The Yankees' Opening Day game this year will be unlike any in the franchise's 124-year history.
The 27-time World Series champions will start a new Major League Baseball season on March 25 with a matchup against the Giants at Oracle Park as part of MLB Opening Night And with a new season comes a new way to watch baseball, as this will be the first-ever live MLB broadcast on Netflix.
Here is what you need to know about this special season-starting event and MLB on Netflix.
When is the MLB Opening Night game, and how can I watch it?
First pitch of the Yankees-Giants game from San Francisco's Oracle Park is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET on March 25. It will be streamed globally on Netflix, marking the first time a live MLB game will be carried by the service.
An MLB Opening Night pregame show on Netflix will begin at 7 p.m. ET.
Will there be other baseball games on Netflix this year?
Yes! Beyond Opening Night, Netflix will stream two other notable events during the 2026 MLB season: The T-Mobile Home Run Derby in Philadelphia on July 13 and the MLB Field of Dreams Game between the Phillies and Twins in Dyersville, Iowa, on Aug. 13.
Netflix will also be the home for the MLB Opening Night Game, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby and an additional special event game in 2027 and '28.
What should I know about the teams in this year's Opening Night game?
The Yankees have returned many of the same names who helped them lead the Majors in runs scored and home runs in 2025. That includes Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Trent Grisham and Ben Rice, each of whom hammered at least 25 homers last year.
But of course, the star of the Bronx Bombers' long ball show is Aaron Judge. The 33-year-old slugger was named American League MVP for the second straight season and for the third time in his career last year. He hit 53 home runs and paced the big leagues in myriad categories, including batting average (.331), OPS (1.145) and FanGraphs WAR (10.1). This game represents a homecoming for Judge, who was born and raised in Northern California and grew up a Giants fan.
The Yankees won 94 games for the second straight season in 2025. However, their quest for their first title since 2009 ended when they were eliminated by the Blue Jays in the ALDS.
The Giants have made the playoffs only twice since the close of their three-title run from 2010-14. The year of the club's most recent postseason appearance, 2021, also doubles as the last time it finished above .500. San Francisco went 81-81 last season, but it has the talent to produce better results in 2026. The Giants' infield is their strength, with third baseman Matt Chapman, shortstop Willy Adames, second baseman and offseason addition Luis Arraez, and first baseman Rafael Devers. San Francisco will get to enjoy a full season with Devers, who was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Red Sox last June.
What is the Yankees and Giants' head-to-head history?
Two of the sport's most historic franchises, the Yankees and Giants first faced each other in the 1921 World Series. It was their first of seven Fall Classic matchups, all but one of which occurred before the Giants left New York for San Francisco in 1958. The Giants won the World Series showdowns in 1921 and '22 before the Yankees triumphed in the next five, most recently in 1962.
These two teams didn't meet in the regular season until 2002. Last April, the Giants visited Yankee Stadium for a three-game series and won two of those meetings. However, the Yankees have claimed 16 of their 24 regular-season games versus the Giants all time. Including the postseason, the Yankees hold a 39-27-1 head-to-head record in this head-to-head series.
Who are the announcers for the MLB Opening Night game?
Matt Vasgersian will serve as the play-by-play announcer, and he will be joined in the booth by Hall of Fame starting pitcher CC Sabathia and four-time All-Star outfielder Hunter Pence. Lauren Shehadi will be the in-game reporter.
Elle Duncan is the game's in-studio host while three-time National League MVP Albert Pujols and three-time All-Star Anthony Rizzo will be in-studio analysts. Comedian Bert Kreischer will contribute to the broadcast, which will also have a special guest.
What else makes this game unique?
This will be the first MLB regular-season game to use the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System. ABS has been tested in the Minor Leagues since 2022 and in Major League Spring Training since last year.
If MLB Opening Night is March 25, when is MLB Opening Day?
Opening Day will take place on March 26, with 11 games on the schedule. Six other clubs will play their first regular-season game on March 27.