A condensed version of this story appears in SPORT x Netflix Opening Night Collector’s Edition magazine.
CC SABATHIA, Color Commentary
You made 11 Opening Day starts, which is tied for 11th most all time. Were there any Opening Day rituals or traditions that you can remember?
CC: Opening day was always super special. It was always stressful to pitch Opening Day, I never really enjoyed it. I always wanted to be part of the celebration, to go out there and get my name called. The most memorable one was 2009, I pitched opening day in Baltimore, then came home and opened up the new Yankee Stadium against my old Cleveland teammates. I just couldn't wait to get through it. It was always an honor, but there was so much stress, family coming from California, doing so many different things, and then trying to concentrate on pitching the game. I was always honored to pitch Opening Day, but glad when it was over so I could get into my routine.
What feelings come up knowing your number is going to be retired and you'll be inducted into Monument Park?
CC: It's a super exciting honor. I remember being excited to open up the new stadium, being honored that it would be me. I remember thinking: this is gonna be forever. Now to be part of that history, that lineage, as an outsider, someone who didn't grow up in the Yankee organization, I feel super proud. I have my cap in Cooperstown as a Yankee cap, and now having my number retired. It's incredible.
You're going to be part of this broadcast team on Netflix for Opening Night, Yankees vs. Giants. Putting yourself in the shoes of a player and an analyst with Netflix, how important do you think it is for fans and players to have more marquee events like Opening Day and the Field of Dreams game on the calendar? And do players go into a game like this being televised to a national audience on Netflix with a different energy?
CC: Yeah, there was always a different energy for big games. As a Yankee, playing Sunday Night Baseball or that Fox Saturday game, you always knew when those games were the only game on. So that being the Netflix game on Wednesday night, being the only game on the planet that'll be playing, there's definitely a heightened sense of wanting to play well, wanting to get off to a good start. Everybody's watching. It's the beginning of a new year. You try to keep going what you had last year, or erase what happened. On the broadcast side, for the longest time as a player you had that angst of not knowing how the season's gonna go. Now I can just call the game. Once I'm done with it, it's over. It's gonna be a lot of fun.
What has the offseason been like preparing to join a broadcast team?
CC: I watch a lot of baseball, it's kind of my life. I thought when I was done with baseball I'd be completely out of the game, but that's not the case. I'm either watching a game, at a game, doing something around baseball every single day. The prep is just my life. I always said I would never get in a booth, but these opportunities are special, partnering with Netflix, doing the Field of Dreams, Opening Night, the Home Run Derby. Who knows, maybe it's something I'll continue to do in the future.
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MATT VASGERSIAN, Play-By-Play
You're consuming so much baseball and calling it for a career. What makes you tick off the diamond from just a media perspective? What are you consuming beyond baseball?
If my viewing of an old movie that took 11 years to make a sequel for is any indication, I like old stuff, my algorithms are all clips from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, I'm a classic rock dinosaur. My tastes lean a lot older than I am. But I have kids, so I'm force-fed all the new current stuff. An 11-year-old son who's a voracious consumer of all things sports, baseball in particular. Maybe that's why I look for the old stuff in my viewing habits.
You having kids of all ages sets this up nicely with Netflix potentially ushering in a new audience of baseball fans. As the host and voice of this game, you have this duty of ushering in a new wave. What does that mean to you, and how do you handle appealing to die-hard fans and also fans approaching baseball for the first time?
MV: Therein lies the biggest challenge with doing a big broad presentation like this. You don't want to dumb it down to such a novice level that your core fans are saying, 'Man, this guy's just a dope.' But you do have to be mindful that there are gonna be some first-time ears out there. Baseball more than any other sport has that challenge. There's a large segment of the fan base so conversant in the game, the culture, the nomenclature, the jargon, the minutia. You don't want those folks to think you're not servicing them, but it can't be so inside that you alienate the newer viewer. It's a very difficult balance. My philosophy is the more math you have to do to explain an analytics equation, the worse off it's getting for everybody. People can handle batting average, OPS, combinations of statistics, but when you start talking about weighted runs created plus, you're gonna lose people.
You've been broadcasting for over 3 decades. Is there any specific sensory trigger for you on opening day, the smell of the grass, the sound of the crowd, something that just says 'it's Opening Day'?
MV: The bunting. The bunting screams opening day. It's the only time you see it. You'll see versions of it graphically on postseason broadcasts, the All-Star Game, those kinds of Christmas and Easter events. But the bunting comes out at every ballpark on opening day. For the unindoctrinated: it's the red, white, and blue banners that hang around the railings and around the outfield fences. I see bunting, and I know it's spring and time to go for baseball.
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HUNTER PENCE, Color Commentary
You're entering your fourth season in the broadcast booth with the Giants, and now with Netflix. How are you feeling behind the mic?
HUNTER PENCE: I've really gotten kind in my rhythm, I guess, but there's still so much to learn. When I first started, it was an exciting opportunity and I knew I got really lucky to get the chance to call the game that I love.I wanted to just be close to it and you don't really know which direction you're gonna go or even if you have the skill to do it, but I absolutely just love the game of baseball and broadcasting as I've gotten to work with some amazing people has continued to just be something that, I get that like that buzz, that, that chill and that nervousness and excitement, so I just absolutely love it.
How would you characterize your style of analysis in the booth?
HP: The last 10 years of my career I was really big on the research, studying the pitcher, how he was getting people out. Doing that for 10 years transitions you into the booth really well because a lot of it is anticipating what's gonna happen, knowing the pitcher's arsenal, what the hitter has, how he can battle. Baseball is fun, you don't wanna get in the way of that, but you share the expertise. Fourteen years in the big leagues, I was always very curious and still am. There are still things you see on the Major League Baseball field that maybe have never been seen before and will really tickle your brain. Every day is a chance for history. Staying curious and being playful with it. Baseball is fun, and allows it to dictate the beautiful symphony that is a game of baseball.
I was looking through your career splits and found something interesting. You always came up big in high leverage moments. In low leverage, 94 OPS+. Medium leverage, 98 OPS+, but a 115 OPS+ in high leverage moments for your career. What do you think made you rise in those high-pressure moments?
HP: Well, first and foremost, thanks for researching that and finding a cool stat that I didn't even know existed. Off the top of my head, the goal for me every single day was to do everything I can to win today. When you're in a high leverage situation, your whole life's work is put into becoming the best baseball player you can. I would be a little upset at myself for lack of focus in some of the lower leverage situations, but in high leverage, when the game is on the line, that was everything I worked for. Every fiber of your being is locked into that moment. And so for me, I love those moments and fortunately I was able to, you know, produce the numbers that you just saw. The goal at the end of the day was always just to win the World Series. That desire to win the game is what locked me in.
You're going to be broadcasting opening day, momentous day for Netflix and for baseball hitting a whole new worldwide viewership. Going back to 2013 Opening Day, your first on the Giants, coming off a World Series championship, home opener on ring day. Walk me through what that day was like.
HP: You get to wear the special jersey for Opening Day. The ring ceremony is pretty special, you just get chills. I don't remember who we were playing. If we're talking about other Opening Day fireworks, the next year we played the Dodgers, and I hit a grand slam to ice the game. Opening day against the Dodgers, there's so much excitement. These are big emotional games. Emotions do play a factor, despite what people say. When you're playing your rival, it's pretty magical. It lifts you up. I sat on a particular pitch, I was looking for a slider, and got the pitch I was looking for. Yeah, it's a really cool feeling to win opening day and give that energy and momentum to the fan base.
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ANTHONY RIZZO, STUDIO
SPORT:
ANTHONY RIZZO:
What got you into going to the studio and network side? Was this something you always wanted to do during your playing career, or did it happen spur of the moment?
Anthony Rizzo: Coming up in the game, you build so much respect for the national media members and the beat writers. The beat writers travel with you all the time, they're grinding with you. You obviously don't like everything that's written about you, but you learn as a professional how to respect the media. I've always had a really good relationship with them. I saw guys like Ryan Dempster go from player to such a popular figure. I hope this is never work to me, I hope I just get to talk [about] the game I love and be able to relate to people.
With the game being in San Francisco, do you have any memories from Oracle Park? Any specific things that come to mind?
AR: I did have the 2016 NLDS, coming back in Game 4 and clinching there is the highlight. That's really probably my only highlight there. My numbers in that park are the worst in my career, so I'm really looking forward to going there and getting to enjoy the ballpark for its beauty without the stress of not getting any hits. It'll be a different lens this time.
COLBY (Q): You're known for being a hit-by-pitch master, 222 hit by pitches in your career. You were pretty close to chasing an all-time record. Was that ever on your mind? And what inspired you to become a hit-by-pitch artist?
ANTHONY (A): It was never on my mind. A couple years ago I passed Chase Utley and our strength coach told me I was number one left-handed all time, I'll take that. Early in my career I struggled against lefties, and it was really getting on the plate against them that helped me establish my presence versus lefties. Sometimes versus righties I would crowd the plate a little too. Probably 150 of those, I just didn't see the pitch, that's how good the pitchers are.
COLBY (Q): Coming off the most-viewed World Series ever, the WBC happening right now. What's your macro view of baseball and the soul of the game in 2026?
ANTHONY (A): I think it's amazing. The Dodgers are the villain, everyone's going after them. The Yankees have high expectations. The Cubs are gonna be good this year, the Red Sox believe they can be really good, and those are four monster market teams that are gonna be right in it. All the smaller markets too are so competitive. You have both Cy Young Award winners on small market teams. You can turn on a TV at any given time and you're seeing a superstar, and that's a really good spot to be in for Major League Baseball.
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LAUREN SHEHADI, ON-FIELD REPORTER
This is Netflix's debut for baseball. Are there any different ways you're preparing as a sideline reporter? Are you able to take more risks or do different things you haven't been able to do in the past?
LS: I go at a baseball game from a purist perspective. We love the game as is, in its current form. But we also want to be entertained, and Netflix entertains the masses, right? So that's the perfect partnership from my perspective. In terms of preparation, I prepare like it's one of the biggest baseball games of the season, because it's opening day. I look at guys' swings, I'll go the day before and break them down in the cage. I love to talk to the players. Baseball players, more than a lot of sports, care that you cover them in the right way. So I look at the cage, maybe they had a leg kick and now it's a toe tap, and when they hit a bullet in the gap, I can say, that's what they were trying to do. That preparation comes full circle.
Beyond just preparing before the game, what don't we see as the viewer during the game? What are you paying attention to? I want to go into your brain during the nine innings.
LS: There's so much that goes on in the broadcast, and so much that doesn't. I feel like I have a responsibility to our producer and to the guys in the booth. I'm the eyes and the ears on the field. I was covering the Houston Astros years ago, and they were about to win a playoff game. I was in the dugout and saw them usher in all the champagne for a celebration, change the clubhouse, put sheets over the walls, and then they lost at the last second, and I saw them take it all down quickly. No one else could have reported that unless you were there. I told the producer, 'They just set up for a celebration and they're taking it down.' That's a huge storyline you couldn't possibly know unless you're there. Also, if a player’s mom is in the stands from the Dominican and she's never seen him play, I'll get her seat number, call her to confirm, and say to my producer, 'His mom is there, it's her first game ever watching him in pro ball, she's in seat 25F.' That's my job, to help them with their job, and vice versa.
This game is going to be streamed to hundreds of countries around the world. Baseball has become very global with the WBC, Shohei bringing massive viewership globally. How do you handle appealing to die-hard fans and fans around the world watching baseball for the first time?
LS: I just had that question answered in the postseason. I was working a Brewers-Dodgers game, Game 4 of the NLCS. Shohei went off, struck out 10, hit 3 home runs. They clinched the series and I got to do the trophy presentation. I had the envelope and it said 'Shohei Ohtani, NLCS Most Valuable Player.' I thought to myself: baseball is global. My questions have to be tailored not just to Dodger fans. I asked him about the kids in Japan who grew up thinking maybe I can be you one day. He said, 'This game is for all, I hope everyone enjoys a nice glass of sake.' Bringing together this global game is what Netflix is perfect for.
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ELLE DUNCAN
You're going to be on a desk with Albert Pujols, who is potentially a top-five hitter of all time, and Anthony Rizzo, an incredible hitter in his own right. As the point guard on that desk, how do you help facilitate and push them to open up and give us the insane analysis they're capable of?
ELLE DUNCAN: That's always the challenge for the host, and that's really our goal. Albert has done TV before. This is Rizzo's first foray into television since leaving baseball, and we're all going to have to find chemistry really quickly. We're going to have three major opportunities in front of the world to show off that chemistry. My goal is, and I know this pun is awful, but it works. I just want to make sure they're getting the pitch where they want it. I am their pitching coach. How can I, in a thoughtful but concise way, take all of these years of knowledge and help make it palatable and digestible for the audience, and do it really quickly? The challenge I really look forward to is building chemistry with folks I'm going to meet a few days before we go live. How do we take all of these years of knowledge, make it digestible, and still put on a great television show? I think one of my superpowers, at least what people I've worked with have told me, is that I'm good at disarming people.
That's what I aim to do, make them feel incredibly comfortable and make sure we're getting the absolute best out of them, because all the information is there. It's just about how we present it.
Along with Opening Day, you'll be doing the Field of Dreams game and the Home Run Derby, two of baseball's biggest marquee events. What are you most excited for, and what's the importance of those events to Netflix and to baseball as a whole?
ED: It makes so much sense that Netflix got those three main events. Of course they did, because those are such preeminent events. The Home Run Derby is going to be particularly cool being in Philadelphia, the 250th anniversary of America, all of the feelings.
I imagine Bryce Harper is going to have some kind of moment again like we saw in Washington. The Derby in general is just so much fun. I love the playfulness from guys who are very serious and competitive but in those environments are just rooting for each other. I love the storylines that will reveal themselves as we get closer, whatever young rookie is taking everyone by storm.
Are we going to have another Cal Raleigh this year? A guy who seemingly comes out of nowhere and is just raking? When it comes to the Field of Dreams game, this is literally a bucket list thing for me. I've had coworkers at ESPN that have gone, and I've always been so jealous. I'm 42 years old, I grew up on Field of Dreams. I remember thinking as a kid watching that movie how cool it would be to be at the cornfield in Iowa. It feels very full circle for a lifelong baseball girlie to go and in real life experience what it was like watching it as a movie. It's still one of my favorite movies of all time. Truly a bucket list thing.