When the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball season on Wednesday night, they’ll be ushering in a new era in the process. Wednesday’s Opening Night showdown marks the first MLB game to exclusively air on Netflix, and the streaming service lucked out by landing Yankees superstar Aaron Judge. Fittingly, Judge — a three-time AL MVP and one of the greatest power hitters of this generation — is originally from the Bay Area.
Netflix also obtained the rights to the Home Run Derby (July 13) and the MLB at Field of Dreams Game (Aug. 13). The fun officially begins on Wednesday night, though, and we have you covered with everything you need to know.
What to know about the Yankees-Giants game
The Giants will host the Yankees on Wednesday, March 25, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Studio coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET. These two last faced off in April 2025, with the Giants taking two of three from the Yankees in the Bronx.
Of course, these two have an extensive history dating back to when the Giants played in New York. As of 2026, the Yankees and Giants have met in the World Series seven times, with the Yankees winning five of those sets. The most recent matchup came in 1962, with Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry earning World Series MVP honors after posting a 1.80 ERA in 25 innings.
Can I watch Yankees-Giants without a Netflix subscription?
No, Netflix has exclusive coverage, meaning the game will not air on national or local television stations. In other words, a Yankees fan with the YES Network still needs to have Netflix if they want to watch Opening Night. The game is available on all Netflix plans.
However, you can still catch the game through the teams’ official radio partners. That is expected to apply to anyone who has an MLB.TV subscription.
Who is announcing the Yankees-Giants game on Netflix?
Matt Vasgersian will serve as the play-by-play announcer, with Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia and former All-Star outfielder Hunter Pence joining him in the booth. Lauren Shehadi will be the sideline reporter.
Netflix previously confirmed that Elle Duncan, three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols, and three-time All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo would serve as studio analysts. This past week, Netflix announced that Giants legend Barry Bonds would join them.
New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston will also appear as a special guest. Winston played baseball at Florida State and was a 15th-round selection of the Texas Rangers in 2012.
Netflix will also offer the game in Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Who will pitch in the Yankees-Giants game?
The Yankees and Giants have both confirmed who will toe the mound on Opening Night. Max Fried, who finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting last year, will pitch for the Yankees. Fried went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA in nearly 200 innings, and his 4.4 bWAR trailed only Carlos Rodón (4.6) among Yankees pitchers. This will be Fried’s first Opening Day start for the Yankees.
Logan Webb will draw his fifth consecutive Opening Day start for the Giants, trailing only Hall of Famer Juan Marichal's six. Webb remains among the NL's more reliable starting pitchers, and he went 15-11 with a 3.22 ERA and a 224-46 K-BB ratio in 207 innings last year. He placed fourth in NL Cy Young voting, his third consecutive year with at least a top-6 finish.
Projected lineups for the Yankees-Giants game
Although neither the Yankees nor the Giants had announced the official lineups, here’s our best guess at how things could look on Wednesday night:
Yankees lineup
Projected Opening Night Lineup |
|---|
1. CF Trent Grisham |
2. RF Aaron Judge |
3. LF Cody Bellinger |
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton |
5. 1B Ben Rice |
6. 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. |
7. 3B Ryan McMahon |
8. C Austin Wells |
9. SS Jose Caballero |
Giants lineup
Projected Opening Night Lineup |
|---|
1. 2B Luis Arraez |
2. 1B Rafael Devers |
3. SS Willy Adames |
4. 3B Matt Chapman |
5. RF Jung Hoo Lee |
6. LF Heliot Ramos |
7. CF Harrison Bader |
8. DH Will Brennan |
9. C Patrick Bailey |