Behind the Mic: NBC Sports Announces MLB Opening Day On Air Lineup, Featuring Orel Hershiser, Al Leiter and More.

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, Barry Bonds to join MLB opening night on Netflix as on-air talent; Madelyn Burke joins ESPN as newest anchor for SportsCenter; and more.

Madelyn Burke joins ESPN as a SportsCenter Anchor

Television host Madelyn Burke has joined ESPN as an anchor for SportsCenter, the company's signature news and information program. She will begin work in April.

For nearly a decade, Burke has been a multi-platform host and on-air talent covering the New York Giants, most recently with MSG Network and Giants.com, while also hosting for CBS Sports HQ. In her role, she has contributed across studio, digital and live game coverage, including hosting pregame and postgame programming and sideline reporting.

I'm thrilled and honored to join ESPN, and to be a part of a program as iconic as SportsCenter, said Burke. It's a show that has meant so much to me and to generations of sports fans.

I'm excited to help carry that tradition forward while bringing energy, joy, and a genuine love of sports to every show.

A native of Los Angeles, Burke began her career while attending Arizona State University, where she graduated with a degree in journalism and hosted the nationally televised college football show Running with the PAC on FOX. She went on to cover college football and the NBA across multiple platforms, including time on the Los Angeles Clippers beat and at Sports Illustrated.

Madelyn is a versatile and dynamic storyteller who brings credibility, energy and a deep understanding of sports to everything she does, said Mike Foss, Senior Vice President, Sports & Studio Entertainment. Her experience across multiple platforms and connection with fans make her a great addition to SportsCenter.

Burke will be based at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT.

Barry Bonds Added to MLB Opening Night Talent Roster

A baseball legend has officially entered the batter's box for Netflix.

San Francisco Giants great Barry Bonds joins the star-studded roster of on-air talent for Netflix's Major League Baseball broadcasts this season. The league's home run king and leader will make his debut as an analyst on March 25, when his former club hosts the New York Yankees for MLB Opening Night, presented by Adobe.

A seven-time Most Valuable Player, Bonds will take part in all three of Netflix's MLB broadcasts this year: Opening Night, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on July 13, and MLB at Field of Dreams on Aug. 13, all live exclusively on Netflix. Bonds will team up with two-time World Series champion and three-time MVP Albert Pujols, World Series champion Anthony Rizzo, and Emmy Award-winning host Elle Duncan at the pre- and postgame desk.

Orel Hershiser, Luis Gonzalez, Al Leiter, and Neil Walker Named Analysts for NBC Sports' MLB Opening Day Doubleheader: Pirates-Mets at 1 PM ET and Diamondbacks-Dodgers at 8 PM ET, Next Thurs., March 26 on NBC & Peacock

NBC Sports announces its MLB Opening Day game and pregame analysts, one week ahead of its 2026 season debut featuring two games next Thursday, March 26.

NBC Sports' star-studded Opening Day presented by Adobe doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, as reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates visit Juan Soto and the New York Mets at Citi Field.

Then at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, in the only primetime game on Opening Day, Corbin Carroll and the Arizona Diamondbacks face four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

NBC Sports' announce teams for MLB Opening Day are as follows:

Pirates vs. Mets - 1 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock

Play-by-play voice Matt Vasgersian calls Pirates-Mets alongside analysts Al Leiter and Neil Walker.

A two-time All-Star with two World Series rings, Leiter pitched 19 MLB seasons, including seven with the Mets (1998-2004). With the Mets in 2000, he won The Roberto Clemente Award which annually honors the player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. Leiter has been a studio analyst with MLB Network since 2009 (earning a Sports Emmy nomination) and previously served as game analyst for 12 seasons with YES Network.

The 2014 NL Silver Slugger as the Pirates second baseman, Walker's 12-year MLB career (2009-2020) included his first seven seasons in Pittsburgh, followed by two years with the Mets (2016-17). Since 2021, Walker has served as an analyst for the Pirates broadcast team.

Ahmed Fareed will host pregame coverage alongside analyst Adam Ottavino,who pitched in 727 games for five teams in 15 MLB seasons (2010, 2012-25), including 2022-24 with the Mets.

Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers - 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock

Jason Benetti handles play-by-play, joined by analysts and World Series heroes Luis Gonzalez and Orel Hershiser.

Gonzalez, a five-time All-Star, played 19 MLB seasons (1990-2008), highlighted by eight years with the Diamondbacks. In Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, Gonzalez hit the game-winning single as Arizona won its first championship. The Fall Classic heroics capped his best statistical season as he won the Silver Slugger with a .325 batting average, 57 home runs and 142 RBI. An analyst for select Diamondbacks games, Gonzalez won the 2005 Branch Rickey Award for community service.

Hershiser's 18-year MLB career was headlined by his 1988 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He posted an MLB-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 champio

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