NBC Sports has named Jason Benetti as the lead play-by-play voice for its Sunday Night Baseball coverage starting in 2026. Benetti, currently the Detroit Tigers' announcer, will debut on March 26 when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Arizona Diamondbacks. He joins a team featuring studio host Bob Costas and analysts Joey Votto, Clayton Kershaw, and Anthony Rizzo.
Jason Benetti, a 42-year-old broadcaster known for his work with the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox, has been hired by NBC Sports as the lead play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball coverage. The announcement came on March 4, 2026, marking NBC's return to regular MLB broadcasts after a 25-year absence. Benetti's role will focus on Sunday Night Baseball games airing on NBC and Peacock, with a rotating cast of color commentators from local teams.
Benetti's debut will occur on Opening Day, Thursday, March 26, 2026, at Dodger Stadium, where the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers face the Arizona Diamondbacks. His first Sunday Night game follows on March 29, featuring the Seattle Mariners hosting the Cleveland Guardians. The Tigers, Benetti's primary team, will appear in several of these broadcasts, including games on April 5 against the St. Louis Cardinals, May 3 versus the Texas Rangers, and May 10 at the Kansas City Royals. These will air on Peacock due to NBA playoff scheduling on NBC.
Benetti retains his position as the Tigers' lead television play-by-play announcer, entering his third season with the team. The Tigers hired him in 2024 with provisions for up to 35 national assignments per year, a schedule that now simplifies to Sundays. Longtime radio voice Dan Dickerson will fill in for Tigers games during Benetti's absences.
“I am thrilled to be rejoining the NBC Sports family,” Benetti said in a statement. “It’s a true honor to be part of the dawn of Sunday Night Baseball at NBC Sports. Each week is going to be a new, unique experience with analysts who all have different viewpoints on the game of baseball.”
NBC executive producer Sam Flood praised Benetti: “Jason is one of the best play-by-play announcers in the business, and we’re thrilled to have him back on a full-time basis with NBC Sports.”
The Tigers expressed support in their statement: “We’re incredibly proud that Jason Benetti has been named the new voice of Sunday Night Baseball on NBC. Jason will continue calling Tigers games, and as in previous years, will step away once per week to handle national broadcast duties.”
Benetti's background includes prior NBC work, such as the 2022 Peacock MLB Sunday Leadoff package and Olympic baseball coverage from Tokyo. He previously held a baseball contract with Fox, which released him early to join NBC, though he will call other sports for the network.
Studio coverage will feature Bob Costas as host, returning after 15 seasons of prior NBC MLB work, alongside retired players Joey Votto, Clayton Kershaw, and Anthony Rizzo as analysts for pregame shows and wild-card telecasts.
