This afternoon, FOX Sports conducted a press call to preview its coverage of Major League Baseball’s 111th World Series featuring seven-time Emmy-award winner Joe Buck, three-time American League MVP, World Series Champion and guest FOX MLB studio analyst Alex Rodriguez, and President, FOX Sports Production & Executive Producer John Entz. This year’s Fall Classic, the 16th consecutive broadcast by FOX and the network’s 18th overall, begins Tuesday, Oct. 27, live and in prime time from Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City as the AL Champion Royals host the NL Champion New York Mets.
Highlights of today’s call are transcribed below. To listen to the entire press call, please dial 719-457-0820 and enter passcode 9577064 when prompted.
Rodriguez on the strengths of the 2015 Mets team: “We’re very lucky in this World Series. It’s not often that you get the best two teams and the hottest two teams. I grew up watching baseball and watching the 1986 Mets. The biggest resemblance to me between the 2015 team and the 1986 team are the once-in-a-century power pitchers. If you ask people who watched the ’86 Mets, they probably said these guys are going to win three or four championships in the next five years – same could be said about these Mets.”
Buck on why he predicts a long series: “If you’ve got power pitching, the strikeouts are great. But, this is a team that doesn’t strike out a lot in Kansas City, and if they’re putting it in play, there’s pressure on these infielders. That, to me, is the fascinating part. If these young guys are going to pitch like they’ve pitched so far in the postseason, it’s going to be hard to see the Mets not taking a lead late and trying to get it somehow to Familia. But if the Royals are putting it in play and the Mets aren’t fielding the ball like they have to this point, then the Royals could find some holes. That’s why this is, to me, a long series. Maybe this is the kiss of death, but this doesn’t feel like four or five and out. This is really well balanced – one team’s strength is another team’s weakness, and vice versa.”
Rodriguez on the mindset of players taking on a fast, physical team like the Royals: “I know that as a middle infielder, there’s a lot of stress especially when you play a team that’s young and athletic and always runs hard. But here’s another way to look at it. You have 27 outs, and you have 14 or 15 strikeouts on average per night. That’s 12 balls that are put in play. Of those 12, five or six of them are going to be lazy fly balls or easy outs. As an infielder, if you make a handful of plays, you will be shaking hands and win the game. The Mets will be pushed and challenged in a way they haven’t been pushed before.”
Rodriguez on how Kanas City has improved since its World Series appearance last year: “When you have a team that’s as aggressive as they are, that’s usually synonymous with an undisciplined team. Kansas City is not that way at all. They have the unique characteristic that they are aggressive, but they don’t chase bad pitches and will take their walks. Everyone thinks the Royals will be better because they have the experience of last year. That’s true, but they also have become a better team. This team is a year older, they’ve been together like frat boys for 10 years and when you bring in Ben Zobrist and Kendrys Morales, who are switch hitters who annihilate great pitching, that’s a hell of an addition.”
Buck talks about veteran game director Bill Webb who will miss his first World Series broadcast since directing the last 17 straight as a key member of the FOX MLB broadcast crew: “There is not any one person more responsible for the look and feel of Major League Baseball on FOX than Bill Webb. He is at the top of the list. He and I have been doing this since FOX Sports got baseball back in 1996. This would’ve been our 18th World Series together. He’s a director that has a good feel for baseball strategy so he’s thinking along the lines that I’m thinking. He’s also thinking along the same lines as a manager so when something starts to pop up, he gets a shot of the bullpen. If somebody’s got a full count or a 3-1 count in a tight situation, I know when I’m at home, I want to know who is coming up next, and that’s why I always say it verbally. And I can tell you, more times than not, I go to it verbally and before the words are out of my mouth, the person that is standing in the on-deck circle is on your screen. That’s invaluable. He’s our leader in that respect.”
Rodriguez on the experience of working on the same studio team with Pete Rose: “He has been fascinating to be around and has been entertaining. He has been around the game almost 60 years and every time I come to the studio or the green room I am looking forward to seeing his perspective. I want to see how he sees it through his lens. It has been quite an education and has been a lot of fun...but one thing is, I don’t talk fashion or bow ties with Pete.”
Entz on having Rodriguez as a guest analyst for FOX’s MLB Postseason coverage: “Alex is someone we’ve always felt has potential to be an outstanding television analyst, if he chose to pursue it. When you combine his talent on the field with the way he sees the game and looks at the game, it’s really a unique combination. After spending the week with him, I have to say he’s been even more impressive than we could have possibly hoped. He really cares about doing this the right way, and he’s truly been an incredible asset to the show. He actually tells me he’s enjoying it, which is probably the most surprising part. It’s been nothing but positive across the board, so it has been a great experience.”
