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Bob Costas to return to NBC Sports as host of ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ pregame show
Costas will debut as host of NBC’s new prime-time MLB package on Thursday, March 26.
Bob Costas is returning to NBC Sports as the host of its “Sunday Night Baseball” pregame show, the network announced Thursday.
The 2018 recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting, Costas served as a play-by-play voice and host for NBC Sports’ MLB coverage for 15 seasons (1982-89; 1994-2000) as part of a nearly four-decade run at the network.
Costas, who hosted 12 Olympics for NBC (11 in prime time), left the network in January 2019. He has remained involved with baseball broadcasting, having been with MLB Network since its inception in 2009. His new role at NBC Sports will include some involvement with its NBA coverage.
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Costas will debut as host of NBC’s new prime-time MLB package on Thursday, March 26, when the World Series champion Dodgers host the Diamondbacks. The game, which marks NBC’s return to baseball broadcasting as part of the new rights deal, is the lone prime-time game on Opening Day.
“We’re excited that Bob has agreed to come home to NBC Sports, where he helped make baseball an iconic brand earlier in his career for so many years,” said NBC Sports president Rick Cordella. “There is no more knowledgeable, authoritative, and passionate voice on baseball than Bob Costas.”
Said Costas: “As appreciative as I am of other aspects of my career, especially HBO and the MLB Network, for 40 years, my true broadcasting home was NBC. So many great moments, memories, and friendships. Now, I am very grateful to Rick Cordella and [executive producer and president of production] Sam Flood for inviting me back in an emeritus role to conclude my career where so much of it played out.”
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From 1982-89, Costas teamed with analyst Tony Kubek on NBC’s MLB “Game of the Week” telecasts.
In 1995, Costas called his first World Series on television, teaming with analysts Joe Morgan and Bob Uecker on Games 2, 3, and 6, before calling NBC’s coverage of the entire 1997 World Series, his first start-to-finish coverage of the Fall Classic.
During his previous time at NBC, Costas was a prominent part of the coverage for 10 NBA Finals, seven Super Bowls, and seven World Series. He has won 29 Sports Emmy awards.
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