The New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays meet at Tropicana Field on September 2, 2026. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need to know before the game: start time by region, where to watch, and who’s starting on the mound.
Game Info
- Matchup: New York Mets vs. Tampa Bay Rays
- League: MLB
- Date: September 2, 2026
- First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET | 4:40 p.m. Mexico City | 6:40 p.m. Caracas | 6:40 p.m. Santo Domingo
- Venue: Tropicana Field
Where to Watch
🇺🇸 United States
- Mets local: SNY · PIX 11 (WPIX, over-the-air) · SNY streaming · MLB app (no local blackout)
- Rays local: Rays.TV · WMOR (over-the-air) · Rays.TV streaming · MLB app (no local blackout)
- In Spanish: Telemundo · UniMás / TUDN · Universo · FOX Deportes · ESPN Deportes · Peacock
🇲🇽 Mexico (4:40 p.m. local)
- Canal 5 — 55 regular-season games; 2026–2028 deal
- NU9VE (Canal 9) — Sunday game
- ESPN — ~6 games per week
- TUDN
- Canal FOX — 5-game weekly package (Tue, Thu, Fri + two Saturdays)
- Disney+ — 6 additional games per week + ESPN simulcast
🇻🇪 Venezuela (6:40 p.m. local)
- Televén (free) — Primarily weekends; free streaming on their mobile app
- 1BASEBALL — 24-hour baseball channel, up to 3 games per day. Via Simple, Inter and NetUno GO
- ByM Sport — 6 days a week, via Inter and Simple
- IVC — Tuesday through Sunday
- ESPN — Live and replays
- Disney+
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic (6:40 p.m. local)
- Teleantillas Canal 10 (free) — 7 games per week, one per day. Seventh consecutive year; covers Opening Day through the full World Series, including 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)
- MLB.TV
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico (6:40 p.m. local)
- 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 in-market local subscription is sold inside the MLB app (~$19.99/month or ~$99.99/season) and is blackout-free. Games exclusive to national partners (Netflix, NBC/Peacock, Apple TV, FOX, ESPN) are not on MLB.TV — that’s not a blackout, they simply aren’t part of the package. No public MLB.TV blackout map exists for Latin American countries.
How Both Teams Are Playing
- New York Mets: 62-77 (.446)
- Tampa Bay Rays: 83-55 (.601)
Starting Pitchers
- Mets: Justin Hagenman (RHP)
- Rays: Griffin Jax (RHP) — 6-9, 3.63 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 100 strikeouts in 91.2 innings
Keys to the Game
Tampa Bay arrives at 83-55, fighting to protect their division lead, while the Mets (62-77) are simply playing out the string and looking for wins wherever they can find them. Griffin Jax takes the ball for the Rays carrying a 3.63 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP and 100 strikeouts on the season — he’ll need to keep the Mets off the board early. New York counters with Justin Hagenman, and command will be the name of the game for both sides.
This article will be updated after the final out with the result, key plays and a video recap.
