The SF Giants will face off with the New York Yankees on Opening Day Wednesday, and fans who aren’t attending the game at Oracle Park will need to subscribe to Netflix to watch, plus a slew of other streaming channels throughout the season.

As the Chronicle reports, Major League Baseball's first game of the 2026 season will be a momentous matchup between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees, taking place at Oracle Park Wednesday evening. Fans who aren’t attending in person will need a Netflix subscription to watch the broadcast, part of a broader shift toward diversifying the platforms that MLB games can be seen on throughout the season.

The opener will be streamed globally in multiple languages, with play-by-play from sportscaster Matt Vasgersian, who hails from the Bay Area, alongside CC Sabathia, a Baseball Hall of Famer from Vallejo, and former Giants star Hunter Pence, as the Chronicle reports. Barry Bonds is set to appear on the pre- and postgame broadcast team.

Aaron Judge, who grew up in San Joaquin County, is expected to be the starting pitcher for the Yankees, while Logan Webb will take the mound for the Giants, coming off recent appearances in the World Baseball Classic that coincided with increased ticket demand, according to Rachel Heit, chief marketing officer for the Giants, per the Chronicle.

Ahead of Opening Day, the San Francisco Giants played a Sunday exhibition in Sacramento, as KPIX reports, followed by two games at Oracle Park on Monday and Tuesday against Sultanes.

As Sports Illustrated reports, Manager Tony Vitello told reporters that Robbie Ray is set to start the second exhibition and Tyler Mahle the third, after Mahle opened the exhibition slate Sunday. Adrian Houser and Landen Roupp are also expected to start, though the order has not been finalized.

The Chronicle reports that the season’s 162 regular games will stream partially on Netflix, Peacock, Apple TV+, plus a cable or live TV platform like YouTube TV carrying NBC Sports Bay Area, ESPN, and Fox. The league’s MLB.tv app, via Giants.tv, will stream all but 13 games this season.

"Sunday Night Baseball," as well as the wild card round of the playoffs will move to NBC/NBCSN/Peacock the season — and this is the first time since 2000 that the larger NBC organization has partnered with the Major Leagues.

MLB reset its broadcast deals to new three-year contracts, adding Netflix and NBC/Peacock while maintaining partnerships with Apple TV, Fox, ESPN, and TBS, in a combined package valued at about $800 million, per the Chronicle.

Longtime Giants broadcaster Dave Flemming says that for many diehard fans, the value of being able to watch every game outweighs the cost.

“It is absolutely amazing that Giants fans all over the globe — no matter where they live, no matter what time zone — can pull up a device in their hand and watch a game,” he told the Chronicle.

Flemming added that he had "an eye-opening moment" in recent years when he discovered fans were watching games in real time around the globe. “I just thought, you know, for all the hand-wringing about, ‘Is it too expensive and is it too fragmented?’ it is amazing the technology that allows you to follow your team no matter where you are," Flemming tells the paper.

Vasgersian recalled how the A’s games weren’t completely televised when he was growing up in the East Bay’s Moraga.

“The idea that every game is on TV is something that I didn’t grow up with,” he tells the Chronicle. “So to have these rights piecemealed together now, I understand the fans’ frustrations. (But) I think the league is aware of not pricing people out. That’s nobody’s idea of good.”

Fleming told the Chronicle local broadcasts on NBC Sports Bay Area will continue this season, with expanded use of drone footage after its debut last year drew strong fan response.

The Chronicle reports that Netflix is focusing on select marquee events rather than a full schedule, building on recent live sports programming that has included NFL Christmas games and boxing events (some involving Jake Paul).

“It really comes down to characters,” said Gabe Spitzer, Netflix’s vice president of live sports. “You’re telling a story, whether you’re watching a live game or you’re doing a documentary. It comes down to that access and authenticity we talk about on Netflix all the time.”

Image: TEMPE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 24: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants  pitches during the spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels  at Tempe Diablo Stadium on February 24, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo  by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

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