If you want to see all the action during the 2018 MLB Playoffs, there are multiple ways to watch the games, whether it’s from your TV or on just about any other device.
MLB.TV
The gold standard of baseball game streaming is MLB.TV. During the regular season, you can watch just about any game you want (except the games on the market, which are blacked out). During the playoffs, however, things are a little different.
To watch the playoffs on MLB.TV, you not only need to pay for the streaming service (which costs $24.99 for the entire playoffs), but you also need to authenticate with your cable provider. In other words, you need a cable to stream the games.
Also, MLB.TV doesn’t show every playoff game — a handful of National League games aren’t available. Either way, it looks like FOX and the MLB Network have exclusive broadcast rights to some of these games. However, you will be able to watch all American League games, as well as all World Series games.
Best of all, MLB.TV is supported on all sorts of devices, including video game consoles, streaming boxes, TiVo, smart TVs, Chromecast, and more.
FOX Sports Go
While you can’t watch every playoff game using the FOX Sports Go service (and you still need to authenticate with your cable provider), it’s at least free to use, unlike MLB.TV.
The big downside is that you will only be able to watch the games shown on FOX, which unfortunately only includes the National League Conference Series and the World Series. However, it is at least a free option if you want to stream the games from a mobile device.
TV Sling
If you don’t have a cable, you’re not completely out of luck. TV Sling offers the channels needed to watch most playoff games. Best of all, there’s no contract with Sling TV, so you can sign up there and then cancel once the playoffs are over.
With the Sling TV Blue Bundle, you’ll get ESPN, Fox Sports 1, TBS, and FOX (only in certain markets). This means you’ll be able to watch all games except for the National League Division Series, which will air on MLB Network. Everything else will air on one of the channels listed above.
Over the air
If you want to use Sling TV, but don’t get your local FOX channel in your market, you can supplement Sling TV with an over-the-air antenna to get local channels (including FOX) for free.
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Believe it or not, you don’t need cable to watch a handful of channels. Just grab a TV antenna and you can attract local affiliates for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS and maybe others depending on your signal strength.
You can also stick with live streaming and not pay for any of the streaming services above, but you’ll only be able to watch the National League Conference Series and the World Series.
Of course, the downside to this option is that you’re stuck watching on your TV, rather than streaming with your mobile device, but it’s a last resort you can opt for that doesn’t cost anything (other than the antenna itself).
