CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio) – Former Chicago Cubs star Anthony Rizzo will join NBC’s Major League Baseball coverage this season, the network announced during its Super Bowl pregame show.
Rizzo will serve as a pregame analyst alongside pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Joey Votto. The trio will appear during NBC’s coverage of the wild-card round and on select pregame shows for Sunday night games hosted by Bob Costas and Ahmed Fareed.
NBC begins a three-year deal this season to carry what had previously been ESPN’s baseball package, which includes Sunday night games and every wild-card series. Games will air across NBC, NBCSN and the Peacock streaming service. NBC also regained the “MLB Sunday Leadoff” package of early Sunday games, which will stream exclusively on Peacock.
“We’re excited to welcome Clayton, Anthony and Joey, three stars right off the field who can provide fresh perspective on the players, teams and everything that makes baseball special,” NBC Sports executive producer and president of production Sam Flood said in a statement.
Rizzo, a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, was a central figure in the Cubs’ 2016 World Series championship, the franchise’s first title since 1908. He hit .360 with a .484 on-base percentage during that World Series.
NBC’s MLB coverage will debut on Opening Day, March 26, with an early game between the Pirates and Mets followed by a night matchup between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers, when Los Angeles is scheduled to raise its World Series banner.
The Cubs are slated to appear on NBC’s Sunday night broadcasts twice this season – May 31 at St. Louis and June 7 against San Francisco – and will also be part of a Sunday doubleheader Aug. 3 against Cincinnati. All three games will air on NBC and Peacock.