1953 MLB Season
As originally written by Tim Brulia:
OK. This is going to be an ambitious project.
Courtesy of the generosity of the Godfather of Sportscasting, jtgrace1, this is the first installment of the history of Major League Baseball on network and national cable TV.
We start with 1953, the first year of national network telecasts.
A couple of notes:
ABC would be the first network to televise regular season baseball. They were able to televise from three cities, all AL clubs; Cleveland, Chicago and Philadelphia. No National League games were to be televised, but for a late season schedule change.
NBC had the "Classics", Mid-Summer (All-Star Game) and Fall (World Series), courtesy of the Gillette Safety Razor Company.
Regular season
May
Saturday 5/30:
Indians-White Sox, 2:30, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
June
Saturday 6/6:
Yankees-White Sox, 2:30, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 6/13:
Yankees-Indians, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 6/20:
White Sox-Athletics, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 6/27:
Browns-Athletics, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
July
Saturday 7/4:
Tigers-Indians, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 7/11:
Indians-White Sox, 2:30, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Tuesday 7/14:
Baseball All-Star Game from Cincinnati:
American-National, 2:15, NBC. Jack Brickhouse, Mel Allen
Saturday 7/18:
Athletics-Indians, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 7/25:
Athletics-White Sox, 2:30, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
August
Saturday 8/1:
Indians-Athletics, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 8/8:
Tigers-Athletics, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 8/15:
Yankees-Athletics, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 8/22:
Tigers-White Sox, 2:30, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 8/29:
Yankees-Indians, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
September
Saturday 9/12:
White Sox-Athletics, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 9/19:
Phillies-Dodgers, 1:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Saturday 9/26:
Tigers-Indians, 2:00, ABC. Dizzy Dean, Buddy Blattner
Note: ABC was to have televised the 4/13 Yankees-Senators season opener, but the game was rained out.
World Series
Wednesday 9/30:
Game 1, Dodgers-Yankees, 1:00, NBC. Mel Allen, Vin Scully
Thursday 10/1:
Game 2, Dodgers-Yankees, 1:00, NBC. Mel Allen, Vin Scully
Friday 10/2:
Game 3, Yankees-Dodgers, 1:00, NBC. Vin Scully, Mel Allen
Saturday 10/3:
Game 4, Yankees-Dodgers, 1:00, NBC. Vin Scully, Mel Allen
Sunday 10/4:
Game 5, Yankees-Dodgers, 2:00, NBC. Vin Scully, Mel Allen
Monday 10/5:
Game 6, Dodgers-Yankees, 1:00, NBC. Mel Allen, Vin Scully
Note: WOR-New York, WPIX-New York and WABD-New York also provided coverage, using the NBC feed.
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