Pirates Great on NBC Broadcast for Opening Day vs. Mets
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will have a rare national television broadcast to start 2026 and a franchise great will play a role in it.
Former Pirates second baseman Neil Walker (2009-15) will serve as one of the analysts for the NBC and Peacock broadcast of the Opening Day matchup against the New York Mets at Citi Field on March 26.
Walker, who is a part of the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast team as a color commentator, will serve as one of the recognizable analysts for the game, as the Mets have Al Leiter, a former pitcher for them and who also works for MLB Network.
Matt Vasgersian is the play-by-play commentator for the Pirates vs. the Mets and Adam Ottavino will be in the studio for the game.
The Pirates will have 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes take the mound and the Mets should have newly acquired star pitcher in Freddy Peralta ready and also top outfielder Juan Soto, making for a sensational matchup.
NBC entered a new media rights deal with MLB, marking their first season since 2000. The two parties previously worked together from 1947-89 and 1994-2000.
The network is taking over the Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts from ESPN, will have primetime matchups on both Opening Day and Labor Day, the first hour of the draft, the Futures Game and other MLB games this season.
Remembering Neil Walker's Pirates Tenure
Walker hails from western Pennsylvania, and the Pirates took him with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft from Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pa., about 17.5 miles north of PNC Park.
He made his MLB debut in 2009 and spent seven seasons with the team, overseeing the last successful era for the Pirates.
Walker was also a big part of that time, performing well from the plate and at second base, where he moved full-time in 2011.
Batting Average | On-Base % | Slugging % | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|
.272 | .338 | .431 | .769 |
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Hits | 833 |
Doubles | 174 |
Triples | 17 |
Home Runs | 93 |
RBI | 418 |
Walks/Strikeouts | 278/593 |
His play helped the Pirates make three straight playoffs from 2013-15, earning a spot in the National League Wild Card each season.
It was the first consecutive playoff runs for the Pirates since the 1990-92 seasons, as Walker and the Pirates ended 20 consecutive losing seasons, the longest streak in North American Professional Sports.
Walker had his best season with the Pirates in 2014, slashing .271/.342/.467 for an OPS of .809 in 137 games, with 139 hits, 25 doubles, three triples, 23 home runs, 76 RBI and 45 walks to 88 strikeouts.
He broke the single season record for most home runs by a Pirates second baseman, which Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski previously held with 19 home runs in 1958.
Walker also won the Silver Slugger Award, becoming the first Pirates second baseman to do so since Johnny Ray in 1983.
The Pirates traded Walker to the Mets following the 2015 season for left-handed pitcher Jon Niese and he played for four more teams before retiring after the 2020 season.
Walker is also the brother-in-law of current Pirates manager Don Kelly, who just signed an extension with the team and is ready to lead the franchise back to the postseason in 2026.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.