Jason Benetti to Call Red Sox-Dodgers Alongside 1988 World Series MVP and NL Cy Young Award Winner Orel Hershiser and Nine-Year MLB Infielder Lou Merloni
Bob Costas Hosts Sunday Night Baseball Pregame with Three-Time Cy Young Award Winner Clayton Kershaw, who will also Provide “Inside the Pitch” Commentary
Three-Time MVP Mike Trout and Los Angeles Angels Host Three-Time All-Star Catcher William Contreras and NL Central-Leading Milwaukee Brewers on MLB Sunday Leadoff at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN
World Series Champion Pitcher Mark Gubicza and Five-Year MLB Veteran Vinny Rottino Join Matt Vasgersian to Call Brewers-Angels; Erica Weston Serves as Sideline Reporter
Sunday Stretch Whip-Around Show to Immediately Follow MLB Sunday Leadoff; Peacock “Game of the Day” Features One Out-of-Market Game Streamed Nationally
STAMFORD, Conn. – July 28, 2026 – Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Willson Contreras, and William Contreras highlight NBC Sports’ star-studded Sunday MLB coverage, with the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Boston Red Sox, winners of 18 of their last 20 games, on Sunday Night Baseball at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. The day’s coverage starts when the first-place Milwaukee Brewers visit the Los Angeles Angels in an interleague matchup on MLB Sunday Leadoff at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN.
SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL: RED SOX-DODGERS (7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock)
Four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers square off against four-time All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras and the surging Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Play-by-play voice Jason Benetti will call Red Sox-Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball alongside 1988 World Series MVP and NL Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser and former Red Sox infielder Lou Merloni.
Bob Costas will host the pregame show alongside three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who will also provide “Inside the Pitch” commentary. During crucial at-bats in the game, Kershaw will provide insight into the pitcher’s throw-by-throw approach against a hitter.
The first-place Dodgers hold MLB’s best record at 67-39 and a 12.5-game lead in the NL West. Los Angeles leads the majors in quality starts (57) and batting average (.260), ranks third with 928 hits, and is fourth with a 3.58 ERA and 513 RBI. Ohtani leads the Dodgers and ranks among the top 10 in the National League with 22 home runs, a .387 on-base percentage, and a .907 OPS. The Red Sox are 55-50, seven games back of first place in the AL East after winning 18 of their last 20 games. Boston’s pitching staff ranks second in the American League in ERA (3.55) and quality starts (44). Contreras paces the club with a .932 OPS (3rd in the AL), .544 slugging percentage (4th in the AL), 66 RBI (T-6th in the AL), .287 batting average (6th in the AL), and 22 home runs (T-8th in the AL).
Hershiser’s 18-year MLB career was headlined by his 1988 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He posted an NL-high 23 victories, pitched a record 59 consecutive scoreless innings, and won the NL Cy Young Award, NLCS MVP, and World Series MVP as the Dodgers won their first championship in seven years. Hershiser pitched 13 seasons for the Dodgers and three seasons for Cleveland, where he won ALCS MVP honors in leading the team to the 1995 World Series. Hershiser has worked as the primary analyst for SportsNet LA’s broadcasts of Dodgers games since 2017. This Sunday marks Hershiser’s fourth NBC Sports primetime broadcast and third Sunday Night Baseball game this season (Diamondbacks-Dodgers in primetime on Opening Day, Padres-Dodgers on July 5, and Dodgers-Yankees on July 19).
Merloni, who made his MLB debut in 1998, spent 5+ seasons with the Red Sox before stops with the Padres, Cleveland, and the Angels. In his first at-bat at Fenway Park on May 15, 1998, Merloni hit a three-run home run off Royals All-Star Jose Rosado. The former infielder finished his career with a .271 batting average, 294 hits, 67 doubles, and 125 RBI. Since 2023, Merloni has served as an analyst for Red Sox games on the New England Sports Network (NESN). Merloni will make his second Sunday Night Baseball appearance of the season, following Rangers-Red Sox on June 14.
Kershaw completed his 18th and final season in 2025 by winning his third World Series title with the Los Angeles Dodgers. One of the most dominant pitchers of his generation, Kershaw posted a 223-96 career record for a .699 winning percentage – third best in MLB history (minimum 100 decisions). A left-hander, he recorded more than 3,000 career strikeouts, was an 11-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner and National League Most Valuable Player in 2014, a year in which he pitched a no-hitter. In addition, the Dallas native led the NL in earned run average five times and in wins and strikeouts three times. In 2012, Kershaw earned MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award, which is regarded as MLB’s most prestigious individual honor for a player who exhibits exemplary community service, for his charitable work, which included building an orphanage with his wife, Ellen, in Africa. Kershaw made his NBC Sports debut during the Diamondbacks-Dodgers primetime broadcast on Opening Day.
MLB SUNDAY LEADOFF: BREWERS-ANGELS (3 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN)
Three-time MVP Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels host three-time All-Star catcher William Contreras and the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers in an interleague matchup at Angel Stadium this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN. World Series champion pitcher Mark Gubicza, five-year MLB veteran Vinny Rottino, and reporter Erica Weston will join play-by-play voice Matt Vasgersian on this week’s MLB Sunday Leadoff announce team.
The Brewers are 66-40, the second-best record in MLB, and hold a six-game lead in the NL Central. Milwaukee is dominant on the mound, ranking second in the majors in ERA (3.42), strikeouts (1,033), and saves (33). Contreras and Brice Turang lead the Brewers’ offense, with Contreras posting a team-best 103 hits and Turang pacing the club with 62 RBI (T-12th in the NL). Los Angeles’ pitchers rank fourth in the AL with 943 strikeouts. Trout is third in the league with a .395 on-base percentage and eighth with an .857 OPS, while shortstop Zach Neto leads the Angels with 19 home runs, 21 doubles, and 13 stolen bases.
A member of the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame, Gubicza pitched for the team in 13 of his 14 MLB seasons (1984-1997), before his final season with the Angels. A two-time All-Star, the right-hander started 28 games and finished with 14 wins in the Royals’ 1985 championship season. In 1988, Gubicza went 20-8, with a 2.70 ERA and 183 strikeouts, making his first All-Star team and finishing third in the AL Cy Young vote. Now in his 20th season as an analyst with the Angels, Gubicza received the 2022 Southern California Sports Broadcaster Award for most outstanding TV analyst.
Rottino began his Major League career with the Brewers (2006-08) before making stops with the Marlins (2011), Mets (2012), and Cleveland (2012). An infielder and outfielder, he later played internationally for the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball in 2013 and the Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization in 2014. From 2017-2020 seasons, Rottino served as a scout in the Texas Rangers organization. He joined the Brewers television broadcast team in 2021 and is in his sixth season as an analyst on Brewers.TV.
Weston makes her first appearance as a reporter on MLB Sunday Leadoff this weekend. Since 2022, she has served as pregame host and field reporter for Los Angeles Angels broadcasts on Angels Broadcast Television and Angels.TV. Previously, Weston provided sideline coverage for St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues local telecasts.
Major League Baseball and NBC Sports announced the debut of Road to the Show, a new five-episode documentary series providing unprecedented access to six of baseball’s brightest young stars as they navigate the path to professional baseball’s biggest stage. The final episode will debut on August 2. The first four episodes are available now on Peacock.
Produced by MLB Network and narrated by baseball content creator and YouTuber Dan Sarmiento (DSARM), Road to the Show features some of the game’s most exciting young talent, including Braden Montgomery (Chicago White Sox), Gage Wood (Philadelphia Phillies/Reading Fightin’ Phils-AA), Jesús Made (Milwaukee Brewers/Biloxi Shuckers-AA), the No. 1 overall prospect, and Ethan Holliday (Colorado Rockies/Fresno Grizzlies Single-A), alongside 2026 first-round picks Roch Cholowsky (White Sox) and Justin Lebron (Reds).
SUNDAY STRETCH WHIP-AROUND SHOW
NBC Sports’ Sunday Stretch whip-around show will stream live on Peacock immediately following Brewers-Angels on MLB Sunday Leadoff. Produced in collaboration with the Emmy Award-winning MLB Network, the show will feature look-ins at all the compelling live action around Major League Baseball in real time and on replay every Sunday, so viewers don’t miss a single run or key play.
Peacock offers a dedicated MLB Hub, a one-stop destination for fans to access live games, team hubs, and highlights. This season, baseball fans can enjoy popular Peacock features, such as Catch up with Key Plays, if they are tuning in late; Live in Browse, which displays the live game on the Peacock home page for instant context about the matchup and allows viewers to immediately join the live game presentation; and MLB Live Picks, a mobile mini-game for fans to predict the winners.
The Sunday Stretch whip-around show will stream live on Peacock this Sunday, Aug. 2, following MLB Sunday Leadoff, providing viewers with the most compelling action in real time and on replay so they won’t miss a single run or key play. In partnership with Telemundo and Universo, Peacock will provide extensive Spanish-language coverage.
Peacock “Game of the Day” (July 28 – Aug. 5)
One out-of-market game will be streamed nationally* on Peacock nearly every day of the season. Tonight, four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers host three-time All-Star centerfielder Julio Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium with first pitch set for 10:10 p.m. ET on Peacock.
| Date | Time (ET) | Game |
| Tues., July 28 | 10:10 p.m. | Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Wed., July 29 | 7:45 p.m. | Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals |
| Thurs., July 30 | 9:40 p.m. | Boston Red Sox at Athletics |
| Fri., July 31 | 7:05 p.m. | Philadelphia Phillies at Baltimore Orioles |
| Fri., July 31 | 10:10 p.m. | Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners |
| Sat., Aug. 1 | 9:40 p.m. | Detroit Tigers at Athletics |
| Sun., Aug. 2 | 1:37 p.m. | St. Louis Cardinals at Toronto Blue Jays |
| Tues., Aug. 4 | 9:40 p.m. | Detroit Tigers at Seattle Mariners |
| Wed., Aug. 5 | 3:10 p.m. | Tampa Bay Rays at Colorado Rockies |
(*Note: The Peacock “Game of the Day” will not be available in the competing team markets, where it will be presented by the local rightsholder)
National Baseball Hall of Famer CC Sabathia and Ahmed Fareed star in NBC Sports’ new weekly digital video series, MLB According to CC. On each episode, Sabathia and Fareed will discuss big-picture storylines and spotlight the week’s most exciting and intriguing events around baseball. Among the unique segments featured in the series: “CC’s Clubhouse” will highlight anecdotes from his playing days, while “Show Me Something” will preview MLB’s weekend slate of games and highlight key players across the league. The show’s “newstalgia” storytelling will bridge legends of baseball’s past with today’s rising stars.
New episodes are available to stream every Wednesday on the Peacock MLB Hub, NBC Sports YouTube Channel, NBCSports.com, and all major podcast platforms.
NBC SPORTS’ MLB TRADITION
NBC Sports has a distinguished history with Major League Baseball. The first-ever MLB 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.
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 iconic Postseason moments. For the 2022-23 seasons, Peacock was the exclusive home of MLB Sunday Leadoff, a first-of-its-kind Sunday morning presentation featuring a unique three-announcer broadcast booth with one analyst with expertise on each team joining the play-by-play voice.
--NBC SPORTS--
