Seen on Screen: Fox Sports, ESPN Steps to the Plate With MLB Specials; NBC Sports Pumps Up Premier League, Olympics Content

Seen on Screen: Fox Sports, ESPN Steps to the Plate With MLB Specials; NBC Sports Pumps Up Premier League, Olympics Content By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor

Thursday, March 26, 2020 - 2:04 pm

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Seen on Screen provides a roundup of the current sports programming landscape as networks deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In this week's edition, major networks like NBC Sports, Fox Sports, and ESPN are combating the silence of no live sports with previously-released, taped, or archival content. Many networks have also continued producing live studio content - often with on-air talent located remotely.

Tonight, @MLBONFOX is safe at home with a special edition of MLB WHIPAROUND on FS1. Join Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas, and Kevin Burkhardt as they talk baseball, answer fan questions and relive Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. In addition, FS1 looks back at some of the greatest postseason matchups in league history. At 7 p.m. ET, the Cubs and Indians face off in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series and at 10 p.m. ET, the Yankees face the Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series

ESPN is celebrating what was scheduled to be Major League Baseball's opening weekend with a special content initiative called Strikeout Saturday on March 28. Strikeout Saturday is an eight-hour programming marathon featuring four of the six 20-strikeout games in MLB history airing in two-hour windows. The marathon begins at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN and will stream via the ESPN App.

Strikeout Saturday schedule and highlights:

12 p.m. ET: Roger Clemens fans 20 batters in his first of two career 20-strikeout performances. He became the first pitcher to record 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game as the Boston Red Sox hosted the Seattle Mariners on April 29, 1986;

2 p.m. ET: Kerry Wood leads the Chicago Cubs to victory while striking out 20 Houston Astros' in a one-hit shutout at Wrigley Field on May 6, 1998;

4 p.m. ET: Arizona Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson dominates the Cincinnati Reds lineup with a 20-strikeout performance in front of his home fans on May 8, 2001. Johnson received a no-decision in the contest;

6 p.m. ET: Max Scherzer struck out 20 Detroit Tigers' on May 11, 2016 while leading the Washington Nationals to victory at Nationals Park.

In conjunction with the Strikeout Saturday programming initiative, ESPN is also resurfacing its classic 1997 This Is SportsCenter spot featuring Roger Clemens, who is printing letter K's at the ESPN offices

NBC Sports' Premier League coverage continues this weekend on NBCSN with 16 hours of programming, highlighted by classic matches this Saturday, March 28 and full event replays of memorable Liverpool-Manchester City games on Sunday, March 29.

Saturday's classic matches feature 30-minute replays of some of the most memorable games in Premier League history beginning at 10 a.m. ET. The games will start with Liverpool kicking off their 2016-17 Premier League campaign, edging Arsenal, 4-3, at Emirates Stadium on August 14, 2016. Then, relive what Sir Alex Ferguson called probably the best derby of all time at 10:30 a.m. ET when Michael Owen's 96th-minute winner earned Manchester United a 4-3 win over crosstown rivals Manchester City on September 20, 2009. A thrilling North London Derby at 11 a.m. ET features Aaron Lennon's stoppage-time equalizer in Tottenham's thrilling 4-4 draw at Arsenal on October 29, 2008.

Saturday's encore matches culminate at 11:30 a.m. ET with the joint-biggest win in Premier League history, as Manchester United defeated Ipswich Town, 9-0, on March 4, 1995. Manchester United's Andy Cole became the first player to score five goals in a single Premier League match in the win.

Full event replays of the most unforgettable matches from the Liverpool-Manchester City rivalry begin this Sunday at 8 a.m. ET, featuring Liverpool closing in on a potential Premier League title during the 2013-14 season after a thrilling 3-2 home victory over Manchester City on April 13, 2014. The action continues at 10 am ET with a Manchester City 5-0 win over 10-man Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sept. 9, 2017. Goals from Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus(two), and Leroy Sane (two) highlighted the match.

Then at noon ET, Mohamed Salah and Liverpool hand Manchester City their first loss of the 2017-18 season in a seven-goal thriller on Jan. 14, 2018.

Saturday's coverage also includes Premier League Goals of the Season beginning at 8 a.m. ET with highlights from the 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons, while Sunday begins at 6 a.m. ET with Premier League Season in Review, highlighted by the top storylines and action from the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons

Mike Tirico hosts Tokyo Olympics: Dreams Live On, a special debuting on Thursday, March 26 at 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN. The two-hour show features newsmaker interviews and Team USA athlete reaction to the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics & Paralympics.

Taped on Tuesday, March 24, the day of the postponement announcement, the special includes the first interview with IOC President Thomas Bach following the postponement announcement, as well as discussions with USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland, and NBC Olympics swimming analyst and three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines, whose career was interrupted by the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games.

Katie Ledecky, Nathan Adrian, Simone Manuel, Tatyana McFadden and Jordan Burroughs are among 12 Team USA athletes interviewed for the show:

Nathan Adrian (Swimming) - Five-time Olympic gold medalist

Jordan Burroughs (Wrestling) - 2012 Olympic gold medalist in men's freestyle

Emma Coburn (Track and Field) - 2016 Olympic bronze medalist

Kerri Walsh Jennings (Beach Volleyball) - Three-time Olympic gold medalist

Katie Ledecky (Swimming) - Five-time Olympi

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