NBC's return to MLB starts with opening-day doubleheader of Pirates-Mets, Dodgers-Diamondbacks

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NEW YORK (AP) — NBC's return to broadcasting Major League Baseball games will start with an opening-day doubleheader on March 26.

Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates will face Juan Soto and the New York Mets at 1 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock. At 8 p.m., the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers will host the Arizona Diamondbacks in the scheduled primetime game for that day.

NBC announced its “Sunday Night Baseball” and “MLB Sunday Leadoff” games on Friday.

The Dodgers, Boston and San Diego will each make four primetime appearances. The Yankees, Philadelphia, Detroit and Seattle will have three appearances apiece.

“Sunday Night Baseball” debuts on Peacock and NBCSN on March 29 when the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians face the AL West champion Seattle Mariners. The first Sunday night game on NBC will be on April 12 when the Guardians visit the Atlanta Braves.

The next six weeks will be on Peacock and NBCSN before NBC has Sunday night games from May 31 through Sept. 6.

NBC, which celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, has a long history with baseball, albeit not much recently. The network carried games from 1939 through 1989. It was part of the short-lived Baseball Network with ABC in 1994 and ’95 and then aired playoff games from 1996 through 2000.

NBC will also have a primetime game on Labor Day night.

The Sunday early-afternoon games also return to Peacock, which had them in 2022 and ’23. The early-afternoon games will lead into a studio Whip-Around Show before the Sunday night game.

NBC/Peacock will also do the Major League Futures game on the day before the Home Run Derby and coverage of the first round of the amateur draft on the Saturday heading into the All-Star break.

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