FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 4th, 2023

ATLANTA BRAVES HOST BALTIMORE ORIOLES ON MLB SUNDAY LEADOFF THIS SUNDAY, MAY 7, AT 11:30 A.M. ET ON PEACOCK AND NBC; PREGAME BEGINS AT 11 A.M. ET EXCLUSIVELY ON PEACOCK

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—