The New York Mets head to Tropicana Field to face the Tampa Bay Rays on August 31, 2026. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need — TV channels by country, how both clubs are playing, and who’s starting.
Game Info
- Matchup: New York Mets vs. Tampa Bay Rays
- League: MLB
- Date: August 31, 2026
- First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET
- Venue: Tropicana Field
How to Watch
🇺🇸 United States
- New York Mets: SNY · PIX 11 (WPIX, free over-the-air) · SNY streaming · available in-market via the MLB app (no local blackout)
- Tampa Bay Rays: Rays.TV · WMOR (free over-the-air) · Rays.TV streaming · available in-market via the MLB app (no local blackout)
🇺🇸 United States — Spanish-language
- Telemundo — Carried the Opening Day broadcast; 25 featured games in 2026 via Telemundo Deportes
- UniMás / TUDN — MLB En Vivo (Tuesdays, 9 p.m. ET) and MLB Esta Semana (Saturdays, 3 p.m. ET)
- NBC Universo — Sunday Night Baseball in Spanish
- FOX Deportes — Regular season plus Spanish simulcast of FOX postseason coverage (Division Series, LCS, World Series)
- ESPN Deportes — ESPN retained Spanish-language rights for its 30-game linear package
- Peacock — Sunday Night Baseball in Spanish
🇲🇽 Mexico — 4:40 p.m. CT
- Canal 5 — 55 regular-season games; deal runs 2026–2028
- NU9VE (Canal 9) — Sunday game of the week
- ESPN — ~6 games per week
- TUDN
- Canal FOX — 5-game weekly package (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and two Saturdays)
- Disney+ — 6 additional games per week + ESPN simulcast
🇻🇪 Venezuela — 6:40 p.m.
- Televén (free) — Mainly weekends; free streaming on its mobile app
- 1BASEBALL — 24-hour baseball channel, up to 3 games per day; available on Simple, Inter, and NetUno GO
- ByM Sport — 6 days a week via Inter and Simple
- IVC — Tuesday through Sunday
- ESPN / Disney+ — Live and on-demand
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic — 6:40 p.m.
- Teleantillas Canal 10 (free) — 7 games per week, one per day; seventh consecutive year; covers Opening Day through the full World Series, including the Futures Game, Home Run Derby, All-Star Game, and all of the postseason
- ESPN
- 1BASEBALL — Via Altice
- FOX / FS1 / FS2 / FOX Deportes
- teleantillas.com.do (free stream)
- MLB.TV
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico — 6:40 p.m.
- WAPA Deportes (free) — Regular season, typically Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; exclusive island broadcast of the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby
- MLB.TV
A Note on MLB.TV
MLB.TV remains an out-of-market product. For 22 of 30 clubs, a separate local in-market subscription is available inside the MLB app (~$19.99/month or ~$99.99/season) and is not subject to local blackouts. Games exclusive to national partners (Netflix, NBC/Peacock, Apple TV, FOX, ESPN) are not included in MLB.TV — that’s a rights issue, not a blackout. No public MLB.TV blackout map exists for Latin American countries.
How Both Teams Are Playing
- New York Mets: 61-76 (.445)
- Tampa Bay Rays: 82-54 (.603)
Tampa Bay arrives with the stronger hand by a wide margin, sitting at 82-54 and looking to pad its divisional lead. The Mets come in at 61-76, trying to stop the bleeding as the season winds down.
Starting Pitchers
- New York Mets — Robert Stock (RHP): 0-3, 7.40 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, 21 strikeouts in 20.2 innings
- Tampa Bay Rays — Ian Seymour (LHP): 9-5, 4.21 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 128 strikeouts in 107.0 innings
The pitching matchup heavily favors the home side. Seymour has been solid all year — 128 strikeouts, a 1.15 WHIP, and a 9-5 record. Stock, meanwhile, carries a 7.40 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP into this start, numbers that tell the story of a rough season.
This article will be updated after the final out with the score, key plays, and video highlights.
