The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays meet at Tropicana Field on September 18, 2026. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need — where to watch, how both clubs are rolling and who’s starting.
Game Info
- Matchup: Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays
- League: MLB
- Date: September 18, 2026
- First Pitch: 7:10 p.m. ET
- Venue: Tropicana Field
Where to Watch
🇺🇸 United States
- NESN (Boston) — also streaming on NESN 360
- Rays.TV / WMOR (Tampa Bay) — Rays.TV streams direct; WMOR is over-the-air; available without local blackout inside the MLB app
- ESPN Deportes — Spanish-language linear package (30 games retained)
- Telemundo / UniMás / TUDN / Universo / FOX Deportes / Peacock — Spanish-language national options depending on schedule slot
🇲🇽 Mexico — 5:10 p.m. CDMX
- Canal 5 — 55 regular-season games; deal runs 2026–2028
- NU9VE (Canal 9) — Sunday game of the week
- ESPN / Disney+ — ~6 games per week; Disney+ adds 6 more plus ESPN simulcast
- TUDN / Canal FOX — 5-game weekly package (Tue, Thu, Fri + two Saturdays)
🇻🇪 Venezuela — 7:10 p.m. Caracas
- Televén (free) — mainly weekends; free streaming on its mobile app
- 1BASEBALL — 24/7 baseball channel, up to 3 games/day via Simple, Inter and NetUno GO
- ByM Sport — 6 days a week via Inter and Simple
- IVC — Tuesday through Sunday
- ESPN / Disney+ — live and replays
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic — 7:10 p.m. Santo Domingo
- Teleantillas Canal 10 (free) — 7 games per week, one per day, free. 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 streaming)
- MLB.TV
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico — 7:10 p.m. ET
- WAPA Deportes (free) — regular season, typically Fri/Sat/Sun; 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 available inside the MLB app (~$19.99/month or ~$99.99/season), and it is blackout-free locally. Games exclusive to national streaming partners (Netflix, NBC/Peacock, Apple TV, FOX, ESPN) are not included in MLB.TV — that’s a rights issue, not a blackout. No public blackout map exists for Latin American countries, so availability may vary.
How Both Teams Are Sitting
- Tampa Bay Rays: 93-59 (.612)
- Boston Red Sox: 83-70 (.542)
The Rays hold a commanding lead in the playoff race. For Boston, this game is exactly the kind they can’t afford to drop — every win matters with the postseason picture tightening in September.
Starting Pitchers
- Boston — Ranger Suárez (LHP): 7-4, 3.33 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 130 strikeouts in 137.2 innings — Venezuelan, born in Pie de Cuesta 🇻🇪
- Tampa Bay — Ian Seymour (LHP): 9-6, 4.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 150 strikeouts in 122.1 innings
Suárez owns the edge in ERA, while Seymour leads in strikeouts. Both lefties should make for a compelling pitching matchup.
This article will be updated after the final out with the result, key plays and a video recap.
