FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 5th, 2023
BRENDAN BURKE NAMED PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER OF MLB SUNDAY LEADOFF ON PEACOCK
Burke will be Joined in Booth by Analysts from Participating Teams of Each Week’s Game
Matt Vasgersian to Call Peacock MLB Sunday Leadoff Opener on April 23 and Peacock/NBC Simulcast on May 7
Chris Vosters to Call Two Games with Burke on Assignment
Ahmed Fareed Returns to MLB Sunday Leadoff as Host and In-Game Reporter
MLB Sunday Leadoff Begins Sunday, April 23, at 12:05 p.m. ET as the Defending National League Champion Phillies Host Rockies Exclusively on Peacock
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 5, 2023 – Play-by-play announcer Brendan Burke will serve as the voice of MLB Sunday Leadoff on Peacock this season, it was announced today. MLB Sunday Leadoff, Peacock’s exclusive package of Sunday morning Major League Baseball games, debuts its slate of 19 live games on Sunday, April 23, with the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Colorado Rockies at 12:05 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock.
Burke currently serves as the television voice of the New York Islanders on MSG Networks and as a play-by-play commentator on NHL on TNT games. Burke called select New York Yankees games on WFAN radio last season, and also served as play-by-play announcer for multiple Minor League Baseball teams earlier in his career. Beginning with NBC Sports in 2017, he served as a play-by-play voice of NHL and Premier Lacrosse League coverage and called events at two Olympics (hockey at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and rowing and canoeing during the Tokyo Olympics). Burke will call his first MLB Sunday Leadoff game on May 21, following his NHL Playoff assignments.
“We’re excited to have Brendan rejoin NBC Sports this summer and look forward to pairing him with local analysts each week in the booth as we continue to provide coverage with local flavor and in-depth knowledge of the competing teams,” said Sam Flood, NBC Sports Executive Producer.
Matt Vasgersian, the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels and studio host for MLB Network, will call the MLB Sunday Leadoff season opener from Philadelphia’s Citizen Bank Park (Sunday, April 23, 12:05 p.m. ET). Vasgersian, who served as the play-by-play voice of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball for four seasons (2018-21), will also call the Atlanta Braves hosting the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, May 7, at 11:35 a.m. ET, which will be presented live on Peacock and NBC, marking the second consecutive year in which the NBC broadcast network will present a live MLB game (last season’s package-opening White Sox-Red Sox game on May 8, 2022).
Chris Vosters, NBC Sports Chicago’s voice of the Chicago Blackhawks, has called events for NBC Sports for the past three Olympic Games as well as select Minnesota Twins games on Bally Sports North last season. He will call the Chicago Cubs at Miami Marlins game on Sunday, April 30, at 12:05 p.m. ET and the Los Angeles Angels at Cleveland Guardians game on Sunday, May 14, at 11:35 a.m. ET.
Game analysis in the MLB Sunday Leadoff booth each week will be provided by announcers from the participating teams.
NBC Sports’ Ahmed Fareed will reprise his MLB Sunday Leadoff role as the pre- and post-game host and in-game reporter this season.
Fareed, who has served as a host and reporter on a variety of properties across NBC Sports’ portfolio since 2019, has an extensive baseball background, serving as a host and reporter for NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California from 2013-18, covering MLB’s San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s. He also served as an anchor and reporter for Giants Pregame Live and Giants Postgame Live. Prior to joining NBC Sports Bay Area, Fareed hosted MLB Network’s news and highlight show, Quick Pitch, for two years.
Beginning on Sunday, April 23, with the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Colorado Rockies at 12:05 p.m. ET from Citizens Bank Park, Peacock will stream an NBC Sports-produced baseball game live in 19 of 20 weeks. Each game will feature NBC Sports-produced pre- and post-game shows on Peacock.
On each of the 19 Sundays that Peacock presents a game, it will be scheduled as the exclusive home of live MLB action until 1:35 p.m. ET that day, when the remainder of the day’s schedule will begin. The package will include start times of 11:35 a.m. ET (six games), 12:05 p.m. ET (10 games), and 1:05 p.m. ET (three games).
The MLB Sunday Leadoff package began in 2022 with 18 exclusive Sunday morning games on Peacock, continuing NBC Sports’ storied baseball tradition. The first Major League Baseball television broadcast was a 1939 Cincinnati Reds-Brooklyn Dodgers doubleheader on W2XBS (the precursor to WNBC-TV) in New York.
NBC Sports was a home to the first World Series broadcast in 1947, the first All-Star Game nationally broadcast in 1952, and has televised 39 World Series – more than any other network. Additionally, from 1957-2000, NBC Sports was home to a wealth of baseball programming, including Game of the Week and Monday Night Baseball telecasts, more than 30 All-Star Games, and countless Postseason moments.
Peacock’s expansive programming offers the most live sports of any direct-to-consumer streaming service in the United States, featuring live coverage including Sunday Night Football, Olympic Games, Premier League, Notre Dame Football, NASCAR, NTT IndyCar Series, Big Ten football (beginning in September), and much more. Peacock also offers daily sports programming on the NBC Sports channel.
To learn more about Peacock and MLB Sunday Leadoff, including how to sign up, click here.
2023 MLB Sunday Leadoff Schedule on Peacock
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup |
| April 23 | 12:05 p.m. | Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies |
| April 30 | 12:05 p.m. | Chicago Cubs at Miami Marlins |
| May 7 | 11:35 a.m. | Baltimore Orioles at Atlanta Braves* |
| May 14 | 11:35 a.m. | Los Angeles Angels at Cleveland Guardians |
| May 21 | 11:35 a.m. | New York Yankees at Cincinnati Reds |
| May 28 | 11:35 a.m. | Los Angeles Dodgers at Tampa Bay Rays |
| June 4 | 11:35 a.m. | St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates |
| June 11 | 11:35 a.m. | Arizona Diamondbacks at Detroit Tigers |
| June 18 | 1:05 p.m. | Baltimore Orioles at Chicago Cubs |
| July 2 | 12:05 p.m. | Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles |
| July 9 | 12:05 p.m. | Texas Rangers at Washington Nationals |
| July 16 | 12:05 p.m. | San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates |
| July 23 | 12:05 p.m. | San Diego Padres at Detroit Tigers |
| July 30 | 12:05 p.m. | Los Angeles Angels at Toronto Blue Jays |
| August 6 | 12:05 p.m. | Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians |
| August 13 | 12:05 p.m. | Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox |
| August 20 | 1:05 p.m. | Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros |
| August 27 | 12:05 p.m. | Los Angeles Angels at New York Mets |
| September 3 | 1:05 p.m. | Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers |
| *Simulstreams live on NBC and Peacock | ||
–NBC SPORTS—
