Barry Bonds Brings His Expertise to Netflix’s Major League Baseball Coverage
Netflix has announced the addition of baseball legend Barry Bonds to its MLB announcing team. The all-time home run leader and seven-time National League MVP will join the broadcast crew for three Major League Baseball events this season.
Bonds is set to make his debut during Netflix’s opening-night game, where his former team, the San Francisco Giants, will host the New York Yankees on March 25.
In addition to Bonds, the announcing team will feature fellow ex-Major Leaguers Albert Pujols, Anthony Rizzo, CC Sabathia, and Hunter Pence, alongside Lauren Shehadi and host Elle Duncan. The team will also cover the annual Home Run Derby on July 13 and the MLB at Field of Dreams game on August 13, both of which will be streamed live on Netflix.
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The upcoming opening-night game marks Netflix’s first foray into MLB coverage after securing a three-season deal with the league in November. This agreement also included broadcast rights for NBCUniversal and ESPN, although specific financial details remain undisclosed. However, the Wall Street Journal estimates the deal’s value at $800 million annually, reflecting the growing demand for live sports among viewers and advertisers.
Bonds remains a contentious figure in baseball, widely regarded as one of the sport’s greatest players despite his legacy being marred by doping allegations that have prevented his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The son of former Giants star Bobby Bonds, he began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986, playing there for seven seasons before joining the San Francisco Giants in 1993. Bonds spent his final 15 seasons with the Giants, leading the team to a World Series championship in 2002 and retiring in 2007.
Throughout his career, Bonds broke numerous MLB records, including the most career home runs at 762, the most home runs in a single season at 73 in 2001, and the most MVP Awards, with seven—four of them earned consecutively while with the Giants from 2001 to 2004.
