Costas, Smoltz, Verducci to call Yankees ALDS Game 1 on MLB Network

Bob Costas, John Smoltz and Tom Verducci will call Game 1 of the Yankees' ALDS against the Twins on MLB Network on Friday night, before the series switches to Fox's coverage team starting with Game 2.

MLB Network annually has the rights to two division series games. The other will be Game 3 of the other American League series on Monday between the Astros and the wild-card winner, with Costas, Joe Girardi and Jim Kaat on the call.

To expand the reach of MLB Network for the two games, numerous carriers will provide a free preview of the channel from Tuesday through Oct. 11, meaning it will be available in about 82 million homes. Normally, MLB Network is distributed to about 56 million homes.

That includes Altice (Optimum), DirecTV, Verizon FiOS and others. Authenticated customers also can watch the game on a live stream.

Dodgers play-by-play man Joe Davis will join Smoltz when coverage of the series moves to Fox/FS1 starting with Game 2.

The YES Network is contractually precluded from carrying postseason games, but it will offer extensive coverage during the playoffs, including one-hour pregame shows before each game as well as postgame shows, which typically in the past have run 60 to 90 minutes.

For Games 1 and 2 of the ALDS, Bob Lorenz, John Flaherty, Jack Curry and Buck Showalter will be in-studio, with Michael Kay, David Cone and Meredith Marakovits at Yankee Stadium.

For Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) in Minnesota, Lorenz, Flaherty, Curry and Jeff Nelson will be in-studio with Kay, Marakovits and Paul O'Neill on-site.

YES will do a Facebook Live telecast of its pregame show production meeting in advance of Game 1 on Friday.

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.