This weekend marks the inaugural “Rivalry Weekend” in the MLB featuring fifteen matchups between longtime rivals, all happening between May 16-18. Included in the pairings are the Chicago White Sox vs. Chicago Cubs, the Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers, and one of the most famous rivalries of all, the Subway Series between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. This weekend’s series is also notable as it marks Juan Soto’s return to Yankee Stadium, this time in a Mets uniform. While these rivalries will be bringing some heat, the good news is that you can watch the entire Subway Series and every other Rivalry Weekend game for free on on MLB.TV between Friday, May 16 and Sunday, May 18. Simply head to the MLB.com, the available matchups will be listed as the “Free Game of the Day.”
All 15 matchups will be streamed live with no blackout restrictions on MLB.TV, and most will be available in local markets as well. Here’s everything you need to know about which teams will be playing in the 2025 Rivalry Weekend and how to catch every game.
How to watch the Mets vs. Yankees during MLB Rivalry Weekend:
You can tune in to every one of these rivalry games on MLB.TV between May 16-18, but the games will also be broadcast live on TV. Friday night’s Subway Series game will air locally on WPIX and YES, Saturday afternoon’s game will be broadcast on SNY and YES, and Sunday’s game will air nationally at 7:10 pm. on ESPN.
An MLB.TV subscription is a great way to catch all your favorite teams’ out-of-market games live during the regular season, but you can also catch all of this weekend’s Rivalry Weekend games there for free from May 16-18.
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.
Watch free at MLB.TV
Mets vs. Yankees MLB Rivalry Weekend Schedule
All Times Eastern
Friday, May 16
New York Mets @ New York Yankees, 7:05 p.m. (WPIX, YES, MLB.TV)
Saturday, May 17
New York Mets @ New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m. (SNY, YES, MLB.TV)
Sunday, May 18
New York Mets @ New York Yankees, 7:10 p.m. (ESPN, MLB.TV)
You can check out the full schedule of games during MLB Rivalry Weekend at MLB.com.
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 the 2025 MLB season without cable:
DirecTV’s My Sports package will get you the essential channels for the 2025 MLB season, including Fox, FS1, ESPN, ABC and MLB Network. 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
Try Free at DirecTV
Sling’s Orange & Blue package is a solid option to catch a lot of MLB games in the season.
For $33 for your first month of Sling Orange and Blue, you can catch all the games on ESPN, ABC, FOX and FS1. The price of this package then goes up to $66/month.
$33 a month at Sling
Where to stream MLB games:
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.
From $19.99/month at MLB.TV
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.
$9.99/month at Apple TV+
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.
Watch free at Roku
Some MLB coverage will stream on ESPN+ this season, it just depends on the game. 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.
$11.99/month at ESPN
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