Beginning Friday, April 8, Apple TV+ began streaming Friday Night Baseball, a weekly doubleheader that will be available for free to anyone with internet access in any of the countries where the service will be available. You don’t need to subscribe to Apple TV+ to watch any of these games in the released schedule. Here’s how to watch Friday Night Baseball whether you have Apple TV+ or not.
We also cover all the ways you can get Apple TV+ for free in a separate article.
Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball: Watch for Free
Apple streams MLB games for free, so you don’t need an Apple TV+ subscription. You do need an Apple ID. Here’s how to watch tonight’s game in which Aaron Judge of the NY Yankees aims to break Roger Maris’ home run record in the American League.
On Mac, iPhone and iPad: Friday Night Baseball will be available through the TV app. Click on the originals tab, then scroll down to Major League Baseball.
On Apple TV 4K and HD: Go to the Sport tab and scroll down to Major League Baseball. From there you can view the schedule and add games to your Next one queue.
On the Web: Apple TV+ is available through a browser at tv.apple.com. if Baseball on Friday night does not appear in the selection box at the top of the page, scroll down and look for the Major League Baseball section.
On a smart TV or set-top box: Many smart TVs and set-top boxes come with the Apple TV app installed. If not, you can search for it through the App Store on your device (Amazon, Google, Roku, etc.). If you can’t find the Apple TV app, check your device for a software update.
Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball: Schedule Remaining
Apple has published the Friday Night Baseball schedule through September 23. Start times for the first game will be at 6:30 PM, 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM ET, while the second game will start at 8:00 PM, 9:30 PM or 10:00 PM ET. It appears that the two games will be broadcast on separate streams, so the length of the first game will not affect the start time of the second game. These are the upcoming matches on the schedule:
Friday September 23
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
19:00 ET
St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers
10pm ET
Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball: where to watch
Friday Night Baseball is available in the following countries/territories:
United States
Canada
Mexico
Australia
Brazil
Japan
Puerto Rico
South Korea
United Kingdom
Colombia
Dominican Republic
Germany
Italy
Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball: Streaming Quality
While games will not be shown in 4K, Apple has announced that game broadcasts throughout the season will use “state-of-the-art cameras, including high-speed Phantoms, the high-resolution Megalodon, and more to capture vivid, live-action photos. ” Additionally, audio will be presented in 5.1 with spatial audio enabled. “Friday Night Baseball” will also utilize “new on-screen graphics that include innovative probability-based predictions of various situational outcomes, plus highlights and live look-ins.” from across the league that are integrated directly into the broadcast,” Apple said.
Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball: Expanded Coverage
Apple has announced that the games will feature pre- and post-game coverage hosted by Lauren Gardner with a rotating group of analysts and former players, including Carlos Peña, Cliff Floyd and Yonder Alonso. Broadcast teams for each game are announced weekly.
The broadcast teams are all MLB Network personalities, and Apple relies on the MLB Network for broadcast production. In a press release, Apple said production will feature high-speed, high-resolution Phantom and Megalodon cameras, immersive sound in 5.1 with spatial audio enabled, new on-screen graphics with probability-based predictions, and highlights and live look-alikes. ins from across the competition integrated into the broadcast.
Games also display on-screen commentaries about Apple Music batter walk-up songs, Siri-based baseball trivia, and more.
Apple will also offer shows with more baseball coverage. On Thursday, “Countdown to First Pitch” gives a preview of the week’s upcoming games. Every morning, “MLB Daily Recap” shows highlights from the previous night. Every weeknight, ‘MLB Big Inning’ features highlights and coverage of the games in progress. In the US and Canada, viewers can watch a live stream of highlights, analysis, classic games and shows, and more, in addition to on-demand programs. However, access to this content requires an Apple TV+ subscription.
MLB in Apple News and Apple Music
On Fridays, Apple News has curated highlights and stories from around MLB, and you can get personalized MLB highlights in the News app.
Apple Music has playlists of team batter walk-up songs featured on Friday Night Baseball. There are also collections of baseball themed songs.