Netflix’s MLB Opening Night Spectacle: 73 Red Kayaks, Barry Bonds Nod, and Star-Studded Booth Signal Streaming Giant’s Grand Slam Ambition

San Francisco—When the Giants host the Yankees on March 25 to ring in Major League Baseball’s 2025 regular season, the first pitch won’t be the only thing grabbing headlines. Netflix, making its baseball broadcast debut, is anchoring 73 bright-red kayaks in McCovey Cove beyond Oracle Park’s right-field wall, an eye-catching tribute to Barry Bonds’ single-season home-run record of 73 set in 2001. Nine of Bonds’ historic blasts that year splashed down in the bay, and 35 of the 108 “splash hits” ever achieved by a Giant have come off his bat despite his seven-season tenure in a park that just turned 25.

While Bonds’ name was absent from the seven-person commentary roster released Wednesday, Netflix teased an eighth “special guest,” fueling speculation that the reclusive slugger could still appear in some capacity.

Veteran voice Matt Vasgersian will handle play-by-play alongside franchise-favorite analysts: Hunter Pence for the Giants and Hall of Fame Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia, a Vallejo native who grew up 30 miles from the ballpark. Studio segments will be staged live on site with Elle Duncan hosting, Hall of Famer Albert Pujols and former Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo offering additional insight, field-level reporting from Lauren Shehadi, and comedian Bert Kreischer reprising the sideline role he filled during Netflix’s inaugural NFL Christmas Day game last year.

Beyond the broadcast booth, Netflix is turning the waterfront into a fan zone. The pop-up bullpen will let spectators test their pitching velocity, and fans can reportedly climb into the branded red kayaks that will dot the cove. The gesture underscores Netflix’s strategy of latching onto marquee calendar fixtures: the streamer already owns rights through 2028 for the Home Run Derby and one “special event” per season, beginning with the Field of Dreams contest scheduled for August 13.

Whether a ball actually reaches the chilly bay waters remains uncertain. Oracle Park’s right-field wall stands 25 feet tall and sits roughly 20 feet ahead of the cove, and San Francisco’s notorious marine layer further suppresses flight. The Giants’ entire projected 26-man roster has combined for three splash hits; no current Yankee has ever achieved the feat, and only one right-handed batter in stadium history has cleared the wall and landed a ball in the drink on the fly.

Still, with Aaron Judge patrolling the visiting batter’s box and Netflix cameras rolling worldwide, Opening Night promises drama on and off the field. If nothing else, the 73 red kayaks will ensure the streaming giant’s first foray into America’s pastime makes, quite literally, a splash.