TBS failed viewers in thrilling start to MLB playoffs

Every year, the MLB playoffs start and it feels like the TV setup is batting out of order.

Where are the games? Who is announcing them? Is it Abbott or Costello? Check your local listings, then Google it.

Until Fox has the World Series, it is a mishmash, beginning with TBS’ presentation. The network has been doing the playoffs for 12 years, but each October it feels like Opening Day for them.

On Tuesday, it got another wild card classic with Nationals and Brewers. TBS wasn’t up to the task.

First, it started with choosing Ernie Johnson over Brian Anderson on play-by-play. Johnson is an all-time studio host, an inspirational person and an average-at-best baseball play-by-player. Anderson is clearly better. Anderson does call Brewers games during the regular season, but that did not factor into TBS’ decision.

TBS looks at Johnson and Anderson as 1 and 1A on its depth chart, though Anderson, the more seasoned play-by-player, should be ahead — and TBS executives probably know it. Anderson will be on the NLCS call.

On Tuesday, TBS had Johnson with Ron Darling and Jeff Francoeur. Francoeur was in for Dennis Eckersley, who is missing this October due to a family obligation.

Johnson, Darling and Francoeur’s first ever broadcast together was a nationally televised playoff game. They were not positioned to fully succeed and it showed.

On the eighth-inning, go-ahead, three-run Juan Soto single to right that was flubbed by Milwaukee rookie Trent Grisham, TBS struggled with showing us what exactly happened.

The third out did occur on the basepaths after the Soto hit, which pushed it against the commercial break. But we only received a snippet of the season-defining error.

TBS came back for the top of the ninth inning and was faced with a tight squeeze. It was balancing a one-run game with trying to explain how we got there. After an out, TBS finally showed the replay again, and Darling even said, “I would love to see that ball again because, to me, it looked like it took a bad hop on him.”

They didn’t show it again until the postgame show.

TBS’ issues aren’t all its fault. It does a Sunday afternoon game of the week, but that is lost on most fans, who watch their local teams. They are not a part of MLB fans’ regular viewing until the games are most important. They have improved over the years, but they still don’t have the rhythm of the sport.

That’s how the baseball playoffs begin on TV. What channel is the next game on? ESPN? MLB Network? Fox Sports 1? TBS? Fox?

Who is on first?

Local Listings: The Yankees-Twins series will begin on MLB Network with Bob Costas, John Smoltz and Tom Verducci on the call. The rest of the series will be on FS1 with Joe Davis and Smoltz in the booth.

MLBN will have a free preview for those who have AT&T U-verse, Cablevision (Altice), participating Comcast markets, Cox, DirecTV, Frontier, RCN, Sling TV and Verizon FiOS. So most Yankees fans won’t be shut out.

Madd, Madd World: Joe Maddon would be a natural choice for one of the networks to add for the postseason. Maddon is in line to be hired for another managerial job with the Angels the favorite.

Maddon has initially told networks he is unsure he wants to do it after the long Cubs season, according to sources. However, ESPN has shown a bit of interest, while Fox and TBS are in more of wait-and-see mode at the moment.

Bird’s eye view: On Wednesday, Turner made the signing of Stan Van Gundy official. The Post reported it back in August.

Turner has expanded the role for CBS/YES Network’s Ian Eagle on Tuesdays. He and Brian Anderson will be the game-callers for its coverage. They will have another analyst, Jim Jackson, who has shown potential in runs on CBS and Fox Sports. Marv Albert will continue as Turner’s No. 1 play-by-player on Thursdays. Albert has two years remaining on his deal. Kevin Harlan will also do play-by-play on Thursdays.

Eagle is the current play-by-player who is closest to Albert in style and humor, while Harlan is the longest-tenured on TNT’s NBA coverage. Anderson was in line to eventually succeed Albert under former TNT president David Levy. With Jeff Zucker now overseeing the department, the plan is to go through this year before figuring out what is next.

Clicker Books: Papa Clicker is in postseason mode. Bill Pennington’s “Chumps to Champs (How the Worst Teams in Yankee History Led to the ‘90s Dynasty)” is as good as Derek Jeter-led teams it covers. The book ties the all-time Papa Clicker score with a 4.6/5 clickers.