Jason Benetti to Call Tigers-Royals Alongside 2015 World Series Champion First Baseman Eric Hosmer and Former Detroit Tiger Andy Dirks on Sunday Night Baseball at 7 P.M. ET
Ahmed Fareed Hosts Sunday Night Baseball Pregame with Dexter Fowler; Adam Ottavino to Provide “Inside the Pitch” Commentary
Matt Vasgersian Joined in MLB Sunday Leadoff Booth at Noon ET by Four-Time World Series Champion Pitcher Jeff Nelson and Former Washington Infielder Kevin Frandsen for Nationals-Marlins
John Fanta to Make NBC Sports’ MLB Debut as Reporter on MLB Sunday Leadoff
Sunday Stretch Whip-Around Show to Immediately Follow MLB Sunday Leadoff on Peacock
Peacock “Game of the Day” Features One Out-of-Market Game Streamed Nationally Each Day
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 5, 2026 – World Series champion first baseman Eric Hosmer and pitcher Jeff Nelson highlight NBC Sports’ announce teams for a pair of divisional matchups on Sunday Night Baseball and MLB Sunday Leadoff this Sunday, May 10, with coverage beginning at Noon ET on Peacock and NBCSN.
SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL: TIGERS -ROYALS (7 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN)
Four-time Gold Glove first baseman Eric Hosmer, who won the 2015 World Series with Kansas City, and former Detroit Tiger outfielder Andy Dirks are set to join play-by-play voice Jason Benetti on NBC Sports’ announce team for this week’s edition of Sunday Night Baseball. 2024 AL batting champion shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals will host two-time All-Star outfielder Riley Greene and the Tigers in an AL Central matchup at Kauffman Stadium this Sunday, at 7 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN.
Ahmed Fareed will host the Rangers-Tigers pregame show alongside 2016 World Series Champion centerfielder Dexter Fowler.
Former relief pitcher Adam Ottavino, who enjoyed a 15-year career, will serve as an analyst on Sunday night and offer unique “Inside the Pitch” perspective. During crucial at-bats in the game, Ottavino will provide insight into the pitcher’s throw-by-throw approach against a hitter.
The Royals bullpen has shined this season, as closer Lucas Erceg is tied for third in MLB with nine saves. As a team, Kansas City ranks fourth in the league with 12 saves. Rookie shortstop Kevin McGonigle leads the Tigers with a .315 batting average, 11 doubles, and 41 hits. McGonigle’s 41 hits are tied for fourth in the American League.
Hosmer spent the first seven seasons of his 13-year MLB career (2011-2023) with the Royals. He finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2011, with 19 home runs, 78 RBIs, and a .293 batting average. In 2015, Hosmer was a key contributor to the team’s first World Series championship in 30 years, driving in 17 runs in 16 postseason games, and is the Royals’ all-time leader in postseason RBIs (29). The following season, he set career highs in home runs (25) and RBIs (104) and was named an All-Star, winning All-Star MVP honors after he led the AL to victory with a home run and a single. A four-time Gold Glove winner at first base, Hosmer set career highs in batting average (.318) and hits (192) in 2017, notching a Silver Slugger nod. Hosmer joined MLB Network and the Royals’ broadcast team this season on Royals.TV. He also contributes to Apple TV’s MLB coverage.
Dirks was an outfielder for three seasons with the Tigers (2011-2013), all of which saw Detroit appear in the postseason. He was a key contributor on the Tigers’ 2012 World Series team, batting .322 with 101 hits and a career-high 18 doubles and five triples across 88 games. Dirks is currently an analyst for Tigers’ games on Detroit SportsNet, where he works alongside Benetti.
With a career that spanned 14 seasons (2008-2021), Fowler spent his first six years in the league with the Colorado Rockies. As a member of the Chicago Cubs in 2016, the centerfielder was an All-Star and helped the Cubs win their first World Series title since 1908. In that 2016 World Series, Fowler became the first player ever to lead off a World Series Game 7 with a home run. This season, he has been featured as a studio analyst on Sunday Night Baseball’s pregame show and as an analyst on Peacock’s MLB Sunday Leadoff.
SUNDAY LEADOFF: NATIONALS -MARLINS (Noon ET on Peacock and NBCSN)
Play-by-play voice Matt Vasgersian will be joined by four-time World Series champion pitcher Jeff Nelson, former infielder Kevin Frandsen, and John Fanta, who makes his NBC Sports’ MLB debut as a reporter, during this week’s MLB Sunday Leadoff broadcast. 2025 All-Star outfielder James Wood and the Nationals are set for an NL East matchup with the Miami Marlins, at LoanDepot Park at Noon ET on Peacock and NBCSN.
Wood has flashed power this season, blasting 10 home runs, which is tied for fourth in the National League and eighth in MLB. As a team, Washington ranks third in stolen bases (33) in the NL, highlighted by Nasim Nunez’s MLB-leading 14 steals. Miami’s Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards bring hot bats into the matchup, sitting second and third in the NL with .338 and .333 batting averages, respectively. Lopez is tied for the Major League lead with 46 hits, while Edwards ranks sixth with 43.
Nelson, a 15-year veteran relief pitcher, won four World Series titles with the Yankees (1996, 1998-2000). The former bullpen standout started his career and had three separate stints with the Mariners, while also playing for the Rangers and White Sox. Throughout his career, the righty made eight postseason appearances, including five trips to the World Series. In 2001, during his second stretch with the Mariners, Nelson recorded a 2.76 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 69 appearances and was named to the American League All-Star team. With 798 career appearances, he tallied a 48-45 record, a 3.41 ERA, and 829 strikeouts. Nelson currently serves as a TV and radio analyst for the Marlins on Marlins.TV and the Marlins Radio Network. Nelson also broadcasts on YES Network as a studio and game analyst for the Yankees.
Frandsen, a former nine-year infielder for the Giants, Angels, Phillies, and Nationals (2006-2015), was a member of Washington’s National League East Division Championship team in 2014. Known as a standout defensive player, he saw action across the field at nearly every position throughout his Major League career. Since 2022, Frandsen has been a member of the Nationals’ television broadcast booth as an analyst, following four seasons on the Phillies radio broadcast team.
Fresh off an assignment as the infield reporter for the Kentucky Derby, Fanta makes his MLB debut this Sunday, serving as a reporter on MLB Sunday Leadoff. Fanta joined NBC Sports in August 2025 on a full-time basis as its lead BIG EAST basketball play-by-play voice.
SUNDAY STRETCH WHIP AROUND SHOW
NBC Sports’ Sunday Stretch whip-around show will stream live on Peacock immediately following Nationals-Marlins 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 will feature a dedicated MLB Hub, a one-stop destination for fans to access live games, team hubs and highlights. This season, baseball fans will also be able to 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, May 10, 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” (May 5 – May 13)
One out-of-market game will be streamed nationally* on Peacock nearly every day of the season. Tonight, two NL West Division rivals will square off when seven-time All-Star Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres visit two-time Silver Slugger Rafael Devers and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park with first pitch set for 9:45 p.m. ET on Peacock.
| Date | Time (ET) | Game |
| Tues., May 5 | 9:45 p.m. | San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants |
| Wed., May 6 | 6:40 p.m. | Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers |
| Thurs., May 7 | 1:05 p.m. | Minnesota Twins at Washington Nationals |
| Fri., May 8 | 8:05 p.m. | Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers |
| Sun., May 10 | 4:10 p.m. | New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks |
| Tues., May 12 | 8:10 p.m. | Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros |
| Wed., May 13 | 9:40 p.m. | St. Louis Cardinals at Athletics |
(*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)
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--
