How to Watch the MLB ALDS Free or Cheap: TBS, Sling & HBO Max
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man
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Watch the MLB ALDS Free Or Cheap
The American League Division Series (ALDS) starts Saturday, October 3. There are two best-of-five series: The Chicago White Sox play their division rivals, the Cleveland Guardians, in Cleveland, and the New York Yankees will invade St. Petersburg, Florida to play their division rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays.
The good news, baseball fans? You do not need Peacock for these games Yes, no Peacock subs required or jumping through hoops to find a free trial to the NBC-operated streamer. The ALDS is on a totally different set of channels.
Saturday, October 3
• White Sox at Guardians, Game 1, 1 p.m. ET, TBS, truTV, HBO Max
• Yankees at Rays, Game 1, 6:30 p.m. ET, TBS, truTV, HBO Max
Monday, October 5
• White Sox at Guardians, Game 2, 5 p.m. ET, TBS, truTV, HBO Max
• Yankees at Rays, Game 2, 8 p.m. ET, TBS, truTV, HBO Max
Game 3 for both series is Wednesday with times to be determined later. Thursday, October 8, would be game four, if needed. Game 5, if needed, is Saturday, October 10. All of those games are also on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max.
The bad news, cord cutters? A TV antenna will not get these games for free. TBS and truTV are cable channels, not local broadcast stations. Fox and FS1 are carrying the National League series, not the American League. But TV For Seniors will always find a way to watch streaming for less than full price. That’s our mantra. So…
If you already pay for live TV
You can watch with no extra charge if your cable, satellite or live streaming plan already includes TBS or truTV. That covers most cable and satellite packages, plus YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV, DIRECTV streaming and Sling Orange.
Important exception: Fubo does not carry TBS or truTV. A Fubo subscription alone will not get you the ALDS. MLB.TV also will not show these games live in the United States unless you sign in with a pay-TV provider that already carries TBS.
The cheapest route (probably); A Sling TV week pass
Sling TV’s basic Orange plan includes TBS. But you do not have to buy the $45.99 monthly Orange plan. Sling sells short passes to Orange only:
• 1 day: $4.99
• 3 days: $9.99
• 7 days: $14.99
Start the $14.99 week pass on Saturday, October 3, and it runs through Friday, October 9. That covers the first four games of each series:
• Saturday: both Game 1s
• Monday: both Game 2s
• Wednesday: both Game 3s
• Thursday: both Game 4s, if they are needed
That is four games per series. It does not cover a Game 5, however. Those are Saturday, October 10, the day after the pass ends. If a series is still going, buy a $4.99 day pass that Saturday. That would raise your total price to $19.98 which would no longer make it the cheapest route here. But the odds are that both series will not go five games. So, you could take your chances.
A one-day pass covers only one day, so it will not get both Saturday and Monday. A 3-day pass started Saturday covers Saturday through Monday, meaning both Game 1s and both Game 2s, but not Wednesday’s Game 3s.
Note that the Sling passes are for one stream only and that the Sling Blue plan and the Orange & Blue combo do not offer these passes. Check that TBS is on the pass before you pay.
HBO Max, but not the $10.99 plan
HBO Max, a sister service to TBS, is also streaming every ALDS game, but not on every plan. The $10.99 Basic with Ads plan does not include live sports. You need the ad-free Standard plan at $18.49 a month, or Premium at $22.99.
That is more than a Sling week pass if the series goes four games. Sign up, watch the games, and cancel when the series ends. There is no contract. The app is on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung and LG smart TVs, phones, and tablets. Search for the team or for TBS.
Seniors, Don’t Buy This!!
• Do not buy the $10.99 HBO Max plan for these games. It does not include live sports.
• Do not buy Peacock for the ALDS. That was the Wild Card round.
• Do not buy Fox One. That only covers the National League games and the World Series.
• Do not rely on an antenna.
• Do not expect MLB.TV to show the live U.S. telecast by itself.
Both series feature fierce rivalries so they should make for entertaining baseball. But before you start watching, make sure you get the best price possible to watch.
Have a question? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
