“This is what he wants. He’s been the guy all year for them, he has 18 wins. The last time he went out against (New York), he dealt against the Yankees.” – CC Sabathia on Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray tonight against the Yankees
“If you’re a Red Sox fan seeing that home-grown talent on the Yankees last night, that had to sting.” – Anthony Rizzo on Massachusetts natives Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice leading the Yankees against the Red Sox
“There is no margin for error, and they can’t take their foot off the gas...they know the Phillies can come back and win two straight.” – Sabathia on Braves heading into Game 2 against the Phillies
“Atmosphere-wise, Petco Park has to be number one in the majors… It was electric all the way until the ninth inning.” – Eric Hosmer on the atmosphere at last night’s Cubs-Padres game in San Diego
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 30, 2026 – NBC Sports continued its exclusive coverage of the MLB Wild Card Series presented by AbbVie today with a studio show leading into coverage of Phillies-Braves Game 2 on NBC and Peacock.
This afternoon’s MLB Wild Card Series pregame show from NBC Sports’ Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn., featured host Ahmed Fareed with Hall of Famer CC Sabathia and former All-Star first baseman Eric Hosmer. Bob Costas and 2016 World Series champion Anthony Rizzo previewed today’s slate of games onsite from Yankee Stadium during the show.
The pregame show included Ashley ShahAhmadi’s interviews with Phillies All-Star shortstop Trea Turner and Braves third baseman Austin Riley, following his game-winning home run yesterday.
Matt Vasgersian (play-by-play), C.J. Nitkowski (analyst - Braves), John Kruk (analyst - Phillies), Joey Votto (Inside the Pitch) and Ashley ShahAhmadi (reporter) are calling this afternoon’s Phillies-Braves game.
NBC SPORTS’ MLB WILD CARD SERIES PRESENTED BY ABBVIE SCHEDULE
**All Times ET**
Date | Time | Game | Platforms | Play-by-play | Analyst(s) | Reporter |
| Weds., Sept. 30 | 2 p.m. | Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves | NBC/Peacock | Matt Vasgersian | John Kruk, C.J. Nitkowski, Joey Votto** | Ashley ShahAhmadi |
5 p.m. | Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros | Peacock/NBCSN | Tom McCarthy | Steve Stone, Geoff Blum, Adam Ottavino** | Britney Eurton | |
8 p.m. | Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees | NBC/Peacock | Jason Benetti | Lou Merloni, Joe Girardi, Anthony Rizzo** | Caroline Pineda | |
10 p.m. | Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres | Peacock/NBCSN | Dave Flemming | Jim Deshaies, Mark Grant, Clayton Kershaw** | John Fanta |
***
Following are highlights from this afternoon’s MLB Wild Card Series Pregame Show on Peacock and NBCSN:
ON MLB WILD CARD SERIES
Hosmer on facing elimination in the postseason: “This is where you really rely on those veteran leaders to read and lead the room in that clubhouse. Every clubhouse is going through something a little different. That Atlanta team right now is saying, ‘let’s not change anything, we had good at-bats last night, we have (Cristopher) Sanchez going and he’s our guy.’ If you’re the Cubs in San Diego, you might need shake it up and look for something extra to get going.”
ON ATLANTA BRAVES
Braves 3B Austin Riley to ShahAhmadi on the reaction to his game-winning home run yesterday: “I’ve gotten a lot of texts, and I’ve watched it a few times. It was just a lot of support. Obviously, that was a really big hit there, so you just try to soak it in and think about what went right in that swing to repeat that.”
Riley to ShahAhmadi on resetting for Game 2: “You try to take it day-by-day. Yesterday was yesterday and today is a new day. That’s a really good team over there and we know what they’re capable of. With Sanchez on the mound, we know what he’s capable of and the challenge it brings. You have to bottle up the good, flush it, and focus on today.”
Rizzo on the Riley’s game-winning home run: “That (swing) can lift him for the entire playoffs. He has struggled the entire season, but he’s one of the faces of his franchise. What an uplifting moment for him and his teammates.”
Sabathia on the Braves heading into Game 2 against the Phillies: “There is no margin for error, and they can’t take their foot off the gas. They know they won yesterday because of that Austin Riley home run, and they know the Phillies can come back and win two straight games.”
ON PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Sabathia: “I think this series is set up nicely for the Phillies. Atlanta has to win when Chris Sale starts, he’s their number one guy, but having Cristopher Sanchez and then Zack Wheeler in Game 3 gives an edge to the Phillies..”
Phillies SS Trea Turner to ShahAhmadi on bouncing back after yesterday’s loss to the Braves: “Just flush it as fast as you can. Good things are going to happen, bad things are going to happen, but the team that moves on the fastest and gets the momentum back on their side is the one that has success.”
ON HOUSTON ASTROS
Hosmer on Astros starter Hunter Brown: “This is the guy for the Houston Astros. He is the best starting pitcher that the Astros have and he’s going to have to go out there and deal today. There are certain situations throughout the course of a season like when you win three in a row, and you know your starter is going to go out there and win you a fourth. In tough times, like now, it’s win day and you can count on Hunter Brown to bring it.”
Sabathia on Astros DH Yordan Alvarez’s struggles in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series: “I think he was impatient. The last couple of weeks, he was getting pitched to tough. He was going out there and trying to win a Triple Crown going down the stretch, and I just thought we saw him get impatient.”
Sabathia on Astros manager Joe Espada’s comments about the fans last night: “I don’t think it was a smart move. You don’t want to get on your fans and make them an issue, but they are just victims of their own success. They’ve played so well the last 10 years and fans get spoiled, so do a better job of getting into the ALDS or winning your division.”
ON NEW YORK YANKEES
Rizzo on Cam Schlittler’s start against the Red Sox in Game 1: “The Yankees’ formula for this postseason is starting pitching and he set the tone.”
Rizzo on Massachusetts natives Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice leading the Yankees against the Red Sox: “If you’re a Red Sox fan seeing that home-grown talent on the Yankees last night, that had to sting.”
ON BOSTON RED SOX
Sabathia on the pressure facing Red Sox starter Sonny Gray being down 1-0 to the Yankees: “This is what he wants. He’s been the guy all year for them, he has 18 wins. The last time he went out against (New York), he dealt against the Yankees, so he wouldn’t want it any other way then having all of the pressure on him.”
Hosmer: “When you sign with the Boston Red Sox there is a type of atmosphere that you’re going to pitch in and experience. So, for Sonny Gray, this is a great situation because the pressure is on (Red Sox manager) Chad Tracy. He has a lot of options to go to in that bullpen, Garrett Crochet being one of them. If Sonny gets in trouble early, I think Boston is going to try and get creative with that bullpen.”
ON SAN DIEGO PADRES
Hosmer on the atmosphere last night at Petco Park: “Atmosphere-wise, Petco Park has to be number one in the majors. It was hard to sleep after watching the atmosphere at Petco Park. It was electric all the way until the ninth inning, and just when you think the Padres had a perfect night, the fans got to see Joe Musgrove throw 97-98.”
--NBC SPORTS--
