In case you haven’t heard, Major League Baseball is getting an early start this year: the traditional Opening Day for most of the league’s teams is March 27, the earliest Opening Day ever. If you want to get technical, the season kicks off even earlier, with the first official games of the season being the international series between the Chicago Cubs and the reigning World Series champs the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will play two games on March 18 and 19 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. 26 MLB teams will then play on March 27 for the traditional Opening Day festivities (one final matchup, between the Colorado Rockies and the Tampa Bay Rays will take place on March 28.)
Here’s what you need to know to watch every Opening Day game, including times, channels, full game schedule, and more. And for info on how to watch the entire season without cable, check out our MLB streaming guide for information on how to watch ever game without cable.
How to watch MLB Opening Day:
Date: Thursday, Mar. 27
TV channel: ESPN, MLB Network, RSNs
Streaming: Fubo, DirecTV, MLB.TV, ESPN+
When is MLB Opening Day in 2025?
Following the Dodgers-Cubs 2025 Tokyo series, Major League Baseball’s 2025 season kicks off with its traditional Opening Day this Thursday, Mar. 27. There will be one game, the Rockies vs. Ray, taking place on Friday, Mar. 28.
What channel is baseball on in 2025?
MLB games air across ESPN, FOX, Apple TV+ (for exclusive streaming games), the Roku Channel (taking over MLB’s “Sunday Leadoff”) and a wide range of RSNs. So to be honest, it’s not very straightforward to keep up with your favorite MLB team. But it can help to be prepared! Here’s what we recommend to help you watch baseball in 2025.
How to watch MLB Opening Day games without cable:
An MLB.TV subscription is a great way to catch all your favorite teams’ out-of-market games live. You can subscribe to just get access to your team’s games starting at $20/month (although that isn’t an option for every team), or upgrade to get games from all the teams (that aren’t blacked out) starting at $30/month or $150 for the year.
DirecTV Stream’s new My Sports package will get you the essential channels for the 2025 MLB season, including Fox, FS1, ESPN, ABC and MLB Network, along with 18 RSNs. It also includes a subscription to ESPN+ (typically $12/month).
The pack costs $70/month, but you can try it all out for free for 5 days first. Every DirecTV subscriber, regardless of tier, enjoys access to an unlimited cloud DVR.
- Lower cost live TV streaming pack
- Included ESPN+
- Unlimited DVR
- Limited RSN coverage
- Limited channels
Which MLB teams are playing on Opening Day?
26 MLB clubs are scheduled to play on Opening Day, March 27. The matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies has been postponed to Friday, March 28 in order to prepare the Rays’ temporary home field, George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL, where they will play due to the damage that Tropicana Field sustained during Hurricane Milton last year.
MLB Opening Day schedule:
Here’s a schedule of every Opening Day game time this week. Most games are available to watch on local RSNs, while two games, the Brewers vs. Yankees and the Tigers vs. Dodgers, will be nationally televised on ESPN. Out-of-market games will be available on MLB.TV.
Thursday, Mar. 27
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California Angels vs. Chicago White Sox, Time TBD
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Houston Astros vs. New York. Mets, Time TBD
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Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners, 10:10 p.m.
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Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles, 3:07 p.m.
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Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres, 4:10 p.m.
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Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Yankees, 3:05 p.m. (ESPN)
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St. Louis Cardinals vs. Minnesota Twins, 4:15 p.m.
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Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago Cubs, 10:10 p.m.
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San Francisco Giants vs. Cincinnati Reds, 4:10 p.m.
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Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals, 4:10 p.m.
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Florida Marlins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 4:10 p.m.
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Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies, 4:05 p.m.
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Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox, 4:05 p.m.
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Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, March 28
How to stream MLB games this season:
An MLB.TV subscription is a great way to catch all your favorite teams’ out-of-market games live. You can subscribe to just get access to your team’s games starting at $20/month (although that isn’t an option for every team), or upgrade to get games from all the teams (that aren’t blacked out) starting at $30/month or $150 for the year.
Friday Night Baseball features two games every week, exclusively on Apple TV+. Subscribers to the Apple streaming platform can watch marquee baseball games every Friday, free from local broadcast restrictions, plus access to a 24/7 livestream with MLB game replays, news and analysis, highlights and classic games, and MLB Big Inning, a live show with highlights and look-ins airing every weeknight during the 2025 regular season.
Apart from baseball, Apple TV+ offers tons of original shows including Ted Lasso, The Crowded Room, Hijack and Silo, plus movies like Ghosted, CODA, Tetris and more. An Apple TV+ subscription costs $9.99/month. The platform offers a one week free trial period for new users, and three months of Apple TV+ free with the purchase of an eligible Apple device.
The Roku Channel will be the home of MLB’s “Sunday Leadoff” series this year. While it’s easiest for those who own a Roku device or Roku TV to tune into The Roku Channel, the platform is free and technically accessible to all. If you have a smart TV, The Roku Channel should be available via the app store. You can also watch The Roku Channel on your computer or mobile device, totally free.
Some MLB coverage will stream on ESPN+ this season, including two Opening Day games. So if you’re a general sports lover and want to occasionally tune into MLB games, an ESPN+ subscription could be an option. You can look ahead at the ESPN+ baseball schedule here.
ESPN+ grants you access to exclusive ESPN+ content including live events, fantasy sports tools and premium ESPN+ articles. You can stream ESPN+ through an app on your smart TV, phone, tablet, computer and on ESPN.com.
More ways to watch the 2025 MLB season:
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