John Smoltz, who was in the Braves’ starting pitching rotation the last time they were in the World Series, will be in the broadcast booth this time.
He’ll be the analyst on Fox’s telecasts of the series between the Braves and the Houston Astros, joining play-by-play announcer Joe Buck.
Smoltz started the last World Series game the Braves played before Tuesday night’s: Game 4 of the 1999 series against the New York Yankees. He pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out 11. The Yankees won the game 4-1 to complete a sweep of the Braves, who then waited 22 years to get back to the Fall Classic.
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
Buck will call play-by-play on the World Series for the 22nd consecutive year and the 24th overall on Fox, matching former analyst Tim McCarver for the most World Series network television appearances. This marks the sixth consecutive year that Smoltz is in the booth with Buck. Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci will provide in-game reporting.
Fox Sports’ on-site pregame and postgame desks will be anchored by host Kevin Burkhardt, who’ll be joined by Frank Thomas, Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz.
Smoltz appeared in five World Series with the Braves in the 1990s, posting a cumulative 2-2 record and 2.47 ERA in eight games (all starts). The Hall of Famer’s overall postseason record was 15-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 41 games (27 starts).
