The 2020 Major League Baseball season is finally here! America’s “National Pastime” has long been a pioneer in sports streaming, so there should be little surprise that MLB has a variety of online options. Baseball was around long before television, and it adapted stadiums with lights and dedicated camera perches so the game looks great on screens of any size. Now, MLB can look fantastic streaming to every screen you have, even without cable TV.
MLB’s return to ballparks — sans fans — will bring daily games to fans who are hungry for more sports or any distraction from the rest of life. Since going to games won’t be an option for most people or teams, watching the game broadcasts will be the best way to tune into the hits.
There are a ton of options to see 2020 MLB games live stream online. All you have to do is figure out which options fit best into your life. So take a break from playing catch, put down your glove, and take a look at our guide to watching Major League Baseball if you’ve cut the cord.
What’s different about the 2020 MLB season?
Major League Baseball wasn’t able to start back in the Spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Life, businesses and sports around the world were shut down in March and April, so MLB had been on hold since Spring Training. Now, MLB will have a 60-game season that runs from July 23 to September 27.
Each team will play 40 games against the teams in their own division, and 20 interleague games in their own region. That means teams stay in their own local region, and it cuts out the coast to coast travel. Teams will rotate their off days, so there should be games to see every day. On the last day of the season, every team will be in action.
There will also be a few new rules for the 2020 MLB season. Both leagues will use the designated hitter, so no more pitchers at the plate. Games that are tied after nine innings will start each extra inning with a runner on second base. Any rainouts will be started from where they stop instead of starting over. These changes are all to make it easier to get through these 60 games quick and clean by the end of September.
How to watch MLB games on Live Streaming Services in the United States
MLB games from the new Opening Day on July 23 through the last game of the World Series can best be watched using any of the five of the largest live TV streaming services in the U.S.
Hulu with Live TV and some of the other services offer a variety of free trials, while Sling TV’s Orange Plan offers the lowest regular price. All you have to do is figure out which is the best option to put on your roster. Be sure to check each to see if they offer your local Fox station. We’ve included links below to check for your local channels on every service.
We will take a closer look at each of the networks that will have MLB games this season, but here is the quick list of the channels you need to see Major League Baseball games.
FoxFS1ESPNTBSMLB NetworkRegional Sports NetworksHulu with Live TV
The cost: $55 a month after a one week free trial
Watch Hulu on: Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Xbox One, Chromecast, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, web browsers
Local channels on Hulu: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and others. Find your local channels here.
MLB baseball games on Hulu: Lots of national games with Fox, FS1, ESPN and TBS.
YouTube TV
The cost: $65 a month after a free trial
Watch YouTube TV on: Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Samsung, LG, HiSense or Vizio smart TVs, Chromecast, iOS and Android
Local channels on YouTube TV: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and more. Find your locals here.
MLB baseball games on YouTube TV: All of the national games with Fox, FS1, ESPN, TBS and MLB Network.
Sling TV
The cost: $30 a month after your first month for $20
Watch Sling TV on: Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox One, LG, Samsung or Vizio smart TVs, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire tablets, browsers and more
Local channels on Sling TV: NBC and Fox on Sling Blue. Local on demand feeds on Sling Orange. Find your local channels here.
MLB baseball games on Sling TV: Many of the national games on Sling Blue with Fox, FS1, and TBS. You can also add ESPN games with the Sling Orange + Blue plan for $45 a month. Plus, MLB Network is available with the $10 Sports Extra add-on.
Fubo TV
The cost: $55 a month after a one week trial
Watch Fubo TV on: Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, iOS, Android and web browsers
Local channels on Fubo TV: CBS, Fox, NBC and CW. Find your locals here.
MLB baseball games on Fubo TV: Many of the national games with Fox, FS1, TBS and MLB Network. By August, Fubo will add ESPN, but they will lose TBS.
AT&T TV Now – Plus Plan
The cost: $55 a month after a free trial
Watch AT&T TV Now on: Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TVs, iOS, Android, web browsers
Local channels on AT&T TV Now: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and more. Find your locals here.
MLB baseball games on AT&T TV Now: Many of the national games with Fox, FS1, ESPN and TBS in the Plus Plan. To get the MLB Network, you would need to sign up for the Choice Plan for $110 per month.
MLB on Fox Sports
If your live streaming subscriptions supports it, you can use your login to watch MLB games streaming live using the Fox Sports app. Fox recently updated the Fox Sports app with tons of new features, including bonus camera angles that you can choose during the game, as well as a “Watch Party” mode where you can cheer on your team with other fans.
You will need to login to activate the app, and it is available for Android devices, iPhones, iPads, Fire Tablets, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Windows and Xbox One.
MLB on FS1
There will be plenty of MLB games to watch on networks beyond the broadcasts. FS1 is Fox’s 24 hour sports network, and they also carry a slate of MLB games. With FS1, you can watch 37 regular season MLB games, and together with Fox broadcast it is home to the National League Playoffs in 2020.
MLB on ESPN
ESPN has 15 games currently on the MLB TV schedule for this year, and they have added games as the year goes on in past seasons. The worldwide leader in sports network is also home to the AL Wildcard Game this year.
ESPN games are available to you in the ESPN app. You can watch their MLB games on any device that runs the app. You will need a login to activate the app. The ESPN app is available on Android phones and tablets, iPhones, iPads, Fire Tablets, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku.
MLB on TBS
TBS has been airing national MLB games since 2007, and while the rest of the network leans heavy on comedy, they take a serious approach to baseball coverage. TBS is also the exclusive home of the entire American League Playoffs in 2020. They alternate coverage with Fox & FS1, so in an odd year like 2021 they will host the National League Playoffs.
You can stream MLB games from TBS in the TBS app. You will need to login from a streaming service or other subscription with TBS included to activate the app. The TBS app is available on Android phones and tablets, iPhones, iPads, Fire Tablets, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku.
MLB on MLB Network
MLB Network is kicking off the 2020 season with 12 games in the first ten days, which is pretty impressive. Check the MLB Network game schedule for more details as the season rolls on.
The MLB Network streams inside the MLB app or MLB At Bat app. The app is available on iPhones, iPads and Android phones and tablets. You can also watch on your computer at mlbnetwork.com/watch
Watch MLB games on ESPN+
If you love baseball and MLB, ESPN+ is a great service with an offer that is easy to understand. ESPN+ subscribers can watch a live game daily for the entire MLB season. That means for only $5 per month, you can see over 180 live MLB games. That is a ton of baseball games, on top of all of the other professional and college sports, UFC & Boxing events, studio programming, and originals that are a part of ESPN+.
ESPN+ lives inside the popular ESPN app, which you may already have installed. It is available on Android phones and tablets, iPhones, iPads, and Fire tablets. You can also get ESPN+ in the app on Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung smart TVs, Oculus Go, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
Watch your local MLB team on a Regional Sports Networks
”Let me root, root, root for the home team”
”Take Me Out to the Ball Game” has been a part of baseball fandom for over 100 years, and this line is a big part of why it is meaningful for MLB fans. If you want to root for your local team by watching all of their games, the best way is on your Regional Sports Network. Teams have local agreements with regional sports networks to carry almost all of their games.
The majority of MLB team Regional Sports Networks are available on at least one live streaming service. However, fans of six teams will be disappointed to find no current options to stream their local MLB team games. We hope that things improve in the future for fans of the Orioles, Rockies, Dodgers, Pirates, Mariners and Nationals, and we will update this page if they become available.
Find your local team, and local network, in this chart to see which streaming service offers the games you want. When you sign up for your free trial, make sure you choose a plan that includes the Regional Sports Network, and check your ZIP code to ensure you’re included.
Blue Jays fans living in Canada may want to look into SportsNet Now for streaming those local games. Sportsnet Now is a sports streaming service that covers the Toronto Blue Jays as well as other Canadian sports including NHL and Toronto Raptors.
The Sportsnet Now app is available for mobile devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Android phones and tablets. You can also watch SportsNet now on TV with their apps for Apple TV, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. They also support Chromecast.
Check out Sportsnet Now
Listen to MLB games on SiriusXM
If you are a long time MLB fan, baseball of your youth was on the AM radio. Today, even with HD streams to every screen, there are some times when you can’t watch baseball, but you can listen to the game. SiriusXM can be a perfect option, offering every game from Opening Day to the final outs of the World Series.
SiriusXM will have live game broadcasts of every MLB regular season and playoff game of 2020. You will have the chance to choose either the home or away team broadcasts, so you can get the local flavor of any team you would like. The service also has channels dedicated to MLB discussion and analysis, and will do special baseball programming on other SiriusXM sports channels on Opening Day as well as major events during the season.
Get a free trial of SiriusXM
MLB.tv
If you want to watch nearly every MLB game possible, the best choice available is MLB.tv. The official MLB out-of-market packages give subscribers more access than any other plans.
There are two MLB.tv options available. The All Teams plan gives you every out-of-market regular season game, and you can watch them live or later on demand for $60 for the 2020 season, or $25 monthly. The Single Team plan gives you all the regular season games of one out-of-team market for $50 for the season. Out-of-market means neither plan will show you games by your local team, so the regional sports network options above will be a better option if you live close to the MLB team you want to watch.
In addition to subscribing directly through MLB website, you can add MLB.tv to some of your existing streaming subscriptions. MLB.tv is available through Amazon Prime Video Channels as a subscription channel. Prime Subscribers can add MLB.tv using their Amazon payment method, and all the baseball action will be available in the Prime Video app on smart TVs and mobile devices.
T-Mobile and Sprint subscribers can get a free season of MLB.tv if they act fast. From July 21 through August 4, T-Mobile is giving away a free All Teams plan of MLB.tv and a one year subscription to The Athletic to customers in the T-Mobile Tuesdays app.
The MLB.tv service works inside the MLB At Bat mobile app and the MLB app for TVs. It is also available in modern web browsers. The MLB app for TVs supports Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku, as well as Samsung smart TVs and game consoles PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Get MLB.TV on Amazon Prime Video Channels
Get MLB.TV from MLB.com
Watch MLB on MLB At Bat App
The MLB At Bat mobile app offers more than just a login for MLB.tv subscriptions. In fact, the app has a mobile only subscription option that costs less, and still offers lots of great features. For only $3 per month, or $20 for the season, you can unlock the app and gain access to a free MLB.tv game of the day, as well as in game highlights and an advanced Gameday experience where you watch a Statcast of any game.
The MLB At Bat app is available for iPhones and iPads, Android phones and tablets, and Fire tablets. All of the features of the MLB At Bat app are included in the MLB.TV All teams subscription at no additional cost, plus it will then support the additional game video and audio broadcasts.
Get MLB At Bat for iPhones and iPadsGet MLB At Bat on Google PlayGet MLB At Bat on Amazon AppstoreWatch MLB using an over the air antenna
If you don’t have cable TV or any live streaming services, you may still have a way to catch some MLB games on TV. An over-the-air antenna lets you watch broadcast networks, including any MLB games broadcast in your area.
Once you hook up an antenna to your TV tuner, you can turn to your local Fox affiliate to watch their nationally televised MLB games during the regular season. Most of them are part of Fox’s Saturday MLB Game of the Week.
The best over-the-air antennas available
Fox is home to many MLB playoff games, as they will broadcast the 2020 National League Playoffs, with some games appearing on their cable network FS1. In odd years like 2021, Fox carries the American League Playoffs instead. Most important to MLB fans, Fox broadcast networks are the exclusive home of the World Series.
MLB fans in a few cities are going to find more uses for their antenna. You can find local broadcasts of MLB games for the following five teams, where you can root for the home team without needing a subscription.
Cleveland Indians – WKYCNew York Mets – PIX11New York Yankees – PIX11Philadelphia Phillies – WCAU10San Francisco Giants – KNTV11
If you want to use your over-the-air antenna with a smartphone, tablet, or streaming device, you should consider buying an over-the-air streaming box. These devices take the channels that the antenna can pick up, and convert them into streams that smart devices can use on your local network.
The best over-the-air streaming device
