MLB: Apple TV marquee dates

Apple and Major League Baseball have set the first half of the 2026 “Friday Night Baseball” schedule, with weekly doubleheaders on Apple TV through June 26. (apple.com) The biggest early dates include the Chicago Cubs at the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 24, the New York Yankees at the New York Mets on May 15, and the Philadelphia Phillies at the Dodgers on May 29. (apple.com, sportingnews.com) Apple said the package begins Friday, March 27, and runs as a 25-week regular-season package with two games most weeks. The company said fans in 60 countries and regions can watch the games on Apple TV. (apple.com) The schedule released so far covers March 27 through June 26, which means Apple and Major League Baseball have now mapped out the national streaming window for the season’s first three months. Sporting News listed 12 date pairs from April 17 through June 26, including a May 22 afternoon game between the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. (apple.com, sportingnews.com) The May 15 Yankees-Mets game lands during Major League Baseball’s 2026 “Rivalry Weekend,” which the league scheduled for May 15 through May 17. Major League Baseball said that weekend will include 11 interleague rivalry series across the sport. (mlb.com) The Dodgers show up repeatedly in Apple’s first-half lineup, which matches the league’s push to put its biggest draw into national windows. Apple’s release highlighted multiple appearances by Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series champion Dodgers, including games against the Cubs, Phillies, and San Diego Padres. (apple.com) Apple’s game pages also show the broader run of announced matchups, including Rays-Pirates and Tigers-Red Sox on April 17, Blue Jays-Tigers and Yankees-Mets on May 15, and Cubs-Brewers plus Dodgers-Padres on June 26. (tv.apple.com, sportingnews.com) Apple said the broadcasts return with the same two main crews for a fourth straight season: Wayne Randazzo, Dontrelle Willis, and Heidi Watney on one team, and Alex Faust, Ryan Spilborghs, and Tricia Whitaker on the other, with Rich Waltz calling select games. (apple.com, sportingnews.com) In the United States, the games sit behind an Apple TV subscription rather than local television, and Sporting News reported the service costs $12.99 a month after a seven-day trial. Apple said the package carries no local broadcast restrictions. (sportingnews.com, apple.com) For now, the clearest read on Apple’s baseball strategy is the calendar itself: rivalry games, Dodgers dates, and late-night West Coast starts are doing the work of selling Friday nights. (apple.com, sportingnews.com)