2006 St. Louis Cardinals World Series Champion Brad Thompson and Former Detroit Tiger Andy Dirks Join Jason Benetti in the Booth this Sunday
Adam Ottavino Provides “Inside the Pitch” Coverage
Host Ahmed Fareed Joined by 2016 World Series Winner Dexter Fowler at Comerica Park for Pregame Show
Peacock “Game of the Day” Features One Out-of-Market Game Streamed Nationally Each Day
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 1, 2026 – NBC Sports has named its game and pregame analysts for this week’s edition of Sunday Night Baseball as 2025 Silver Slugger winner Alec Burleson and the St. Louis Cardinals visit two-time All-Star Riley Greene and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, Sunday, April 5 live at 7 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN. Three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion Justin Verlander is scheduled to start Sunday’s game for the Tigers.
This week’s Sunday Night Baseball announce team features play-by-play voice Jason Benetti joined the in booth by analysts Brad Thompson and Andy Dirks.
Thompson spent most of his six MLB seasons (2005-2010) with the St. Louis Cardinals, primarily serving as a relief pitcher. He won a 2006 World Series ring with St. Louis and appeared in 43 regular-season games. After wrapping up his MLB career with the Kansas City Royals in 2010, Thompson has served as an analyst for FanDuel Sports Network Midwest.
Dirks was an outfielder/designated hitter over three seasons for the Tigers (2011-2013), all of which saw Detroit appear in the postseason. He was a key contributor on the 2012 World Series team, batting .322 in 88 games. Dirks is an analyst for Tigers’ games on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit alongside Benetti.
Ahmed Fareed will host the Cardinals-Tigers pregame show and alongside analyst Dexter Fowler.
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 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. He served as an analyst on Peacock’s MLB Sunday Leadoff in 2023.
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.
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 also stream live on Peacock starting May 3, 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” (April 1 – April 7)
One out-of-market game will be streamed nationally* on Peacock nearly every day of the season. This Wednesday two-time All-Star Byron Buxton and the Minnesota Twins visit 2024 Batting Champion Bobby Whit Jr. and the Kansas City Royals with first pitch set for 7:40 p.m. ET on Peacock.
DateTime (ET)GameWed., April 17:40 p.m.Minnesota Twins at Kansas City RoyalsThurs., April 24:10 p.m.Toronto Blue Jays at Chicago White SoxFri., April 310:15 p.m.New York Mets at San Francisco GiantsSat., April 49:38 p.m.Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles AngelsSun., April 52:10 p.m.Milwaukee Brewers at Kansas City RoyalsMon., April 64:10 p.m.Chicago Cubs at Tampa Bay RaysTues., April 79:45 p.m.Philadelphia Phillies at San Francisco Giants
(*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–