Analysts Ben McDonald and Glen Perkins Join Brendan Burke (Play-by-Play) in MLB Sunday Leadoff Booth
Ahmed Fareed Hosts Pregame Coverage on Peacock at 11:30 a.m. ET, Alongside Two-Time All-Star Jason Kipnis
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 29, 2023 – Catcher Adley Rutschman and the Baltimore Orioles, who have the fourth-best record in MLB, host shortstop Carlos Correa and the Minnesota Twins on MLB Sunday Leadoff this Sunday, July 2, at 12:05 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock.
Play-by-play announcer Brendan Burke will be joined in the MLB Sunday Leadoff booth from Oriole Park at Camden Yards by analysts Ben McDonald and Glen Perkins. Game analysis in the MLB Sunday Leadoff booth is provided each week by announcers from the participating teams.
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 serves as an Orioles analyst on MASN.
A three-time All-Star pitcher, Perkins spent his entire 12-year MLB career with the Twins from 2006-17. He amassed 30+ saves in three consecutive seasons from 2013-15 and was named an All-Star in each year. A St. Paul, Minn., native, Perkins played collegiately at the University of Minnesota and was drafted by the Twins in the first round of the 2004 MLB Draft. He is currently a Twins analyst on Bally Sports North.
This week’s MLB Sunday Leadoff coverage begins with the pregame show at 11:30 a.m. ET on Peacock. Ahmed Fareed is the pre- and postgame host of MLB Sunday Leadoff and also serves as the in-game reporter.
Two-time All-Star Jason Kipnis, who had a 10-year MLB career with Cleveland and the Chicago Cubs, will serve as this week’s pre- and postgame analyst alongside Fareed. Kipnis will make his debut as an analyst on MLB Sunday Leadoff this week.
How to Watch:
| Date | Show | Time (ET) | Platform |
| Sun., July 2 | MLB Sunday Leadoff Pregame | 11:30 a.m. | Peacock |
| Sun., July 2 | Twins vs. Orioles | 12:05 p.m. | Peacock |
Commentators:
- Play by Play: Brendan Burke
- Analysts: Ben McDonald and Glen Perkins
- Pre- and Postgame Host/In-game Reporter: Ahmed Fareed
- Pre- and Postgame Analyst: Jason Kipnis
Beginning on Sunday, 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 SVOD service in the United States, including live coverage of 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 |
| July 2 | 12:05 p.m. | Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles |
| July 8 | 7 p.m. | SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game |
| 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 |
--NBC SPORTS—