How to watch Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians ALCS Game 1
The Rays and Guards will open up the American League Championship Series from the Trop on Monday night.
The American League Championship Series gets underway on Monday, Oct. 12, as the Tampa Bay Rays host the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay enters well-rested after sweeping the New York Yankees in the ALDS, while Cleveland had to claw all the way back from a 2-0 deficit against the Chicago White Sox before winning a decisive Game 5 at home on Saturday night. Drew Rasmussen will get the ball for the Rays against Foster Griffin as two franchises still chasing an elusive World Series title begin a best-of-seven fight for the pennant. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and will air on TBS, with truTV providing a simulcast. If you are looking for a live TV streaming service to watch the game, we recommend streaming it with a five-day free trial to DIRECTV. You can also stream it with either HBO Max’s Standard or Premium plans.
How to watch Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians American League Championship Series Game 1
- When: Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET
- TV: TBS, truTV
- Stream: Watch with a five-day free trial to DIRECTV or with either HBO Max’s Standard or Premium plans.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know to stream Rays vs. Guardians:
What is the Rays vs. Guardians Championship Series schedule?
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Outlet(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, Oct. 12 | 8 p.m. | Guardians at Rays | TBS, truTV, HBO Max |
| Tuesday, Oct. 13 | 8 p.m. | Guardians at Rays | TBS, truTV, HBO Max |
| Thursday, Oct. 15 | 6 p.m. | Rays at Guardians | TBS, truTV, HBO Max |
| Friday, Oct. 16 | 6 p.m. | Rays at Guardians | TBS, truTV, HBO Max |
| Saturday, Oct. 17 | 8 p.m. | Rays at Guardians^ | TBS, truTV, HBO Max |
| Monday, Oct. 19 | 5 p.m. | Guardians at Rays^ | TBS, truTV, HBO Max |
| Tuesday, Oct. 20 | 8 p.m. | Guardians at Rays^ | TBS, truTV, HBO Max |
^=if necessary
Why we recommend DIRECTV to watch Rays vs. Guardians
When it comes to offering the most channels in streaming, every live TV streaming service is chasing DIRECTV. The platform offers the most of The Streamable’s top 35 cable channels, so if you are looking for a breadth of programming options, DIRECTV is a surefire hit. In addition, the streamer has the industry’s best guaranteed free trial. While others can roll out longer options depending on what time of year it is and what qualifications you meet as a customer, DIRECTV offers a five-day trial to all new users. So, if you are specifically looking to watch the Rays vs. Guardians game, this is the option that makes the most sense.
Related: How to watch every game of the 2026 MLB Wild Card Series
But DIRECTV is able to offer an even more compelling package of channels for sports fans. Earlier this year, DIRECTV launched its Genre Packs that allow people to pick curated channel lineups around central themes and genres, and for sports fans, that means the MySports Pack.
The MySports plan runs $65 a month after the aforementioned five-day free trial, which gives you a way to check out everything that it has to offer before having to pay a penny. However, currently, you can also save an additional $20 off for your first six months, so you will only pay $45 for the entire postseason.
You’ll also get a bunch of great sports channels with MySports, including ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, FS1, FS2, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, NHL Network, SEC Network, TBS, TNT, and USA Network, and depending on your market, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.
These channels bring you an incredible selection of games from across pro and college sports, oh, and MySports also comes with a free ESPN Unlimited subscription. Pretty solid. All these channels and features are available for just $45, which is why it’s our favorite way to watch.
DIRECTV
DIRECTV is one of The Streamable’s top choices for the best live TV streaming service overall in 2026, especially for users who want the most channels or want to watch the most live sports. With an unbeatable lineup of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels, three main signature packages, an unlimited DVR, and 20 simultaneous streams at home, DIRECTV remains a premier choice for any cord-cutter.
Watch Rays vs. Guardians ALCS preview
Can you watch Rays vs. Guardians for free?
If you are just looking for a streaming service to watch this specific game and nothing else, there are options available for you. DIRECTV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all offer free trials, but they vary in length, so be wary. DIRECTV’s industry-leading trial runs for five days, while Hulu + Live TV’s is a solid three days.
Those are pretty straightforward, but when it comes to the sports-minded streamer Fubo, things can get a little complicated. As The Streamable’s expert David Satin discovered when signing up for the service, figuring out how long Fubo’s trial is — even as you are signing up — can be a bit difficult. Nonetheless, it will be at least one day, with the potential to be as many as seven, depending on a wide range of factors that Fubo does not share publicly.
The YouTube TV trial is said to be “up to two weeks,” but can be as short as two days. So it is difficult to ascertain what you are actually getting before you go through the sign-up process.
If you are looking to watch the game for free, I would recommend DIRECTV, because that streamer has the longest guaranteed free trial and gives you the best channel options.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| TBS | + $24 | - | + $61 | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| truTV | + $24 | - | + $61 | - | - | + $6 | ✓ | ✓ | |
What are all of the streamers you can use to watch the Rays vs. Guardians game?
Fortunately for baseball fans, there are six different streaming services that will stream the game, so you have options to choose from if you don’t already subscribe to any of them. We discussed DIRECTV and the free trial options above, you can also watch with one of Sling TV’s subscriptions. But there is one more, and it offers a different type of streaming arrangement.
In addition to the live TV streaming options, since the game is being broadcast on a channel owned (for now) by Warner Bros. Discovery, there is one more choice. HBO Max’s ad-free plans can be used to stream all March Madness games appearing on TNT, TBS, and truTV, starting at $18.49 per month.
Ultimately, there are tons of different ways to stream the game, and while we recommend DIRECTV as the best way to stream this game, you have plenty of options to find the platform that meets your needs.
HBO Max
HBO Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library and exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Within HBO Max, B/R Sports allows users to watch live NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.
How to watch Rays vs. Guardians with a VPN
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the game 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 to be subscribed to a live TV streaming service like DIRECTV in order to stream the game with a VPN.
ExpressVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get a month of service for as little as $5. ExpressVPN is the most-trusted VPN on the market and comes with a 30-day, money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN has servers in 105 countries, best-in-class encryption, 24-hour live support, and the best speeds available.
While ExpressVPN 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.
- Most Secure: NordVPN | Starting at $3.09 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available
Live TV Streaming Find out more >
Service Matchmaker
Our Matchmaker lets you compare multiple channels across all live TV streaming services. Just tell us what you watch and we’ll handle the rest.
