{
  "id": 10708042,
  "title": "2026 MLB Wild Card Series announcer schedule & pairings",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/2026-mlb-wild-card-series-announcer-schedule-pairings",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-29T14:21:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2026-mlb-wild-card-series-142109932.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The 2026 MLB postseason begins on Tuesday, September 29, with the Wild Card Series airing on NBC and Peacock throughout the day. NBC has announced its broadcasting crews for the Wild Card round, including play-by-play announcers, local analysts, a field reporter, and an Inside the Pitch analyst for each game. Here are the announcer pairings for the upcoming games:\n\n1. Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves (2 p.m., NBC/Peacock)\nPlay-by-play: Matt Vasgersian\nAnalysts: John Kruk and C.J. Nitkowski\nInside the Pitch: Joey Votto\nReporter: Ashley ShahAhmadi\n\n2. Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros (5 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN)\nPlay-by-play: Tom McCarthy\nAnalysts: Steve Stone and Geoff Blum\nInside the Pitch: Adam Ottavino\nReporter: Britney Eurton\n\n3. Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees (8 p.m., NBC/Peacock)\nPlay-by-play: Jason Benetti\nAnalysts: Lou Merloni and Joe Girardi\nInside the Pitch: Anthony Rizzo\nReporter: Caroline Pineda\n\n4. Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres (10 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN)\nPlay-by-play: Dave Flemming\nAnalysts: Jim Deshaies and Mark Grant\nInside the Pitch: Clayton Kershaw\nReporter: John Fanta\n\nEach Wild Card series is a Best of 3, leading up to the Divisional Series starting on Saturday, October 3. The NLCS will begin on Sunday, October 11, followed by the ALCS on Monday, October 12, as fans eagerly await the World Series matchup.",
  "summary": "The 2026 MLB Postseason kicks off on Tuesday, September 29, with the start of the Best of 3 Wild Card Series.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "2026 MLB Wild Card Series predictions: Staff picks for every playoff matchup",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/2026-mlb-wild-card-series-predictions-staff-picks-for-every-playoff",
        "published": "2026-09-29T13:01:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "SB Nation",
        "title": "MLB Playoffs 2026: Picks and predictions for every round, including World Series champ",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/mlb-playoffs-2026-picks-and-predictions-for-every-round-including",
        "published": "2026-09-29T13:45:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}