Netflix made its long-awaited entry into Major League Baseball on Wednesday night, streaming the New York Yankees’ 7-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park to kick off the 2026 season. But while the streaming giant brought star power and slick production to Opening Night, baseball fans were quick to let the platform know it had some work to do.
The complaints started early. The overwhelming reaction to Netflix’s scorebug was very negative. Fans were unhappy with how small the batter’s name and pitch count were.
One fan on X complained that the text for batter and pitcher was “basically illegible unless you’re two feet in front of your TV,” while another sarcastically noted they would prefer the names could be “even smaller.”
The scorebug was far from the only grievance. Rather than relying on Oracle Park’s existing signage, the broadcast layered holographic-style ads over the backdrop, creating what many called a cluttered and “foggy” viewing experience. One fan compared the effect to outdated video game graphics, while another quipped that Netflix was “ruining MLB” with the digital overlay.
The night’s most glaring miscue, however, came in the fifth inning. While sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi conducted an in-game interview with Giants manager Tony Vitello at the dugout, Major League Baseball recorded the first Automatic Ball-Strike challenge in regular-season history, and the broadcast missed it entirely. The moment happened off-screen, was not shown, was not discussed and was barely acknowledged until after the fact.
The reaction on social media was swift. “Showing a mid-game interview instead of the first ever ABS challenge in Major League history — shoutout Netflix, worst in the game,” one fan posted. “Does Netflix realize that there’s a baseball game going on? How many interviews are they going to do?” another asked.
Cameras were also slow to return from wide angles in time to catch hits, drawing additional frustration from viewers at home.
Netflix’s pregame show drew its own criticism. The platform treated the hour before first pitch less like a baseball broadcast and more like a promotional vehicle for its own content library, featuring plugs for titles such as “Little Brother,” “Free Bert,” “Stranger Things,” “Thrash,” “Man on Fire” and “Monday Night Raw.” Analyst site Awful Announcing noted the picture quality was excellent but flagged the heavy cross-promotion as a distraction, even amid the presence of MLB legends Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and Anthony Rizzo on the pregame set.
On the field, the Yankees left little drama. New York surged to a 5-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run triple by Trent Grisham and ultimately cruised to a 7-0 shutout — the franchise’s first road Opening Day shutout since 1967.
Netflix secured its MLB deal after ESPN opted out of its rights agreement last February, with the streamer paying an average of $50 million per season over three years. Under that agreement, Netflix is also set to stream the Home Run Derby in July and the annual Field of Dreams game.
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