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How to watch MLB Opening Day today: Baseball livestream options, game starting times, more
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After a dramatic spring training, MLB Opening Day is finally here. For the second season in a row, all 30 MLB teams will play on Opening Day.
Not all Opening Day games will be broadcast nationally this year, so knowing how and when to watch your favorite team play requires some sleuthing. While you focus on getting game day ready, we’re spilling the details on all things MLB Opening Day, including how to watch every out-of-market game.
When is Opening Day 2024?
Opening Day of the 2024 MLB season is on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
What teams are playing on Opening Day 2024?
For the second year straight, all 30 teams will play on Opening Day. The first game on the Opening Day schedule is the New York Mets vs. Milwaukee Brewers game at 1:10 p.m. ET (10:10 a.m. PT).
How to watch MLB Opening Day with cable
The only thing trickier than anticipating a Spencer Strider fastball is trying to figure out how to watch your favorite MLB team play on Opening Day — especially if you don’t live in that team’s local TV market. Each MLB team has a local TV affiliate that broadcasts that team’s game live on cable. If you don’t live in that team’s broadcast area, you’ll need to stream the games.
- ESPN will broadcast the Texas Rangers vs. Chicago Cubs Opening Day game at 7:35 p.m. ET (4:35 p.m. PT).
- All MLB Opening Day games will stream live on MLB.TV. *
- MLB Network will broadcast the St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game or the Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays game at 04:00 PM ET (1:00 p.m. PT). *
- MLB Network will also broadcast the Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners game or the Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks game at 10:30 PM ET (7:30 p.m. PT). *
*In-market games and nationally televised games are subject to blackout restrictions on MLB.TV
How to watch MLB Opening Day without cable
While many cable packages include ESPN and MLB Network, you won’t be able to watch many Opening Day games without a subscription to MLB.TV, which streams most out-of-market MLB games this season and all Opening Day games. (Streaming options will require an internet provider.)
Watch every Opening Day game free with Fubo
You can watch all network-aired Opening Day games, plus those not broadcast on ESPN or MLB Network with a subscription to Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to every Opening Day game via MLB Network, ESPN and MLB.TV, which is now offered as an add-on on Fubo.
Fubo packages also include CBS, Fox Sunday NFC games via “NFL on Fox”, NBC (Sunday Night Football), ESPN (Monday Night Football), NFL Network and more, so you’ll be able to watch more than just today’s game, all without a cable subscription. Another great reason to love Fubo is its lookback feature, which lets you watch sporting events up to 72 hours after they air live.
To watch MLB Opening Day without cable, start a three-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to Major League Baseball, Fubo offers NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, NCAA college basketball and international soccer games. Fubo’s Pro Tier is priced at $80 per month after your free seven-day trial, but right now the platform is offering $20 off your first month. You can add MLB.TV to your subscription for $24.99 per month.
Top features of Fubo Pro Tier:
- There are no contracts with Fubo — you can cancel at any time.
- The Pro tier includes 199 channels, including MLB Network.
- Fubo includes all the channels you’ll need to watch college and pro football, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
- All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
- Stream on your TV, phone, and other devices.
- Local games will be blacked out on MLB.TV, but you can still watch them on Fubo through your local TV affiliate coverage.
Stream MLB Opening Day on Sling TV for half price
If you don’t have cable TV that includes ESPN and MLB Network, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream live baseball this year is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to the nationally aired MLB, NFL and NBA games, plus NFL Network, local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available) and ESPN with its Orange + Blue Tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season’s top NFL matchups. To access MLB Network, subscribe to Sling TV and add the Sports Extra add-on.
The Orange + Blue Tier plan normally costs $60 per month, but the streamer is currently offering a 50% off promotion for your first month, so you’ll pay just $30. You can add MLB Network via the Sports Extra add-on for $11-$15 per month depending on the tier you choose. Learn more by tapping the button below.
Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue tier:
- There are 46 channels to watch, including local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available).
- You get access to most MLB Opening Day games and nationally broadcast games at the lowest price.
- All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.
Watch the Braves vs. Phillies game with ESPN+
Catch the Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies Opening Day game at 3:05 p.m. ET (12:05 p.m. ET), plus many regular season MLB games on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service. ESPN+ offers exclusive live events, original studio shows and top-tier series that aren’t accessible on the ESPN networks. ESPN+ subscribers may also purchase UFC PPV events and access the platform’s vast archive of on-demand content, including the entire 30 For 30 catalog, game replays and select ESPN films.
It is important to note that ESPN+ does not include access to the ESPN network. It is a separate sports-centric service, with separate sports programming. A subscription to ESPN+ starts at $10 per month.
Here’s a sampling of what’s available on ESPN+:
- Get access to top-tier tennis including the Australian Open and Wimbledon, plus the PGA Tour and the Masters.
- Get exclusive fantasy sports tools and content from some of the sports world’s most respected voices.
- College sports including the Ivy League, Big Sky Conference and Atlantic A10 Conference.
If you have a subscription to ESPN+ and want to catch every MLB Opening Day game, you can add MLB.TV to your ESPN+ subscription. MLB.TV will broadcast every Opening Day game this year, giving you the most access to the most games.
MLB.TV through ESPN+ is $35 per month. You can cancel anytime. You must be an ESPN+ subscriber to add MLB.TV.
Watch MLB Opening Day free with the Prime Video MLB.TV add on
Amazon Prime Video subscribers can add MLB.TV to their Prime membership and stream Opening Day games, and every out-of-market MLB game of the regular season, with the Prime Video MLB.TV add-on. The MLB.TV add-on features out-of-market teams only during the regular season. Note: Nationally televised games will not be broadcast on MLB.TV.
To subscribe to MLB.TV through Prime Video, tap the button below to add MLB.TV to your Prime subscription. You’ll pay $30 per month after your seven-day free trial ends.
Watch network-aired Opening Day games on Hulu + Live TV
You can watch network-aired MLB Opening Day games and nationally televised MLB games during the regular season, plus the NFL, including NFL Network, with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels and unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every sports game on every network with Hulu + Live TV, plus catch live MLB regular season games, exclusive live regular season games, popular studio shows (including NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated show Good Morning Football) and lots more.
Note: MLB Network is not included in a Hulu + Live TV subscription. Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+, giving you access to more MLB games, for $77 per month.
Opening Day 2024 schedule
All 30 MLB teams will play on Opening Day. Below is a list of Thursday’s game times and matchups. All games will be broadcast on MLB. TV (local games and nationally televised games will be blacked out on MLB.TV).
- Mets vs. Brewers (Jose Quintana vs. Freddy Peralta), 1:10 p.m. ET
- Orioles vs. Angels (Corbin Burnes vs. Patrick Sandoval), 3:05 p.m. ET
- Phillies vs. Braves (Zack Wheeler vs. Spencer Strider), 3:05 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- Reds vs. Nationals (Frankie Montas vs. Josiah Gray), 4:10 p.m. ET
- Padres vs. Giants (TBD vs. Logan Webb), 4:10 p.m. ET
- Dodgers vs. Cardinals (TBD vs. Miles Mikolas), 4:10 p.m. ET (MLB Network)
- Rays vs. Blue Jays (Zach Eflin vs. José Berríos), 4:10 p.m. ET (MLB Network)
- Marlins vs. Pirates (Jesús Luzardo vs. Mitch Keller), 4:10 p.m. ET
- Royals vs. Twins (Cole Ragans vs. Pablo López), 4:10 p.m. ET
- Astros vs. Yankees (Framber Valdez vs. Nestor Cortes), 4:10 p.m. ET
- White Sox vs. Tigers (Garrett Crochet vs. Tarik Skubal), 4:10 p.m. ET
- Rangers vs. Cubs (Nathan Eovaldi vs. Justin Steele), 7:35 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Guardians vs. A’s (Alex Wood vs. Shane Bieber), 10:07 p.m. ET
- Diamondbacks vs. Rockies (Zac Gallen vs. Kyle Freeland), 10:10 p.m. ET (MLB Network)
- Mariners vs. Red Sox (Luis Castillo vs. Brayan Bello), 10:10 p.m. ET (MLB Network)
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Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s runoff presidential election Saturday, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.
Pezeshkian promised no radical changes to Iran’s Shiite theocracy in his campaign and long has held Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the final arbiter of all matters of state in the country. But even Pezeshkian’s modest aims will be challenged by an Iranian government still largely held by hard-liners, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, and Western fears over Tehran enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels.
A vote count offered by authorities put Pezeshkian as the winner with 16.3 million votes to Jalili’s 13.5 million in Friday’s election.
Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images
Supporters of Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, entered the streets of Tehran and other cities before dawn to celebrate as his lead grew over Jalili, a hard-line former nuclear negotiator.
But Pezeshkian’s win still sees Iran at a delicate moment, with tensions high in the Mideast over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, Iran’s advancing nuclear program, and a looming U.S. election that could put any chance of a detente between Tehran and Washington at risk.
The first round of voting June 28 saw the lowest turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranian officials have long pointed to turnout as a sign of support for the country’s Shiite theocracy, which has been under strain after years of sanctions crushing Iran’s economy, mass demonstrations and intense crackdowns on all dissent.
Government officials up to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicted a higher participation rate as voting got underway, with state television airing images of modest lines at some polling centers across the country.
However, online videos purported to show some polls empty while a survey of several dozen sites in the capital, Tehran, saw light traffic amid a heavy security presence on the streets.
The election came amid heightened regional tensions. In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel over the war in Gaza, while militia groups that Tehran arms in the region — such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels — are engaged in the fighting and have escalated their attacks.
Iran is also enriching uranium at near weapons-grade levels and maintains a stockpile large enough to build several nuclear weapons, should it choose to do so. And while Khamenei remains the final decision-maker on matters of state, whichever man ends up winning the presidency could bend the country’s foreign policy toward either confrontation or collaboration with the West.
The campaign also repeatedly touched on what would happen if former President Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew America from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, won the November election. Iran has held indirect talks with President Joe Biden’s administration, though there’s been no clear movement back toward constraining Tehran’s nuclear program for the lifting of economic sanctions.
More than 61 million Iranians over the age of 18 were eligible to vote, with about 18 million of them between 18 and 30. Voting was to end at 6 p.m. but was extended until midnight to boost participation.
The late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash, was seen as a protégé of Khamenei and a potential successor as supreme leader.
Still, many knew him for his involvement in the mass executions that Iran conducted in 1988, and for his role in the bloody crackdowns on dissent that followed protests over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained by police over allegedly improperly wearing the mandatory headscarf, or hijab.
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