What’s it like to announce a Phillies playoff game on TV? TBS’s Brian Anderson weighs in: ‘It’s always electric here’
PHILADELPHIA — When TBS hosts a playoff baseball game, the network will often kick off the broadcast with what it calls a “crowd pump.” Before the announcers start talking, the network gives the crowd a moment to introduce itself, the roar setting the scene for the viewers at home.
It works better in some stadiums than others. But at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, the atmosphere doesn’t disappoint.
“There’s not many places you can do that,” play-by-play man Brian Anderson said, “but this is always one of them. We call it a crowd-pump ballpark.”
The Phillies fans will have another chance to lead the program starting Saturday as Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers begins. Anderson, in his 18th season postseason with TBS, will call the action along with former outfielder Jeff Francoeur as the color commentator and sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi. The games will be shown on TruTV and HBO Max in addition to TBS.
With a cool feeling and World Series aspirations in the air in Philadelphia, Anderson is excited for it to get going.
“It feels like playoff baseball when you come here in October,” Anderson said.
The veteran broadcaster has past experience announcing Phillies playoff games, working the NLDS from 2008-2010 and calling Roy Halladay’s postseason no-hitter against the Reds in that last season. After a long layoff, Anderson again got the opportunity to be on Phillies games in October two years ago. He called Philadelphia’s upset win over the Braves in the NLDS in 2023, immediately followed by the club’s collapse against the Diamondbacks in the NL Championship Series.
Because of all that history, Philadelphia is a comfortable place to broadcast for the behind-the-scenes crew at TBS and Anderson alike.
“The vibe, the fans, the fervor that’s here, even how the fans kind of rip us during the series,” Anderson said, “that’s what it’s supposed to be, because there’s so much passion.”
If this high-powered, best-of-five series goes the distance, which it certainly could considering just how evenly matched the Phillies and Dodgers seem to be, Anderson and company will get to call three games at Citizens Bank Park, as Philadelphia is the higher seed. That home-field advantage could come in handy for the Phillies, who went 55-26 in their own ballpark this regular season. But Los Angeles is still the defending World Series winner, and nothing will be easy in this NLDS.
“It’s a collision course in this Division Series,” Anderson said. “That’s what’s so fun about this series: big markets, big payrolls, big names. That’s why we’re here. That’s what entertains us as a network and why we spend so much money to have games like this, to get the rights to cover games like this for all these years.”
Game 1 will obviously be pivotal in this clash of top NL talents. Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will presumably bat leadoff for the Dodgers, and then he’ll make the first postseason pitching appearance of his career as the starter. The Phillies will send left-hander Cristopher Sánchez to the mound after another stellar season.
And for those watching on TV, pay attention when the broadcast first comes on. Soak in the sights and sounds before Anderson and Francoeur start talking, and see if The Bank lives up to its reputation as a crowd-pump ballpark.
“There’s only a few of those, and this is always one of them,” Anderson said. “It’s always electric here.”