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MLB’s Partnership With NBC Has Been a Home Run

‘Sunday Night Baseball’ has seen a massive ratings increase compared to last season.
Jimmy Traina|
Nearly four million people watched the Red Sox-Dodgers matchup on Sunday night.
Nearly four million people watched the Red Sox-Dodgers matchup on Sunday night. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. The move from cable to broadcast for Sunday Night Baseball has paid off in a big way for Major League Baseball.

Sunday’s Red Sox-Dodgers game pulled in 3.8 million viewers, making it the third most-watched MLB game of the season. Red Sox-Yankees on June 28th drew 4 million viewers, while Dodgers-Yankees on July 19th landed 3.9 million viewers.

For the season, Sunday Night Baseball on NBC/Peacock is up a whopping 62% over last year, when it aired on ESPN.

Five Sunday night games have averaged at least 3 million viewers this season. The last time the franchise had that many games draw that many viewers was in 2010.

Never forget that in the streaming era, with people cutting the cord at a rapid rate, there is still no better place for sports to air than on broadcast television.

2. This was a devastating moment for aggregators, bloggers and the internet.

SNY’s Keith Hernandez was just about to get into a discussion about why he loved the old Cleveland Indians logo when the Guardians’ Steven Kwan hit into an inning-ending double play to cut the conversation short.

Hernandez’s partner, Gary Cohen, even mentioned how the DP saved them from having the “awkward” exchange.

We can only imagine how the coverage of Hernandez’s take would’ve gone viral.

3. I don’t know if Harold Reynolds is allowed to place bets on DraftKings or FanDuel since he works for the MLB Network, but hopefully he was able to cash in on Tuesday.

Before Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. made his MLB debut, Reynolds told viewers that the 21-year-old “was going to hit his first big league homer” and “watch him homer tonight.”

Lombard went deep in his second at-bat against the Cardinals.

4. I mentioned Greg Olsen as a possible replacement for Tony Romo in Monday’s Traina Thoughts. The Fox analyst has a clause in his contract that he can leave the network if he’s offered a job in another network’s No. 1 booth.

While it may not work out for this season, John Ourand had an interesting tidbit in his Puck newsletter on Tuesday: Olsen’s deal with Fox is up after this season.

Olsen-to-CBS seems like a very real possibility for next season given the uncertainty of Tony Romo’s future with the company.

5. The legendary Chicago bar Murphy’s clearly doesn’t believe in jinxes, because it put up this sign on Tuesday afternoon.

Hours later, the Cubs beat the Dodgers and Tarik Skubal, 5-1.

6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with Mike Golic Sr. and Mike Golic Jr.

The father-and-son duo talk about their new ESPN radio show and explain how their return to ESPN came about, whether they said “yes” to this opportunity right away and whether they ever thought they’d be back at the Worldwide Leader.

Golic Sr. also discusses the surprising end to the Mike & Mike show, his relationship with Mike Greenberg and the public reaction to that show dissolving.

In addition, we talk about what it’s like to work with a relative, trying to keep up with technology, coffee issues and much more.

Following the Golics, Sal Licata from SNY TV and The Sal Licata Show joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss LeBron James signing with the Sixers, Major League Baseball’s horrible scheduling of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and bobblehead giveaways at stadiums. In addition, we answer a bunch of listener questions.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Yesterday was the anniversary of the famous Nolan Ryan-Robin Ventura fight. You’ve seen the fight plenty of times if you’re a baseball fan. But what you may not have heard is Bo Jackson’s incredible take on the fight.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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