Clayton Kershaw on Thursday announced that he intends to retire after the conclusion of the 2025 season, which immediately placed more significance on the three-time Cy Young Award winner's scheduled start on Friday. Kershaw's start on Friday against the Giants at Dodger Stadium could very well be his final home start as a member of the club, depending on how the defending champions fare in the postseason, as well as what plans they have for the legendary southpaw come October.
And while the likely sellout crowd of fans who pack Dodger Stadium will get to watch the legend pitch, some Dodgers fans watching at home—or attempting to watch—might not be so fortunate. The game will be broadcast exclusively on AppleTV+, which requires a paid subscription to utilize, and not on Sportsnet LA, the broadcast home of Dodgers baseball for fans based in the Los Angeles area.
And unfortunately, as a source told The Los Angeles Times, the game will be remaining solely on AppleTV+ due to a prior agreement between MLB and the streaming service.
Apple in March of 2022 first announced a partnership with MLB to stream exclusive games. Here's how the current system works. Apple essentially purchased the broadcast rights from MLB for a select number of baseball games in 2025, and the streaming service was then guaranteed a minimum of four exclusive broadcasts for the teams it chose to air, one of which was the Dodgers. So Friday's game, the fourth Dodgers game airing on AppleTV+, can't be simulcast on Sportsnet LA for contractual reasons.
Making this all the more frustrating for Dodgers fans is that the Blue Jays' game against the Royals, also broadcast on AppleTV+, will be simulcast on Sportsnet for local Blue Jays fans as part of a last-minute agreement between Apple and MLB, given Toronto's seemingly pending opportunity to clinch a playoff spot. It's the fifth Blue Jays game that will be broadcast on AppleTV+. But the Blue Jays can't clinch on Friday after the club's loss and the Guardians win on Thursday.
All this to say, some MLB fans who wouldn't normally get the opportunity to watch the Dodgers have the chance to take in a real treat on Friday night. But Dodgers fans who enjoyed Kershaw's entire illustrious career may not get to witness its potential final curtain call at Dodger Stadium. And that's a shame.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Some Dodgers Fans Might Miss Clayton Kershaw's Potential Last Home Start.
