Dodgers Insider Secrets: Bob Costas Reveals Surprising Truths, Kyle Tucker’s Hidden Impact, and Why Pitcher Stats Are Shocking Fans
This week, Major League Baseball rolled out its full 2026 schedule, and right off the bat, we’re treated to a prime-time opening day showdown: the Dodgers kicking things off at 5:30 p.m. PT against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Now, here’s the kicker — this game won’t just be airing anywhere; NBC snagged exclusive broadcasting rights, and Peacock will stream it live. Talk about a perfect mix of tradition and tech! You’ll want to tune in early, as NBC’s pregame coverage kicks off at 5 p.m. PT, with none other than Bob Costas stepping back into the spotlight to helm the pregame extravaganza — including the Sunday Night Baseball telecasts. Costas, a broadcasting legend who calls NBC his true home after decades, brings that seasoned flair we can’t wait to witness once again. For fans of the Dodgers and baseball buffs alike, 2026 is shaping up to be a season filled with electrifying moments and intriguing storylines — from new contracts and player movements to the subtle nuances like jersey numbers stirring aesthetic debates. Baseball’s heartbeat is real, and it’s beating louder than ever. LEARN MORE
Major League Baseball announced game times for the full 2026 schedule this week, which includes a 5:30 p.m. PT start for the Dodgers on opening day against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. That game will be televised exclusively by NBC and streamed on Peacock.
NBC’s coverage on March 26 begins at 5 p.m. PT, and on Thursday the network announced that Bob Costas will return to NBC Sports to host that pregame show, as well as the pregame show for the network’s Sunday Night Baseball telecasts during the season.
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“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,” Costas said in a press release.
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Rob Mains at Baseball Prospectus analyzed Tucker’s $240 million Dodgers contract, noting that Tucker will actually earn more than had he simply been paid $60 million per year in salary. That’s largely because Tucker got a $64 million signing bonus and $30 million in deferred salaries, which are both taxed in a player’s state of residence, and there’s no state income tax in Florida.
Blake Snell wears number seven with the Dodgers, and new closer Edwin Díaz will wear number three in Los Angeles. Michael Baumann at FanGraphs wrote about the recent upswing of single-digit numbers worn by pitchers, and he hates it aesthetically.
“The pitcher is the only player in baseball — maybe the only athlete in all of team sports — who spends most of the game with his back to the TV camera,” Baumann wrote. “And pitchers are big dudes, by and large; even a skinny two-digit number, like 11, feels inadequate for a pitcher’s broad thorax.”
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