A couple of releases from the rapidly improving MLB Network. Today, we get their full spring training schedule, which begins Wednesday at 3pm with the Giants/Indians game plus news that David Wright will be on the network tonight.
MLB NETWORK TO BROADCAST 61 SPRING TRAINING GAMES
Broadcast Schedule Features 45 Live Games, and Includes All 30 MLB Clubs
Highlights Include First Exhibition Game at New Yankee Stadium and Second at CitiField
Secaucus, N.J. – MLB Network today announced its Spring Training broadcast schedule, which will feature 61 games -- 45 of which will be live -- featuring all 30 Major League clubs and including three World Baseball Classic exhibition games. MLB Network’s Spring Training schedule begins on Wednesday, February 25 at 3:00 p.m. ET with San Francisco at Cleveland live from Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Ariz. All games will be simulcasts of local broadcasts, including local announcers. MLB Tonight will air for one hour every night, containing news, analysis and highlights.
Highlights of the broadcast schedule include:·
Feb 28, 1:00 p.m. ET: Tampa Bay Rays @ Philadelphia Phillies (2008 World Series rematch)
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March 1, 5:00 p.m. ET: Chicago White Sox @ Los Angeles Dodgers (first game at Camelback Ranch – Glendale, the new Spring Training home for both teams)
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March 3, 1:00 p.m. ET: Team USA @ New York Yankees (World Baseball Classic exhibition game, also Derek Jeter’s first career game played against the Yankees)
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April 3, 7:00 p.m. ET: Chicago Cubs @ New York Yankees (first ever game at new Yankee Stadium)
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April 4, 1:00 p.m. ET: Boston Red Sox @ New York Mets (second game ever at CitiField)
“We’re all excited for the start of baseball season, and we wanted to give fans as many Spring Training games as possible, featuring every single club,” said Tony Petitti, President and Chief Executive Officer of MLB Network. “We’re also happy to be able to give a national audience its first look at the new Mets and Yankees parks, as well as an early look at some of the World Baseball Classic teams through those exhibition games.”
MLB NETWORK SPRING TRAINING BROADCAST SCHEDULE
*Indicates live broadcast
All times ET and subject to change, check mlbnetwork.com for updates / Games will be blacked out in local markets only where necessary
February 25 3:00 p.m.* San Francisco Giants @ Cleveland Indians
7:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ Minnesota Twins
February 26 4:00 p.m. Arizona Diamondbacks @ Cleveland Indians
February 27 1:00 p.m.* St. Louis Cardinals @ New York Mets
5:00 p.m. San Diego Padres @ Cleveland Indians
February 28 1:00 p.m.* Tampa Bay Rays @ Philadelphia Phillies
5:00 p.m. Minnesota Twins @ New York Yankees
March 1 1:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ Minnesota Twins
5:00 p.m. Chicago White Sox @ Los Angeles Dodgers
9:00 p.m. Houston Astros @ New York Mets
March 3 1:00 p.m.* USA @ New York Yankees (WBC Exhibition)
5:00 p.m. Canada @ Toronto Blue Jays (WBC Exhibition)
March 4 9:00 p.m.* Australia @ Seattle Mariners (WBC Exhibition)
March 5 4:00 p.m.* Chicago White Sox @ Chicago Cubs
March 6 1:00 p.m.* Washington Nationals @ Baltimore Orioles
March 7 3:00 p.m.* Oakland Athletics @ San Diego Padres
March 9 1:00 p.m.* Baltimore Orioles @ New York Mets
March 14 4:00 p.m.* Texas Rangers @ Chicago White Sox
March 15 1:00 p.m.* St. Louis Cardinals @ Philadelphia Phillies
8:30 p.m. Kansas City Royals @ San Francisco Giants
March 16 1:00 p.m.* St. Louis Cardinals @ Detroit Tigers
7:00 p.m.* Tampa Bay Rays @ Pittsburgh Pirates
March 17 1:00 p.m.* Minnesota Twins @ Boston Red Sox
March 18 1:00 p.m.* Atlanta Braves @ New York Mets
March 19 1:00 p.m.* St. Louis Cardinals @ Tampa Bay Rays
7:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ Cincinnati Reds
March 20 1:00 p.m.* Cincinnati Reds @ Houston Astros
5:00 p.m. San Diego Padres @ Chicago Cubs
9:00 p.m.* Los Angeles Dodgers @ Kansas City Royals
March 21 1:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ Florida Marlins
5:00 p.m. Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox
March 22 1:00 p.m.* New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays
5:00 p.m. Cleveland Indians @ Colorado Rockies
March 23 1:00 p.m.* Florida Marlins @ Houston Astros
5:00 p.m. Milwaukee Brewers @ Colorado Rockies
March 24 1:00 p.m.* New York Mets @ Houston Astros
7:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees
March 25 1:00 p.m.* Detroit Tigers @ New York Mets
7:00 p.m.* Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals
March 26 4:00 p.m.* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Cleveland Indians
10:30 p.m.* Chicago Cubs @ San Francisco Giants
March 27 1:00 p.m.* Detroit Tigers @ Atlanta Braves
9:00 p.m.* Milwaukee Brewers @ Texas Rangers
March 28 1:00 p.m.* Philadelphia Phillies @ Pittsburgh Pirates
5:00 p.m. Chicago Cubs @ Colorado Rockies
9:00 p.m. New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves
March 29 1:00 p.m.* Atlanta Braves @ Detroit Tigers
5:00 p.m. Kansas City Royals @ Seattle Mariners
March 30 1:00 p.m.* Tampa Bay Rays @ Minnesota Twins
7:00 p.m.* San Diego Padres @ Cleveland Indians
March 314:00 p.m.* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Chicago Cubs
10:00 p.m.* Milwaukee Brewers @ San Diego Padres
April 1 1:00 p.m.* Florida Marlins @ Baltimore Orioles
5:00 p.m. Texas Rangers @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
9:00 p.m. Arizona Diamondbacks @ Milwaukee Brewers
April 2 3:00 p.m.* Chicago White Sox @ Milwaukee Brewers
10:00 p.m.* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Los Angeles Dodgers
April 3 7:00 p.m.* Chicago Cubs @ New York Yankees
April 4 1:00 p.m.* Boston Red Sox @ New York Mets
6:00 p.m.* Baltimore Orioles @ Washington Nationals
10:00 p.m.* Milwaukee Brewers @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Plus, here's news on what the Mets David Wright will say on the WBC Roster Special tonight -
DAVID WRIGHT INTERVIEWED AS PART OF MLB NETWORK’S WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC ROSTER SPECIAL TONIGHT AT 6:00 P.M. ETMets Third Baseman and World Baseball Classic USA team member David Wright was interviewed as part of MLB Network’s World Baseball Classic Roster Special, which will air at 6:00 p.m. ET tonight. Wright talked with Victor Rojas and Harold Reynolds about gearing up to play in his first World Baseball Classic, which begins March 5. MLB Network will televise 16 World Baseball Classic games along with a nightly studio show titled World Baseball Classic Tonight, dedicated to the world’s premier international baseball tournament.
Highlights of the interview include:
ON HIS FIRST WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC:"I can't wait. I got down here to Spring Training a little bit early to try to get started a little bit earlier and try to face some live pitching to get ready because when you put that USA across your chest, to me, there is really no bigger honor as a baseball player to go represent your country. Obviously, wearing the uniform is something I am going to be very proud of and looking over to your left seeing Derek Jeter and some of those guys who are teammates just sitting around and talking baseball. I'm going to soak it up, try to learn as much as possible, and hopefully come away with a few wins.”
ON THE WBC INTERFERRING WITH 2009 PRE-SEASON PREPARATIONS:"I think it will help with the development of getting ready for the regular season because you’re talking about playing in meaningful games, big at bats, trying to get runners over, get runners in. We were talking today with our manager Jerry Manuel and he likes the idea of a lot of us going to play in the classic because it puts us in those real life game situations where every at bat counts, being unselfish, trying to do things for the good of the team, and hopefully that will put us in a position where we are ready come first week of April."
ON PLAYING WITH RIVAL PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES DURING THE WBC:"Well hopefully for the few weeks together we'll have a little truce (smiling). We'll stop the war of words for at least a couple of weeks and as much as we obviously don't get along with them all that well we respect them and we congratulate them obviously on their championship and I think we can learn a lot from a team like that."
ON JOKING WITH FELLOW METS TEAMMATES AND WBC COMPETITION:“Oh I told Jose [Reyes] 'I'm coming in hard and you better watch out!' (laughs and smiles) because if I get a chance to break up a double play I'm coming in hard."
ON MENTAL PREPARATION FOR THE WBC:"We've got a lot of guys on the team this year that participated in that first World Baseball Classic and obviously they are let down so we're going to look to those guys to lead the team and prepare us for the expectations going into it because it’s a different kind of format. It's a different style of play where obviously every game is huge and one game you could be going home so we're going to look to those guys to kind of lead us and hopefully the young guys can provide some energy.”
ON WANTING SOMETHING MORE THAN A WBC CHAMPIONSHIP:"Maybe a World Series. How about both of them? I'll take that one (smiles and laughs). We'll put both of them up there on kind of the same level."
