • 1955 marked the first time that the World Series was televised in color.[115][116][117]
  • For the 1957 and 1958 Series, both of which featured the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Braves, the games played in New York were televised in color while the games in Milwaukee were shown in black and white, due to the distance between the cities being too great for NBC's color equipment to be moved in time between games.[118][119]
  • 1959 – Locally, the NBC feed was carried in Los Angeles by KTTV, the Dodgers' flagship TV station, and KRCA, the Los Angeles NBC station; and in Chicago by WGN-TV, the White Sox' flagship TV station, and WNBQ, the Chicago NBC station.
    • Chicago White Sox announcer Bob Elson missed a chance to call the series – the team's first since 1919 and Elson's first since 1943 – to a national audience because the then-head of NBC Sports, Tom Gallery (who incidentally, grew up on the same block as Elson) didn't like him.[120] Elson was, however, permitted to call a re-creation of the series over White Sox radio flagship WCFL.[121]

1940s

Year Network Play-by-play
1949 NBC Jim Britt[122]
CBS
DuMont
ABC
1948 NBC Red Barber[123]
Tom Hussey (in Boston)
Van Patrick (in Cleveland)[124]
CBS
DuMont
ABC
1947 NBC[125][126] (Games 1, 5) Bob Stanton[127][128]
CBS (Games 3–4) Bob Edge
DuMont (Games 2, 6–7) Bill Slater

Notes

Surviving telecasts

All telecasts of World Series games starting with 1975 (RedsRed Sox) are accounted for and exist. This is a full record of World Series telecasts prior to 1975 that are known to exist in whole or part:

  • 1952 (YankeesDodgers) – The complete telecasts of Games 6 and 7 exist, preserved on kinescope by sponsor Gillette.[136]
  • 1955 (YankeesDodgers) – Sections of Game 5 exist and have been released on DVD.
  • 1956 (YankeesDodgers) – The last three innings of Game 2 are known to exist. Game 3 is complete with original commercials, pre and post game show except for innings 2 and 3 and is available on DVD. Game 5, Don Larsen's perfect game, is complete except for the first inning. Game 5 was aired on the first night of the MLB Network on January 1, 2009, and is now available on DVD. Game 7 is complete except for the 2nd and 3rd innings and has also been released on DVD.
  • 1957 (YankeesBraves) – Games 1, 2 and 5 exist in their entirety and have been released on DVD. All of Game 3 (except for a snip of Tony Kubek's second home run in the top 7th inning) exists, as does the first six innings of Game 6 (both also released on DVD). Game 7 is believed to exist but has not been released.
  • 1960 (YankeesPirates) – A complete kinescope of Game 7 was discovered in the former home of Bing Crosby in December 2009.[94] The game was rebroadcast by MLB Network in December 2010, and is now available on DVD.
  • 1961 (YankeesReds) – Only half-hour segments of Game 3 (the final two innings), Game 4 (the 4th and 5th inning) and Game 5 (the opening and top of the 1st inning) are known to exist.
  • 1963 (YankeesDodgers) – Only a brief section of Game 3 is known to exist. An excerpt appears in the Yankeeography series (out on DVD).
  • 1965 (TwinsDodgers) – All seven games exist, preserved on kinescope by the CBC. Also, it is the earliest World Series whose telecasts are known to survive in their entirety.
  • 1968 (TigersCardinals). All seven games exist, preserved on kinescope by the CBC.
  • 1969 (OriolesMets). Games 1 and 2 have been preserved on kinescope by the CBC. Meanwhile, Games 3–5 exist in their original color videotape quality from "truck feeds", including pregames with Jim Simpson, Sandy Koufax and Mickey Mantle.
  • 1970 (OriolesReds). Games 1–4 have been preserved on kinescope by the CBC. Meanwhile, Game 5 exists in its original color videotape quality from the "truck feed."
  • 1971 (OriolesPirates). Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 exist in their complete forms. Games 3, 4 and 5 survive in partial form. These include pregame shows for six of the seven games, featuring Joe Garagiola and Sandy Koufax.
  • 1972 (A'sReds) – Game 4 is the only complete game extant, along with most of Game 5, and some of Game 2. Only fragments remain from Games 1, 3 and 6; The complete pregame show and condensed action of the first three innings of Game 7 exist from a home recording.
  • 1973 (A'sMets) – Game 1 is the only complete game extant. Game 2 (which lasted four-plus hours) is missing various bits, including the last inning and a half (including both crucial Mike Andrews misplays at second base). Game 3 is complete except for the last inning. Game 4 lasts from just the pregame show to the top of the 4th inning. All that remains of Game 5 are the final two innings. Game 6 is entirely missing, and Game 7 cuts off with one out in the top of the 9th inning, missing the postgame celebrations. A 20-minute presentation tape of Series highlights, narrated by Curt Gowdy, was submitted to the Peabody Awards. The Peabody tape includes the two key Mike Andrews plays from Game 2, otherwise missing from the network archives.
  • 1974 (A'sDodgers) – Games 1–4 are complete, Game 5 exists in partial form.

Radio

2020s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Field reporter(s) Pregame hosts Pregame analysts
2022 ESPN Dan Shulman Eduardo Pérez and Jessica Mendoza Buster Olney Kevin Winter Doug Glanville, Buster Olney, and Marly Rivera
2021 ESPN Dan Shulman Eduardo Pérez and Jessica Mendoza Buster Olney Kevin Winter Chris Singleton, Buster Olney, and Marly Rivera
2020 ESPN Dan Shulman Chris Singleton and Jessica Mendoza Buster Olney Marc Kestecher

Notes

  • In 2021, TUDN Radio acquired the Spanish-language rights to Major League Baseball games, starting with that year's postseason.[137]

2010s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Field reporter(s) Pregame hosts Pregame analysts
2019 ESPN Dan Shulman Chris Singleton Buster Olney Kevin Winter (Games 1–2)
Marc Kestecher (Games 3–7)
Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian
2018 ESPN Dan Shulman (Games 1–4)
Jon Sciambi (Game 5)
Chris Singleton Buster Olney Marc Kestecher Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian
2017 ESPN Dan Shulman Aaron Boone   Marc Kestecher Chris Singleton, Buster Olney, and Tim Kurkjian
2016 ESPN Dan Shulman Aaron Boone   Marc Kestecher Chris Singleton
2015 ESPN Dan Shulman Aaron Boone   Marc Kestecher Chris Singleton and Peter Pascarelli
2014 ESPN Dan Shulman Aaron Boone   Marc Kestecher Chris Singleton and Peter Pascarelli
2013 ESPN Dan Shulman Orel Hershiser   Marc Kestecher Chris Singleton and Peter Pascarelli
2012 ESPN Dan Shulman Orel Hershiser   Marc Kestecher Chris Singleton and Peter Pascarelli
2011 ESPN Dan Shulman Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine   Marc Kestecher Chris Singleton and Peter Pascarelli
2010 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan   Marc Kestecher Jon Sciambi, Dave Campbell, and Peter Pascarelli

Notes

2000s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator Pregame hosts Pregame analysts
2009 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan Jon Sciambi Dave Campbell and Peter Pascarelli
2008 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan Jon Sciambi Dave Campbell and Peter Pascarelli
2007 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan Jon Sciambi Dave Campbell and Peter Pascarelli
2006 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan Dan Shulman Dave Campbell and Peter Pascarelli
2005 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan Dan Shulman Dave Campbell
2004 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan Dan Shulman Dave Campbell
2003 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan Dan Shulman Dave Campbell
2002 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan Dan Shulman Dave Campbell
2001 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan Charley Steiner Dave Campbell
2000 ESPN Jon Miller
Charley Steiner (Game 3)[166]
Dave Campbell[167] Charley Steiner Dave Campbell

Notes

  • During Game 3 of the 2000 World Series, ESPN Radio announcer Jon Miller was forced to leave the booth after the top of the first inning due to an upper respiratory infection. Charley Steiner, who was serving as a pre-game host and field reporter for the network, filled in on play-by-play for the rest of the game; Miller resumed his duties in Game 4 of the Series.[166]
  • 2001ESPN Radio provided national radio coverage for the fourth consecutive year, with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan calling the action.
  • Jon Miller, who called the 2002 World Series for ESPN Radio, has been play-by-play man for the San Francisco Giants since 1997. Coincidentally, KNBR, the Giants' longtime flagship station, was also San Francisco's ESPN Radio affiliate at the time.
  • Locally, KTRH-AM and WMVP were the primary carriers for the 2005 World Series in the Houston and Chicago markets. For KTRH long time Astros voice Milo Hamilton provided play-by-play while John Rooney called the games for the White Sox. Game 4 was Rooney's last call after seventeen years as the radio voice of the White Sox, as he left to take the same position with the St. Louis Cardinals.
  • 2006 – Locally, Dan Dickerson and Jim Price called the Series for the Tigers on WXYT-AM in Detroit (with retired, longtime Tiger announcer Ernie Harwell returning to call the second inning of Game 1), while Mike Shannon and John Rooney called it for the Cardinals on KTRS-AM in St. Louis. Per contractual obligation, the non-flagship stations on the teams' radio networks carried the ESPN Radio broadcasts. John Rooney had broadcast the 2005 Series for the Chicago White Sox, and thus became the first announcer to call back-to-back World Series championships as an employee of different teams.
  • 2007 – Locally, Joe Castiglione and Glenn Geffner called the Series for the Red Sox on WRKO in Boston, while Jack Corrigan and Jeff Kingery called it for the Rockies on KOA in Denver. Per contractual obligation, the non-flagship stations on the teams' radio networks carried the ESPN Radio broadcasts.
  • On radio, the 2008 World Series was broadcast nationally by ESPN Radio with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan announcing, and a Spanish broadcast on ESPN Deportes Radio.
    • Locally, Dave Wills, Andy Freed, Dewayne Staats and Joe Magrane called the Series in English for the Rays on WHNZ-AM in Tampa, with Ricardo Tavaras and Enrique Oliu working the Spanish broadcast on St. Petersburg's WGES-AM. Harry Kalas, Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, and Chris Wheeler called the Phillies' English broadcasts on WPHT-AM in Philadelphia, with Spanish announcers Danny Martinez, Bill Kulik and Juan Ramos on WUBA. Following their contractual obligations, the non-flagship stations on the teams' radio networks carried the ESPN Radio broadcasts. MLB.com also carried the local radio broadcasts for online streaming, while XM Satellite Radio aired the local and national feeds to its subscribers. For Harry Kalas, this series brought together a father and son calling the series for different teams, with his son, Todd, calling the Series in English for the Rays.[168] This World Series win had significance for Fox's Tim McCarver and Harry Kalas. Both were Phillies broadcasters in 1980, but neither one could call the final out.[169] McCarver was a backup commentator for Game of the Week on NBC, but he was not part of the broadcast team that called the final out.[169] For Kalas, MLB radio-broadcasting regulations forbade local stations from producing live coverage of World Series games, instead forcing them to air the national CBS Radio feed of the games.[168] Philadelphia fans were so outraged about this afterward that they started a letter-writing campaign to the Commissioner's Office, demanding a change to the rule. The following year, MLB amended its broadcasting contracts to allow World Series teams' flagship radio stations to air the games with local announcers, due at least in part to this outcry from Philadelphia fans.[169] In 2008, both called the Phillies' World Series win.
  • 2009 – The flagship radio stations of the respective teams broadcast all Series games with their local announcers. In Philadelphia, WPHT carried the Phillies' English-language broadcasts, with Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, Tom McCarthy, Gary Matthews, and Chris Wheeler announcing, while WUBA aired the team's Spanish broadcasts.[170] In New York, WCBS-AM carried the Yankees' English broadcasts with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman announcing.[171] This broadcast made Waldman the first woman to announce a World Series game on radio.[172] XM Satellite Radio offered multiple feeds of each game to its subscribers.[173]

1990s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator Pregame host Pregame analyst
1999 ESPN Jon Miller Rick Sutcliffe Charley Steiner Dave Campbell
1998 ESPN Jon Miller Joe Morgan Charley Steiner Kevin Kennedy
1997 CBS Vin Scully[174][175] Jeff Torborg[175] John Rooney
1996 CBS Vin Scully Jeff Torborg John Rooney
1995 CBS Vin Scully Jeff Torborg John Rooney
1993 CBS Vin Scully Johnny Bench John Rooney
1992 CBS Vin Scully Johnny Bench John Rooney
1991 CBS Vin Scully Johnny Bench John Rooney
1990 CBS Vin Scully Johnny Bench John Rooney

Notes

  • 1990Vin Scully returned to CBS Radio's coverage of the World Series for the first time since 1982 (Scully then called the 1984, 1986 and 1988 World Series for NBC television), calling the series alongside Johnny Bench. Scully would go on to call the next six series for CBS, first with Bench and later with Jeff Torborg.
  • 1992 – Locally, the Series was called on WGST-AM in Atlanta by Skip Caray, Pete Van Wieren, Joe Simpson, and Don Sutton, and on CJCL-AM in Toronto by Jerry Howarth and Tom Cheek.
  • The national radio broadcast of the 1993 World Series was also provided by CBS, with Vin Scully and Johnny Bench on the call. Game 6 marked Johnny Bench's final broadcast for CBS Radio after nine years.
    • Locally, the Series was called on WOGL-AM in Philadelphia by Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn, Chris Wheeler and Andy Musser, and on CJCL-AM in Toronto by Jerry Howarth and Tom Cheek. Cheek's call of the Carter home run ("Touch 'em all Joe, you'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!") lives on in Blue Jays folklore. This was Richie Ashburn's last World Series as a Phillies broadcaster, as he died in 1997. Andy Musser also called his last World Series as a member of the Phillies' broadcast team; he retired in 2001 and died eleven years later. Tom Cheek never called another postseason game in his role as voice of the Blue Jays, from which he retired in 2005 prior to his death from brain cancer. Meanwhile, Harry Kalas would not call another World Series until 2008. Kalas later died in 2009 prior to a game at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.. Chris Wheeler continues to call games for the Phillies although in a limited capacity and Jerry Howarth has continued to call Blue Jays games, moving into the primary play-by-play position following the death of Cheek.
  • The 1997 World Series is the last World Series to date to be broadcast by the CBS Radio Network, who had covered the World Series consecutively since 1976. Vin Scully and Jeff Torborg called the 1997 World Series for CBS Radio (the latter had once managed the Cleveland Indians and would later manage the Florida Marlins). ESPN Radio would take over the national radio contract for Major League Baseball. This was Scully's eleventh and final call for CBS Radio in the World Series, and seventh consecutive since he rejoined the network following NBC's 1989 loss of baseball. As of 2011, this is also the last World Series broadcast to date for Scully who, in addition to his eleven CBS Radio World Series calls has called fourteen others for NBC and the Los Angeles Dodgers.[176]). Torborg would continue to call games for Fox television until the end of the 2000 season, working alongside John Rooney and Chip Caray, when he elected to return to managing and was hired by the Montreal Expos.
    • Game 7 was the final Major League Baseball game called by longtime Indians radio announcer Herb Score, as he retired at season's end. Score's broadcast partner, Tom Hamilton, would take over as lead announcer the following year. It also marked the final game carried by Indians flagship station WKNR; the broadcast rights would be moved to WTAM for the 1998 season.

1980s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator Pregame host
1989 CBS Jack Buck[177] Johnny Bench[177] John Rooney
1988 CBS Jack Buck Bill White[178] John Rooney
1987 CBS Jack Buck Bill White John Rooney
1986 CBS Jack Buck Sparky Anderson[179] Win Elliot
1985 CBS Jack Buck Sparky Anderson Win Elliot
1984 CBS Jack Buck Brent Musburger[180] Win Elliot
1983 CBS Jack Buck Sparky Anderson Win Elliot
1982 CBS Vin Scully[181] Sparky Anderson Win Elliot
1981 CBS Vin Scully Sparky Anderson Win Elliot
1980 CBS Vin Scully Sparky Anderson Win Elliot

Notes

  • In 1985 and 1987, KMOX, the St. Louis Cardinals' flagship station at the time, simulcast with CBS Radio's World Series coverage involving the Cardinals. That was mainly because Jack Buck had a lengthy career calling Cardinals games for KMOX (a station owned by CBS until 2018) to go along with his national work for CBS Radio.
    • In 1985 and 1986, CBS Radio designated the fifth inning of each Series game as a "Home Team Inning."[182] A local announcer for the visiting team would appear on the network's broadcast in the top of the fifth, with the home team announcer doing so in the bottom of the fifth.
  • In 1986, CBS Radio used Rick Dempsey as a reporter.[183][184]
  • Jack Buck and Bill White provided commentary for the 1988 World Series for CBS Radio. It was White's last World Series as a broadcaster, as he left broadcasting to become President of the National League following the final game. This was Buck's call of Kirk Gibson's game-winning home run off of Dennis Eckersley in Game 1. It begins here with Buck speculating on what might happen if Gibson manages to reach base:

... then you would run for Gibson and have Sax batting. But, we have a big 3–2 pitch coming here from Eckersley. Gibson swings, and a fly ball to deep right field! This is gonna be a home run! Unbelievable! A home run for Gibson! And the Dodgers have won the game, five to four; I don't believe what I just saw! I don't believe what I just saw! Is this really happening, Bill? One of the most remarkable finishes to any World Series Game...a one-handed home run by Kirk Gibson! And the Dodgers have won it...five to four; and I'm stunned, Bill. I have seen a lot of dramatic finishes in a lot of sports, but this one might top almost every other one.

1970s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentators/Secondary play-by-play Pregame hosts
1979 CBS Vin Scully[185] Sparky Anderson[186] Win Elliot
1978 CBS Bill White (in Los Angeles)
Ross Porter (in New York)
Win Elliot Jerry Coleman (in Los Angeles)
Ralph Kiner (in New York)
1977 CBS Ross Porter[187] (in New York)
Bill White (in Los Angeles)
Win Elliot Ralph Kiner (in New York)
Jerry Coleman (in Los Angeles)
1976 CBS[188] Bill White (in Cincinnati)
Marty Brennaman (in New York)
Win Elliot Bill Sorrell (in Cincinnati)
Brent Musburger (in New York)
1975 NBC[189] Marty Brennaman (in Boston)
Ned Martin (Games 3, 5–6)
Dick Stockton (Games 4, 7)
Joe Garagiola (Games 1, 3, 5, 7)
Curt Gowdy[190][191][192] (Games 2, 4, 6)
1974 NBC Monte Moore (in Los Angeles)
Vin Scully[193] (in Oakland)
Jim Simpson
1973 NBC Ralph Kiner (in Oakland)
Monte Moore (in New York)
Jim Simpson
1972 NBC Monte Moore (in Cincinnati)
Al Michaels (in Oakland)
Jim Simpson
1971 NBC Bob Prince (in Baltimore)
Bill O'Donnell (Games 3–7)
Jim Simpson
1970 NBC Chuck Thompson (in Cincinnati)
Jim McIntyre (in Baltimore)
Jim Simpson

Notes

  • When CBS Radio got the contract from NBC Radio in 1976, they continued the practice of having the local announcers for the visiting teams do the play-by-play for each World Series game through 1978. Thus, Bill White got to do all three World Series involving the New York Yankees on CBS Radio from 1976 through 1978 and Ross Porter worked the Los Angeles Dodgers' appearances in 1977 and 1978. In addition, CBS Radio used Marty Brennaman in 1976, when his Cincinnati Reds played against White's Yankees.
    • Win Elliot served as a color commentator on CBS Radio's coverage from 1976 to 1978, teaming with the respective local play-by-play announcers for each game's broadcast.
  • In 1977, Bill White did play-by-play for the games in Los Angeles on CBS Radio while Ross Porter handled the play-by-play for CBS in New York. Thus, when White was appearing on ABC-TV during the 1977 World Series, it was during the home games in a pre/postgame role (White would eventually cover the trophy presentation ceremony for ABC). Likewise, Porter handled the ABC pre/postgame while in Los Angeles.
  • 1979 was the first year in which one announcer (in this case, CBS Radio's Vin Scully[194]) provided all of the play-by-play for a World Series radio broadcast. In prior years, the play-by-play announcers and color commentators had alternated roles during each game or between games.
    • CBS Radio, following the lead begun by ABC's television coverage in 1977, dropped the usage of local team broadcasters on play-by-play when Vin Scully began doing the World Series as a CBS employee through 1982. (Beginning in 1982, however, the participating teams' flagship radio stations were permitted to produce their own local World Series broadcasts and air them live. The affiliate stations in the teams' radio networks continued to be obligated to carry the CBS Radio broadcasts.)

1960s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s)/Secondary play-by-play
1969 NBC Ralph Kiner (in Baltimore)
Bill O'Donnell (in New York)
Jim Simpson
1968 NBC Ernie Harwell[195] (in St. Louis)
Jack Buck (in Detroit)
Pee Wee Reese
Jim Simpson (Game 7)
1967 NBC Harry Caray (in Boston)
Ken Coleman[196] (in St. Louis)
Pee Wee Reese
Jim Simpson (Game 7)
1966 NBC Chuck Thompson (in Los Angeles)
Vin Scully (in Baltimore)
Bob Prince
1965 NBC By Saam and Joe Garagiola
1964 NBC Phil Rizzuto[197] and Joe Garagiola[198] (in St. Louis)
Harry Caray and Curt Gowdy (in New York)
1963 NBC Ernie Harwell[199] and Joe Garagiola
1962 NBC George Kell and Joe Garagiola
1961 NBC Bob Wolff and Waite Hoyt[200]
1960 NBC Chuck Thompson[201] and Jack Quinlan[202]

Notes

  • Beginning in 1966 and continuing through 1975, a local announcer for the visiting team in each Series game would split play-by-play and color commentary with a neutral NBC Radio announcer. Prior to 1966 and going back to the dawn of the television era, Series radio broadcasts typically featured announcers from around the major leagues (generally pairing one announcer from an AL team and another from an NL team), with the regular announcers for both the home and visiting Series participants splitting play-by-play on NBC television. In broadcasts of Series-clinching (or potentially Series-clinching) games on both media, NBC sent the announcer for whichever team was ahead in the game to that team's clubhouse in the ninth inning in order to help cover the trophy presentation and conduct post-game interviews.

1950s

Year Network Play-by-play Pregame hosts
1959 NBC Mel Allen[100] and By Saam
1958 NBC Bob Wolff and Earl Gillespie[203] Buddy Blattner
1957 NBC Bob Wolff and Earl Gillespie Bill Corum
1956 Mutual Bob Wolff and Bob Neal Bill Corum
1955 Mutual Al Helfer[204] and Bob Neal Frankie Frisch
1954 Mutual Al Helfer and Jimmy Dudley Frankie Frisch
1953 Mutual Al Helfer and Gene Kelly Bill Corum
1952 Mutual Al Helfer and Jack Brickhouse[205] Bill Corum
1951 Mutual Mel Allen and Al Helfer
1950 Mutual Mel Allen[206] and Gene Kelly[207] Al Helfer

Notes

1940s

Year Network Play-by-play Pregame hosts
1949[209] Mutual Mel Allen and Red Barber
1948[210] Mutual Mel Allen and Jim Britt[211]
1947 Mutual Mel Allen and Red Barber[212]
1946 Mutual Jim Britt and Arch McDonald Bill Corum
1945 Mutual Bill Slater and Al Helfer Bill Corum
1944 Mutual Don Dunphy and Bill Slater Bill Corum
1943 Mutual Red Barber and Bob Elson Bill Corum
1942 Mutual Red Barber and Mel Allen Bill Corum
1941 Mutual Red Barber and Bob Elson Bill Corum
1940 Mutual Red Barber and Bob Elson Mel Allen

1930s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s)
1939 Mutual Red Barber and Bob Elson Grantland Rice, Lowell Thomas, Edwin C. Hill,
Gabriel Heatter, and Stan Lomax[213]
1938 NBC Red[214] Red Barber[215] and Tom Manning George Hicks
NBC Blue[216] Johnny O'Hara and George Higgins Rosey Rowswell
CBS John Harrington, Pat Flanagan, and France Laux Bill Dyer and Mel Allen
Mutual Bob Elson Quin Ryan, David Driscoll, and Stan Lomax
1937 NBC Tom Manning and Red Barber[217] Warren Brown and George Hicks
CBS France Laux[218] Bill Dyer and Paul Douglas
Mutual Bob Elson and Johnny O'Hara David Driscoll
1936 NBC[219] Tom Manning, Ty Tyson, and Red Barber Warren Brown
CBS France Laux Boake Carter and Bill Dyer
Mutual Bob Elson Gabriel Heatter and Tony Wakeman
1935 NBC Hal Totten[220] and Ty Tyson Graham McNamee and Boake Carter
CBS France Laux and Jack Graney Truman Bradley
Mutual Bob Elson[221] and Red Barber Quin Ryan
1934 NBC[222] Tom Manning[223] and Ford Bond Graham McNamee and Don Wilson
CBS France Laux and Pat Flanagan Ted Husing
1933 NBC[224] Hal Totten and Tom Manning Graham McNamee
CBS Fred Hoey, France Laux, and Roger Baker Ted Husing
1932 NBC[225] Hal Totten and Tom Manning Graham McNamee
CBS Bob Elson and Pat Flanagan Ted Husing
1931 NBC[226] Graham McNamee[227] Tom Manning and George Hicks
CBS[228] Ted Husing
1930 NBC[229] Graham McNamee
CBS Ted Husing

Notes

  • Fred Hoey was hired by CBS to call Games 1 and 5 of the 1933 World Series after commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis declared that CBS' Ted Husing and NBC's Graham McNamee could not call World Series play-by-play because they hadn't called any regular season games.[230] Hoey was removed from the CBS broadcast during the fourth inning of Game 1 after his voice gave out on the air. Although he was subsequently reported as having suffered from a cold, Hoey's garbled and incoherent speech led many listeners to think he was drunk.[230][231] After this incident, Hoey never went into a broadcast booth without a tin of throat lozenges.[230]
  • The 1934 World Series broadcasts were the first to be sponsored, with Ford giving US$50,000 each to CBS and NBC. Commissioner Landis barred Detroit Tigers announcer Ty Tyson from appearing on network radio, citing the risk of partiality in his commentary; however, after Tigers fans sent in more than 600,000 letters of protest, Landis agreed to allow Tyson to call the Series locally on Detroit station WWJ.[232]
  • In 1939, Mutual and Gillette signed an agreement purchasing exclusive broadcast and sponsorship rights to the World Series for US$100,000.[233] A special promotion of Gillette razors and blueblades sold four times better than preliminary estimates, leading the company to secure additional sports sponsorships. The Gillette stable of sports broadcasts, which aired under the umbrella title of Gillette Cavalcade of Sports, spanned several different networks (including NBC, CBS, and Mutual radio) and grew to include not only ongoing sponsorship of baseball's World Series and All-Star Game but also the annual Kentucky Derby in horseracing, the Rose Bowl Game and other college football games, and professional boxing. Mutual continued as the exclusive World Series radio network through 1956, while Gillette's exclusive sponsorship of the event extended into the early television era and continued until the late 1950s.

1920s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s)
1929 NBC[234] Graham McNamee
CBS Ted Husing
1928 NBC[235] Graham McNamee Phillips Carlin
CBS J. Andrew White Ted Husing
1927 NBC Graham McNamee[236] Phillips Carlin
CBS J. Andrew White
1926 Westinghouse Graham McNamee Phillips Carlin
1925 Westinghouse Graham McNamee Quin Ryan
1924 Westinghouse Graham McNamee
1923 Westinghouse W. O. McGeehan (Games 1–3)
Graham McNamee[237][238] (Games 3–6)
1922 Westinghouse Grantland Rice W. O. McGeehan
1921 KDKA Grantland Rice and Tommy Cowan
WBZ
WJZ

Notes

Local radio

Since 1982, the participating teams' flagship radio stations are permitted to air their own World Series broadcasts with their regular announcing crews, and their audio is made available as usual through MLB's digital presences and Sirius XM. However, the teams' other radio network affiliates are contractually obligated to carry the national radio feeds. The flagship stations also much mention the coverage as being presented by the same sponsor as the ESPN Radio broadcasts.

2020s

Year Teams Flagship stations Play-by-play #1 Play-by-play #2 Play-by-play #3 Color commentators
2022 HoustonPhiladelphia KBME (Houston)
WIP (Philadelphia)
Robert Ford
Scott Franzke


Tom McCarthy (innings 5–6)
Steve Sparks
Larry Andersen
2021 AtlantaHouston WCNN (Atlanta)
KBME (Houston)
Ben Ingram
Robert Ford
Joe Simpson
Steve Sparks
2020 L.A. DodgersTampa Bay KLAC (Los Angeles)
WDAE (Tampa Bay)
Charley Steiner
Andy Freed and Dave Wills


Dave Wills and Andy Freed (innings 3–4, 7–8; Freed and Wills alternated between primary and secondary play-by-play each game)
Rick Monday

2010s

Year Teams Flagship stations Play-by-play #1 Play-by-play #2 Play-by-play #3 Color commentators
2019 WashingtonHouston WJFK-FM (Washington)
KBME (Houston)
Charlie Slowes
Robert Ford
Dave Jageler (innings 3–4, 6–7)



Steve Sparks
2018 BostonL.A. Dodgers WEEI/WEEI-FM (Boston)
KLAC (Los Angeles)
Joe Castiglione
Charley Steiner
Tim Neverett (innings 3–4, 6–7)

Lou Merloni
Rick Monday
2017 HoustonL.A. Dodgers KBME (Houston)
KLAC (Los Angeles)
Robert Ford
Charley Steiner
Steve Sparks
Rick Monday
2016 ChicagoCleveland WSCR (Chicago)
WTAM/WMMS (Cleveland)
Pat Hughes
Tom Hamilton
Len Kasper (inning 5)
Jim Rosenhaus (innings 4–5)
Ron Coomer

2015 Kansas CityN.Y. Mets KCSP (Kansas City)
WOR (New York)
Denny Matthews
Howie Rose
Ryan Lefebvre (innings 3–4, 6–7, and even extra innings [Game 1 went 14 innings and Game 5 went 12 innings])
Josh Lewin (innings 3–4, 7, and even extra innings [Game 1 went 14 innings and Game 5 went 12 innings])
2014 San FranciscoKansas City KNBR (San Francisco)
KCSP (Kansas City)
Jon Miller
Denny Matthews
Dave Flemming (innings 3, 6)
Ryan Lefebvre (innings 3–4, 6–7)
Duane Kuiper (innings 4,7)

Mike Krukow
2013 BostonSt. Louis WEEI (Boston)
KMOX (St. Louis)
Dave O'Brien
Mike Shannon
Joe Castiglione (innings 3–4, 6–7)
John Rooney (innings 3–4, 7–8)
Lou Merloni

2012 San FranciscoDetroit KNBR (San Francisco)
WXYT (Detroit)
Jon Miller
Dan Dickerson
Dave Flemming (innings 3, 6, 10 (Game 4))

Duane Kuiper (innings 4, 7)

Mike Krukow
Jim Price
2011 St. LouisTexas KMOX (St. Louis)
KESN (Dallas)
Mike Shannon
Eric Nadel
John Rooney (innings 3–4, 7–8, and even innings for extra inning games (Game 6)
Steve Busby (innings 3–4, 7, and even extra innings (Game 6)
2010 San FranciscoTexas KNBR (San Francisco)
KRLD (Dallas)
Duane Kuiper
Eric Nadel
Dave Flemming (innings 3–4, 7)
Dave Barnett (innings 3–4, 7)
Mike Krukow

2000s

Year Teams Flagship stations Play-by-play #1 Play-by-play #2 Play-by-play #3 Color commentators
2009 N.Y. YankeesPhiladelphia WCBS (N.Y. Yankees)
WPHT (Philadelphia)
John Sterling
Scott Franzke

Chris Wheeler (innings 4–6)
Suzyn Waldman
Larry Andersen
2008 PhiladelphiaTampa Bay WPHT (Philadelphia)
WHNZ (Tampa Bay)
Harry Kalas
Andy Freed and Dave Wills
Scott Franzke (innings 4–6)
Dave Wills and Andy Freed (innings 3–4, 7–8; Freed and Wills switch between primary and secondary play-by-play)


Dewayne Staats (innings 5–6)
Chris Wheeler and Larry Andersen
Joe Magrane (innings 5–6 with Staats)
2007 BostonColorado WRKO (Boston)
KOA (Colorado)
Joe Castiglione
Jeff Kingery
Glenn Geffner (innings 3–4, 7–8)
Jack Corrigan (innings 2–3, 6–7)
2006 St. LouisDetroit KMOX (St. Louis)
WXYT (Detroit)
Mike Shannon
Dan Dickerson
John Rooney (innings 3–4, 7–8)
Ernie Harwell (inning 2 of Game 1)

Jim Price
2005 ChicagoHouston WMVP (Chicago)
KTRH (Houston)
John Rooney
Milo Hamilton
Ed Farmer (innings 4–5, 7, and odd extra innings [Game 3 went 14 innings])
Alan Ashby (innings 4, 7, 12)
2004 BostonSt. Louis WEEI (Boston)
KMOX (St. Louis)
Joe Castiglione
Mike Shannon
Jerry Trupiano (innings 3–4, 7–8)
Wayne Hagin (innings 3–4, 7–8)
2003 FloridaN.Y. Yankees WQAM (Florida)
WCBS (N.Y. Yankees)
Dave Van Horne
John Sterling
Jon Sciambi (innings 3–4, 7–8, and even extra innings [Game 4 went 12 innings])
Charley Steiner (innings 5–7, and even extra innings [Game 4 went 12 innings])
2002 AnaheimSan Francisco KLAC (Anaheim)
KNBR (San Francisco)
Rory Markas
Duane Kuiper
Terry Smith (innings 4–6)
Joe Angel (innings 3–4, 7)

Mike Krukow
2001 ArizonaN.Y. Yankees KTAR (Arizona)
WABC (N.Y. Yankees)
Greg Schulte
John Sterling
Thom Brennaman (innings 5–8)
Michael Kay (innings 5–7, 10–11 [Game 4 went 10 innings and Game 5 went 12 innings])
Jim Traber (with Schulte) and Rod Allen (with Brennaman)

2000 N.Y. YankeesN.Y. Mets WCBS (N.Y. Yankees)
WFAN (N.Y. Mets)
John Sterling
Bob Murphy
Michael Kay (innings 5–7, 10–11 [Game 1 went 12 innings])
Gary Cohen (innings 3–4, 7–8, and even extra innings [Game 1 went 12 innings])

1990s

Year Teams Flagship stations Play-by-play #1 Play-by-play #2 Play-by-play #3 Color commentators
1999 N.Y. Yankees
Atlanta
WABC (N.Y. Yankees)
WSB (Atlanta)
John Sterling
Skip Caray
Michael Kay
Pete Van Wieren
 
Don Sutton and Joe Simpson
1998 N.Y. Yankees
San Diego
WABC (N.Y. Yankees)
KFMB (San Diego)
John Sterling
Jerry Coleman
Michael Kay
Ted Leitner
 
Bob Chandler
1997 FloridaCleveland WQAM (Florida)
WKNR (Cleveland)
Joe Angel
Herb Score
Dave O'Brien
Tom Hamilton
Jon Sciambi

 
1996 N.Y. YankeesAtlanta WABC (N.Y. Yankees)
WSB (Atlanta)
John Sterling
Skip Caray
Michael Kay
Pete Van Wieren
 
Don Sutton and Joe Simpson
1995 AtlantaCleveland WSB (Atlanta)
WKNR (Cleveland)
Skip Caray
Herb Score
Pete Van Wieren
Tom Hamilton
  Don Sutton and Joe Simpson

1993 TorontoPhiladelphia CJCL (Toronto)
WOGL (Philadelphia)
Tom Cheek
Harry Kalas
Jerry Howarth (innings 4–6)
Andy Musser

Chris Wheeler

Richie Ashburn and Garry Maddox
1992 TorontoAtlanta CJCL (Toronto)
WGST (Atlanta)
Tom Cheek
Skip Caray
Jerry Howarth (innings 4–6 and even extra innings [Game 6 went 11 innings])
Pete Van Wieren

Ernie Johnson

Don Sutton and Joe Simpson
1991 MinnesotaAtlanta WCCO (Minnesota)
WSB (Atlanta)
Herb Carneal
Skip Caray
John Gordon
Pete Van Wieren

Dave O'Brien

Don Sutton
1990 CincinnatiOakland WLW (Cincinnati)
KSFO (Oakland)
Marty Brennaman
Bill King
Joe Nuxhall
Lon Simmons
 
Ray Fosse

1980s

Year Teams Flagship stations Play-by-play #1 Play-by-play #2 Color commentators
1989 OaklandSan Francisco KSFO (Oakland)
KNBR (San Francisco)
Bill King
Hank Greenwald
Lon Simmons
Ron Fairly
Ray Fosse

1988 Los AngelesOakland KABC (Los Angeles)
KSFO (Oakland)
Ross Porter
Bill King
Don Drysdale
Lon Simmons

Ray Fosse
1987 MinnesotaSt. Louis WCCO (Minnesota)
KMOX (St. Louis)
Herb Carneal
see notes
John Gordon

 
1986 N.Y. MetsBoston WHN (N.Y. Mets)
WPLM (Boston)
Bob Murphy
Ken Coleman
Gary Thorne
Joe Castiglione
 
1985 Kansas CitySt. Louis WIBW (Kansas City)
KMOX (St. Louis)
Denny Matthews
see notes
Fred White

 
1984 DetroitSan Diego WJR (Detroit)
KFMB (San Diego)
Ernie Harwell
Jerry Coleman
Paul Carey
Dave Campbell
 
1983 BaltimorePhiladelphia WFBR (Baltimore)
WCAU (Philadelphia)
Jon Miller
Harry Kalas
Tom Marr
Andy Musser

Richie Ashburn and Chris Wheeler
1982 St. LouisMilwaukee KMOX (St. Louis)
WISN (Milwaukee)
Jack Buck
Bob Uecker
Mike Shannon
Dwayne Mosley
 

Notes

  • 1982 marked the first time that teams' flagship radio stations were permitted to produce their own local World Series broadcasts and air them live. In prior years, these stations were contractually required to carry the national radio networks' broadcasts (although they could produce re-created games with local announcers and air them after the Series had ended). The affiliate stations in the teams' radio networks continued to be obligated to carry the national broadcasts.
    • After thousands of Phillies fans—outraged over being unable to hear local team announcers Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn call the games during the 1980 World Series—deluged the team, the networks, and the Commissioner's office with angry letters and petitions, Major League Baseball changed its broadcast contract to allow the flagship radio stations for participating World Series teams to produce and air their own local Series broadcasts beginning in 1982.[245][246] When the Phillies next won a World Series, in 2008, Kalas was able to make the call of the final out.
  • In 1985 and 1987, KMOX, the St. Louis Cardinals' flagship station at the time, simulcast with CBS Radio's World Series coverage involving the Cardinals. That was mainly because Jack Buck had a lengthy career calling Cardinals games for KMOX to go along with his national work for CBS Radio.

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