Friday’s Phillies-Cubs game won’t air on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Neither will Sunday’s.
Three upcoming Phillies games are scheduled to stream exclusively on Apple TV+.
The Phillies are back in action this weekend following the All-Star break, but good luck trying to find the games on television.
Two of the Phillies next three games against the Chicago Cubs won’t air on NBC Sports Philadelphia, and they aren’t being carried by national networks like ESPN or Fox. They will only be available on Apple TV+ and Peacock, streaming services that have deals this season with MLB to carry games exclusively.
That also means unless they have smart TVs, bars and restaurants around Philadelphia won’t be airing the Phillies much this weekend, something owners and patrons complained about on social media during the team’s first Peacock game last month.
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If you want to avoid the hassle, you can tune in to listen on 94.1 WIP, with Scott Frantzke and Larry Andersen calling all three games from Citizens Bank Park. But if you want to see all the action, here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream this weekend’s Phillies games:
Friday night, you’ll need Apple TV+
First up is Friday’s game against the Cubs, which will stream on Apple TV+ as part of the tech giant’s new Friday Night Baseball lineup, which features two exclusive games each week. The game is free to watch, but you need to set up an Apple TV+ account and either download the app or watch on their website (The Apple TV+ app isn’t available on Andriod phones).
Calling the game will be play-by-play announcer Melanie Newman and analysts Chris Young and Russel Dorsey. Taylor McGregor will report from Citizens Bank Park. Phillies fans can also check out Apple Music, which has a playlist featuring each of the player’s walk-up songs.
Kyle Gibson (5-3, 4.35 ERA) is schedule to make the start for the Phillies, taking on Cubs left-hander Justin Steele (3-6, 4.15 ERA)
The Phillies have two more games scheduled to stream exclusively on Apple TV+. They are:
Aug. 5 versus the Washington Nationals at 7:05 p.m.
Aug. 12 at the New York Mets at 7:10 p.m.
» READ MORE: Top 10 Phillies players with the best walk-up songs
Saturday’s game will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The second game of the three-game series will be back on NBC Sports Philadelphia on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. Tom McCarthy and John Kruk will call the game.
Phillies Pregame Live, hosted by Michael Barkann and new 97.5 The Fanatic host Ricky Bottalico is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. Phillies Postgame Live will immediately follow the final out.
Following his All-Star Game snub, Phillies ace Zach Wheeler (8-5, 2.89 ERA) is scheduled to take the mount against Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman (2-5, 4.69 ERA).
Sunday’s game will be in the morning on Peacock
For the second time this season, Phillies fans will have to wake up by the crack of noon to catch Sunday’s game against Cubs.
First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m., thanks to MLB’s deal with Peacock to stream games every Sunday morning. Calling the game will be Jason Benetti, Kruk, and former MLB outfielder Ryan Sweeney, who is a Cubs analyst on the team’s Marquee Sports Network.
Unlike Apple TV+, you’ll need a premium subscription on Peacock to stream Sunday’s game, which currently will set you back $4.99 a month (though the service does offer a seven-day free trial).
If you’re a Comcast Xfinity subscriber, there’s good news — a subscription to Peacock is included as part of your subscription. In fact, you can just say “Phillies” into your Xfinity remote and it should bring the game right up.
Quick hits
Ahead of his retirement later this year, 94.1 WIP host Angelo Cataldi will throw out the first pitch on Sunday, which you can watch live on the station’s Facebook page. He’ll also join the Phillies booth on WIP to call the third inning alongside Frantzke and Andersen.
Tuesday’s All-Star Game averaged 7.51 million viewers on Fox, its smallest television audience on record, according to Sports Media Watch. That’s not terribly surprising, since the All-Star Game has been shedding viewers (like all of television) since 2014, when it averaged 11.34 million viewers. Still, it outdrew this year’s Pro Bowl on ABC and ESPN (6.69 million viewers), NBA All-Star Game on TNT and TBS (6.28 million viewers), and NHL All-Star Game on ABC (1.15 million viewers).
The induction of the newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, headlined by Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, will air live on the MLB Network Sunday at 10 a.m. Among the inductees is pitcher Jim Kaat, who spent 15 seasons with the Minnesota Twins but spent over three seasons with the Phillies. Kaat pitched for so long (25 years in the majors) he faced both Ted Williams and Ryne Sandberg.