AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays double previous appearances

As teams in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues fine-tune their lineups and rotations for what all hope is a chance at postseason glory, the FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK is gearing up for another season of excitement, drama and unforgettable moments. FOX Sports airs 26 consecutive weeks of regular season coverage, the 80th All-Star Game from St. Louis, the American League Championship Series and the 104th World Series.

The 2009 season is FOX Sports' 14th straight as the primary national broadcast television home of Major League Baseball. In that time, FOX Sports has aired 11 World Series, 19 League Championship Series and 10 All-Star Games.

The 2009 FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK schedule features up to three regionalized games and this year most begin at a new 4 p.m. ET time. The final two Saturdays of the regular season are designated as "wild card" dates, allowing FOX Sports to choose up to three games of significance each day.

FOX Sports begins its 2009 coverage on Saturday, April 11 (4 p.m. ET) with a rematch of last year's ALDS as American League MVP Dustin Pedroia and the Boston Red Sox travel west to face Vladimir Guerrero and the new-look Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Other "Opening Day" on FOX action includes the Minnesota Twins taking on the Chicago White Sox, who last season squared off in a one game playoff for the AL Central title, and the Houston Astros visiting the St. Louis Cardinals, opponents in both the '04 and '05 NLCS.

The 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies make eight MLB on FOX appearances with their first coming on Saturday, May 2 (3:30 p.m. ET) as they host David Wright and their division rival New York Mets. The season's schedule also boasts five appearances by the Tampa Bay Rays, defending American League Champions, including a rematch on Saturday, May 9 with their division rival Boston Red Sox, who they battled in last year's exhilarating seven-game ALCS. The Rays' five appearances on FOX this season doubles the club's total since its 1998 inception.

Prior to 2009, the Rays appeared on the FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK schedule only once in 2000 and 2003. Last season, three games were added to the FOX schedule down the stretch given the team's remarkable and unexpected division-winning run. The FOX schedule also has the Rays playing the Indians, Twins and Tigers plus an interleague matchup against the Mets on Saturday, June 20, FOX's first look at Citi Field, the Mets' new home.

The initial FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK schedule features at least seven games with traditionally strong teams including the Red Sox (7), Yankees (8), Mets (8), Cubs (8), Braves (8), Indians (8), White Sox (9), Angels (9), Twins (9), Dodgers (9), and Cardinals (9). FOX is allowed a maximum of nine appearances per team.

FOX and a national broadcast audience get their first look at the new Yankee Stadium on Saturday, April 18 when the Bronx Bombers take on the Cleveland Indians in just the third regular season game ever played in the new facility. The following week, Saturday, April 25, FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK showcases the first of three matchups featuring one of sports' most storied rivalries when the Yankees travel to Boston to square-off with the Red Sox. On Saturday, August 8, the Yankees and Red Sox clash at Yankee Stadium and on Saturday, August 22 the Boston/New York battle shifts back to Fenway Park.

Interleague play on FOX begins on Saturday, May 23 (4 p.m. ET), when the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies travel to New York to face the Yankees and the Texas Rangers travel to Houston to take on the Astros in a battle for the Lone Star State. Interleague play continues Saturday, June 13, when the new Yankee Stadium plays host to its first ever Subway Series, while the Indians play host to the Cardinals and the White Sox travel to Milwaukee.

After the network's regular-season coverage, FOX Sports provides live coverage of this year's American League Championship Series and the 104th World Series. The All-Star Game and all regular and postseason games are broadcast in HD.

David Hill and Ed Goren are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports. Bill Brown is Senior Producer. Scott Ackerson is the Coordinating Producer of MLB on FOX's studio coverage. Don Bui serves as pregame producer. Pete Macheska is coordinating producer of FOX Sports' Major League Baseball coverage. Bill Webb directs.

FOX SPORTS — As America's top-rated network for sports for the 12th-straight year (1997-2008), FOX Sports, recipient of the Sports Business Journal's 2008 Sports Media Award, boasts rights agreements with each of the nation's highest-rated sports. FOX Sports is the exclusive national over-the-air television rights holder of Major League Baseball, including the All-Star Game, alternating League Championship Series and World Series (2007-2013); the National Football League's NFC package, including the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowls XLII and XLV (2006-2011); NASCAR's Sprint Cup racing from February through May, including the Daytona 500 (2007-2014); the Bowl Championship Series, featuring the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl from 2007 through 2010 and the BCS National Championship Game from 2007 through 2009; and the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. Since its inception in 1994, FOX Sports has earned 76 Emmy Awards for production excellence. David Hill and Ed Goren are the Executive Producers of FOX Sports. For the latest sports news, opinion and video, log on to www.FOXSports.com.

2009 MLB ON FOX REGULAR SEASON BROADCAST SCHEDULE
NOTE: Schedule subject to change; all times 4 p.m. Eastern unless otherwise noted

Saturday, April 11, 2009
Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox
Houston Astros at St. Louis Cardinals

Saturday, April 18, 2009 (3:30 p.m. ET)
Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Minnesota Twins

Saturday, April 25, 2009
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals

Saturday, May 2, 2009 (3:30 p.m. ET)
New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves
Cleveland Indians at Detroit Tigers

Saturday, May 9, 2009 (3:30 p.m. ET)
Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox
Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers

Saturday, May 16, 2009
New York Mets at San Francisco Giants
Cleveland Indians at Tampa Bay Rays
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Texas Rangers

Saturday, May 23, 2009
Philadelphia Phillies at New York Yankees
Texas Rangers at Houston Astros

Saturday, May 30, 2009
Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs
Atlanta Braves at Arizona Diamondbacks
Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays

Saturday, June 6, 2009
Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers
Cleveland Indians at Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners

Saturday, June 13, 2009
New York Mets at New York Yankees
St. Louis Cardinals at Cleveland Indians
Chicago White Sox at Milwaukee Brewers

Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tampa Bay Rays at New York Mets
Los Angeles Dodgers at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Milwaukee Brewers at Detroit Tigers

Saturday, June 27, 2009
Boston Red Sox at Atlanta Braves
Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Arizona Diamondbacks

Saturday, July 4, 2009
New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins
Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians

Saturday, July 11, 2009
New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 (8 p.m. ET)
2009 MLB All-Star Game — Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Saturday, July 18, 2009
New York Mets at Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles at Chicago White Sox
Houston Astros at Los Angeles Dodgers

Saturday, July 25, 2009
St. Louis Cardinals at Philadelphia Phillies
Minnesota Twins at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers

Saturday, August 1, 2009
New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox
Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves
Houston Astros at St. Louis Cardinals

Saturday, August 8, 2009
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Saturday, August 15, 2009
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks
Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins

Saturday, August 22, 2009
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers

Saturday, August 29, 2009
New York Mets at Chicago Cubs
Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros at Arizona Diamondbacks

Saturday, September 5, 2009
Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians
San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers

Saturday, September 12, 2009
New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Atlanta Braves at St. Louis Cardinals

Saturday, September 19, 2009
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins
San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers

Saturday, September 26, 2009
TBA*

Saturday, October 3, 2009
TBA*

PROGRAMMING NOTE: The final two Saturdays are considered "wild card" dates. Any game or games (up to three) on that day's schedule can be chosen at the network's discretion, given proper identification to Major League Baseball. Games selected will be announced one week prior.