Game 1 of the 2015 World Series did not go as Fox Sports planned from a technical standpoint by any means.
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It was both the best of times and briefly the worst of times for the World Series on Fox as Game 1 faced the doubleheader start of the National Basketball Association season on TNT. At the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Royals were at bat, the picture disappeared.
According to Fox Sports, an electronics failure caused the primary and backup generators inside its production compound to lose power.
Once Fox doubled down and fed in the Major League Baseball Network feed that worldwide audiences were watching, the trolling of Joe Buck began.
After displaying the “technical difficulties” screen, Fox switched to hosts in its studio, who explained that Fox’s broadcast truck had experienced a power outage.
Edinson Volquez began Game 1 with a 95 miles per hour called strike to Curtis Granderson, who flied out to left on the second pitch.
It marked game one’s best tally since 2009, when the Philadelphia Phillies-New York Yankees opener drew a 13.8.
Although it is interesting to note that five of the six World Series games in ’95 were decided by just one run, including the game-clinching Game Six for Atlanta.
The game was temporarily delayed as the broadcast outage affected game officials from viewing video reply.
FOX is broadcasting games 2, 3, and 4 at 2 p.m. Hawaii time Wednesday, October 28, and Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31. The last Game 1 to draw a larger total-viewer tally was the 2010 Fall Classic between the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers (15.01 million). Eventually both managers agreed to resume the game without replay capability until it could be restored, and I presume hoping there would be no Don Denkinger moments. Normally, networks don’t plug into the stadium’s electrical system because they feel their generators are more reliable.
And for those American viewers hoping the blackouts would save them from Buck?
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“Now that we’re back to the World Series, the only way to get rid of that feeling is to go out and finish the deal”. It’s going to stick with you for a long time, no matter what.
