Veteran sportscaster Bob Costas is returning to NBC Sports to host the "Sunday Night Baseball" pregame show this season.

The network announced Thursday that Costas will debut on March 26 for the prime-time season opener between the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET, airing on NBC and Peacock.

"We're excited that Bob has agreed to come home to NBC Sports, where he helped make baseball an iconic brand earlier in his career for so many years," NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said. "There is no more knowledgeable, authoritative and passionate voice on baseball than Bob Costas."

Costas, who turns 74 in March, worked for NBC Sports from 1980 through 2019. He was the play-by-play voice for the network's MLB coverage for 15 seasons (1982-89 and 1994-2000) and was the 2018 recipient of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's Ford Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting.

"As appreciative as I am of other aspects of my career, especially HBO and the MLB Network, for 40 years, my true broadcasting home was NBC," Costas said. "So many great moments, memories, and friendships. Now, I am very grateful to Rick Cordella and Sam Flood for inviting me back in an emeritus role to conclude my career where so much of it played out."

A 29-time Sports Emmy winner, Costas has hosted 12 Olympic games and covered 10 NBA Finals, seven World Series and seven Super Bowls.