Don’t miss a pitch of the 2025 MLB Wild Card round
Don’t miss a pitch of the 2025 MLB Wild Card round
ESPN channels will carry MLB Wild Card games once again this season, and we’ll show you how to stream each game.
The MLB postseason is getting underway! MLB Wild Card round games begin on ESPN on Tuesday, Sept. 30, and will continue on that channel and ABC. All four series of the MLB Wild Card round will be available on these channels, and at the end of each best-of-three series we’ll know who is advancing to the Divisional Round, and who is going home until spring. Stream every game for as little as $5 per day with a subscription to Sling TV or the ESPN streaming service.
How to watch 2025 MLB Wild Card round
- When: Starting Tuesday, Sept. 30
- TV: ABC, ESPN
- Stream: Watch with a subscription to Sling TV or ESPN Unlimited.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about the 2025 MLB Wild Card round
What is the schedule of 2025 MLB Wild Card games?
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Program | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Sept. 30 | 1 p.m. | Game 1: Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians | ESPN |
| 3 p.m. | Game 1: San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs | ABC | |
| 6 p.m. | Game 1: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | Game 1: Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | ESPN | |
| Wednesday, Oct. 1 | 1 p.m. | Game 2: Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians | ESPN |
| 3 p.m. | Game 2: San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs | ABC | |
| 6 p.m. | Game 2: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | Game 2: Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | ESPN | |
| Thursday, Oct. 2 (if necessary) | TBD | Game 3s: TBD | TBD |
The schedule for Thursday, Oct. 2 will be announced based on whether or not any of the series reach Game 3.
Why do we recommend watching the 2025 MLB Wild Card round on Sling TV?
The [Sling Orange] channel package has ESPN channels ready to go, and includes ESPN3, which simulcasts any live sports programming available on ABC, including the MLB Wild Card round. It’s a fantastic choice, and monthly plans for the service start at $46 per month — far cheaper than most other options for watching ESPN channels.
Viewers can also watch Sling Orange for as little as one day if they wish. Sling allows customers to sign up to Sling Orange for $5 per day, $10 per weekend, or $15 per week, so you can watch the Wild Card round from start to finish for less than $20 if you’re a fan of a team playing this week.
Sling TV lets you watch your way, and you can pay as little as $5 to watch a single day’s worth of games, or get Sling Orange for $46 per month if you want that much access. Either way, Sling is our favorite choice to watch the Wild Card round on ESPN channels.
Sling TV
Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.
Can you watch 2025 MLB Wild Card round for free?
There are several streamers that offer free trials, which will let you stream the 2025 MLB Wild Card round on ESPN channels.
Let’s start with DIRECTV, which offers both Signature packages and Genre Packs with five-day free trials if you stream your plan through your own device. Genre Packs with ESPN channels start at $70 per month, and Signature plans start at $85.
Hulu + Live TV includes a three-day free trial for all new customers, after which plans with the Disney Bundle included start at $83 per month.
Fubo has a trial that can last between one and seven days, depending on several factors such as what time of month you sign up. The Fubo Sports service costs $56 per month, and the Fubo Pro plan starts at $85 per month.
Finally, YouTube TV comes with a free trial that can last between two and 14 days. Once the trial is over, YouTube TV costs $83 per month.
What are all the services you can use to watch the 2025 MLB Wild Card round?
You can stream the 2025 MLB Wild Card round on DIRECTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. Of these, Sling is our top choice for the reasons we explained above.
You can also watch the games on the ESPN Unlimited plan of the channel’s direct-to-consumer service, which starts at $30 per month on its own.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $25 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| ABC | + $24 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ESPN | + $24 | + $59 | + $61 | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
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How to watch 2025 MLB Wild Card round from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the 2025 MLB Wild Card round as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need a subscription to a live TV streaming service like subscription to Sling TV in order to stream the games with a VPN.
NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to 10 devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!
While NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.
- Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available