This Sunday’s Game Marks the Second Consecutive Year the NBC Broadcast Network will Present a Live MLB Game
Andruw Jones and Ben McDonald to Serve as Game Analysts, Joining Matt Vasgersian (Play-by-Play) in MLB Sunday Leadoff Booth
NBC Sports’ Ahmed Fareed Hosts Pregame Coverage Exclusively on Peacock at 11 a.m. ET, Alongside Former World Series Champion Nick Swisher
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 4, 2023 – Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and the defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves host catcher Adley Rutschman, the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up, and the Baltimore Orioles from Truist Park on MLB Sunday Leadoff this Sunday, May 7, at 11:30 a.m. ET live on Peacock and NBC.
Sunday’s game marks 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).
Play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian, who called the MLB Sunday Leadoff season opener on April 23, will be joined in this week’s booth by analysts Andruw Jones and Ben McDonald. Game analysis in the MLB Sunday Leadoff booth each week will be provided by announcers from the participating teams.
Jones, a five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove centerfielder, had a 17-year MLB career from 1996-2012 and spent his first 12 seasons with the Braves. At the age of 19 in 1996, Jones became the youngest player in Major League history to hit a home run in the World Series. He will return to the MLB Sunday Leadoff booth after calling last season’s Braves-Padres game on May 15, 2022, which marked his debut as a game analyst.
McDonald was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 MLB Draft by the Orioles and had a nine-year career with Baltimore (1989-95) and Milwaukee (1996-97) as a pitcher. A collegiate standout at LSU, McDonald won the 1989 Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s best amateur player and led Team USA to a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. McDonald, an Orioles analyst on MASN, called last year’s Orioles-Angels MLB Sunday Leadoff game (July 10, 2022).
Braves third baseman Austin Riley, a 2022 All-Star, will be mic’d up to communicate with the MLB Sunday Leadoff booth for half of an inning during Sunday’s game.
This week’s MLB Sunday Leadoff coverage begins with the pregame show at 11 a.m. ET exclusively on Peacock. NBC Sports’ Ahmed Fareed is the pre- and postgame host of MLB Sunday Leadoff and also serves as the in-game reporter. Former World Series champion Nick Swisher, who had a 12-year MLB career, will serve as this week’s pre- and postgame analyst alongside Fareed.
How to Watch:
| Date | Show | Time (ET) | Platform |
| Sun., May 7 | MLB Sunday Leadoff Pregame | 11 a.m. | Peacock |
| Sun., May 7 | Orioles vs. Braves | 11:30 a.m. | Peacock, NBC |
Commentators:
- Play by Play: Matt Vasgersian
- Analysts: Andruw Jones and Ben McDonald
- Pre- and Postgame Host/In-game Reporter: Ahmed Fareed
- Pre- and Postgame Analyst: Nick Swisher
Beginning April 23, when the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies hosted the Colorado Rockies 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 |
| May 7 | 11:30 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—
