Details have started to emerge about Netflix’s plans for MLB Opening Night, and the streaming giant apparently wants to make a splash with its baseball debut.
Literally.
Netflix reportedly plans to station 73 red kayaks in McCovey Cove behind Oracle Park’s right field wall for the March 25 game between the Giants and Yankees that marks the official start of MLB’s regular season.
The plan, first reported by the San Francisco Standard, is an homage to Barry Bonds’ single-season home run record the Giants legendary slugger set during the 2001 season. Nine of Bonds’ 73 bombs that season reached the San Francisco Bay — and 35 of the 108 ever hit by a Giant, despite only playing seven seasons in a ballpark that celebrated its 25th birthday last year.
Bonds, who rarely grants interviews, has been rumored to be targeted by Netflix to appear as an analyst on the broadcast. His name was not among the seven members of the broadcast team revealed on Wednesday, but the announcement did tease an eighth, yet-to-be-named “special guest.”
Matt Vasgersian, recently named the voice of the weekly Sunday morning game on Peacock/NBC, will provide play-by-play with popular former players from each side serving as color analysts.
Hunter Pence will provide the Giants’ perspective, while CC Sabathia will represent the Yankees. Pence, a folk hero from the Giants’ World Series dynasty, still lives in San Francisco and has done commentary for NBC Sports Bay Area, as well as Apple TV. Sabathia went in to the Hall of Fame wearing a Yankees cap, but he was born and raised in Vallejo, about 30 miles northeast of Oracle Park.
The broadcast will also feature a live set on site hosted by Elle Duncan with another Hall of Famer, Albert Pujols, commentating with Anthony Rizzo, the former Yankees and Cubs first baseman. Lauren Shehadi will report from the field and the teams’ dugouts, and comedian Bert Kreischer will reprise his role from Netflix’s NFL broadcast.
The streamer made football its first foray into the major American sports market when it aired its first Christmas Day game in 2024. With its global audience, Netflix has recently been speculated as a natural landing spot for the NFL’s increased slate of international games.
Netflix’s baseball strategy appears to follow its football footprint, targeting high-profile keystone events.
In addition to Opening Night, Netflix acquired the rights through 2028 to air the Home Run Derby and one “special event” per season, beginning this year with the Field of Dreams game set for Aug. 13.
The Bay Area-based company appears to be going above and beyond the typical broadcast.
According to the Standard, Netflix will also host a “pop-up bullpen,” where fans can test their arms. The kayaks, branded in Netflix red, will reportedly be available for use by fans.
McCovey Cove, one of the sport’s iconic attractions, figures to be on center stage.
Whether Netflix gets its wish and truly makes a splash remains to be seen. The water sits about 20 feet behind a 25-foot brick wall in right field, and San Francisco’s marine layer only adds another obstacle.
The entirety of the Giants’ projected 26-man roster has combined for three splash hits. Nobody on the Yankees has ever done it. The mightiest slugger of them all, Aaron Judge, would seem to be a natural candidate — but only one right-handed hitter has ever splashed down on the fly.
