Pirates-Mets to be televised on NBC
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NEW YORK -- NBC's return to broadcasting Major League Baseball games will start with an opening-day doubleheader on March 26.
Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates will face Juan Soto and the New York Mets at 1 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock. At 8 p.m., the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers will host the Arizona Diamondbacks in the scheduled primetime game for that day.
NBC announced its "Sunday Night Baseball" and "MLB Sunday Leadoff" games on Friday.
The Dodgers, Boston and San Diego will each make four primetime appearances. The Yankees, Philadelphia, Detroit and Seattle will have three appearances apiece.
"Sunday Night Baseball" debuts on Peacock and NBCSN on March 29 when the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians face the AL West champion Seattle Mariners. The first Sunday night game on NBC will be on April 12 when the Guardians visit the Atlanta Braves.
The next six weeks will be on Peacock and NBCSN before NBC has Sunday night games from May 31 through Sept. 6.
Kepler suspended
NEW YORK -- Free agent outfielder Max Kepler was suspended for 80 games on Friday following a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball's drug program.
Kepler tested positive for Epitrenbolone, a substance that led to a suspension in 2018 for boxer Manuel Charr. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced the following year that a positive test for the substance caused it to disqualify 90-year-old cyclist Carl Grove from a world record he had set at the 2018 Masters Track National Championship.
Epitrenbolone is a metabolite of Trenbolone, which is contained in some products used in body-building stores and has been used in products to promote cattle growth. Kepler is the first player suspended by MLB for the substance since public announcements of the penalty details began in 2005.
There was no immediate comment from the players' association or his agency.
Kepler accepted the suspension without contesting the discipline in a grievance, a person familiar with the process told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because that detail was not announced.
Kepler, who turns 33 next month, is an 11-year major league veteran who spent last season with the Philadelphia Phillies after playing his first 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He became a free agent after the World Series.