First, I know it sucks that the Chicago Cubs are playing at 9 p.m., but that’s on them for losing home-field advantage in the final week of the regular season. The San Diego Padres went on an insane run in September, caught and passed the Cubs to earn the right to host the best-of-three Wild Card Series. At the very least, we don’t have to sit through the awful product that is MLB on TBS. This year, NBC/Peacock will broadcast every Wild Card game with the added bonus of having an announcer from each team in the broadcast booth.
Dave Flemming will be the play-by-play man for the Cubs vs. Padres series, while Marquee Sports Network’s Jim Deshaies and Padres’ color commentator Mark Grant will serve as the two analysts. So, each fan base will still get some local flavor from the broadcast booth and when it comes to Deshaies calling the game, Cubs fans will love this story.
It turns out that Deshaies has that dog in him because he has delayed surgery on his hip so that can call this Wild Card Series between the Cubs and Padres.
According to Chicago Sun-Times reporter Jeff Agrest, Deshaies pushed back his surgery by two weeks. Love the commitment, JD!
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Again, the late start times are tough, but every time the Cubs reach the playoffs, fans, myself included, bitch and complain about how stupid the analysts sound when talking about the team. So, you gotta love that NBC has, at the very least, made an effort here to give fans at home a familiar voice in the booth who actually knows what they’re talking about without relying on clichés.
Cubs vs. Padres Series Details
Date, Time, Where to Watch
Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29: 9 p.m. CT, NBCSN/Peacock
Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 9 p.m. CT, NBCSN/Peacock
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 1, time TBD *if necessary
Umpires
Game 1 home plate: Ramon De Jesus
Game 2 home plate: Erich Bacchus
Game 3 home plate: Chad Fairchild
Game 1 3B umpire: Bill Miller (Crew Chief)
Game 1 LF umpire: Rob Drake
Game 1 RF umpire: Clint Vondrak (first career postseason)
If there is a Game 3, we’ll have to wait and see how the other Wild Card series play out, because that will determine the start time and could move the game to NBC. For now, the first two games will air on NBCSN and stream on Peacock.
