Alright, let’s talk about this thing: does MLB Extra Innings actually give you Spring Training games? It’s a question I’ve wrestled with myself, and boy, getting a straight answer can sometimes feel like trying to catch a fastball blindfolded.
So, picture this: a few years back, I was really itching for baseball season to start. You know how it gets. Winter just keeps going, and all you want is the crack of the bat. I was looking at my TV package, thinking about Extra Innings, and the big question mark for me was Spring Training. I mean, that’s the warm-up, right? Gets you in the mood.
My first move was the usual. I went online, poked around my cable provider’s website. You’d think they’d make this stuff super clear, big and bold. But nope. It’s always a bit of a maze with these packages. Lots of fancy marketing words, not always the hard facts you need.
After a bit of digging, and I mean really scrolling through those terms and conditions that nobody actually reads, I started to get the picture. And what I found then, and what’s generally still the case, is that MLB Extra Innings, the main package, usually doesn’t just hand you all the Spring Training games. Yeah, a bit of a letdown if you’re expecting it.
It seems like Extra Innings is laser-focused on the regular season. You know, giving you all those out-of-market games once things officially kick off. Spring Training? That’s a whole different ball game, literally. The broadcast rights are all over the place. Some games might pop up on MLB Network if you’ve got that channel. Others might be on local team channels, if you happen to live in the right spot. And then there’s *, their streaming service, which often does carry a bunch of Spring Training, but that’s its own subscription, a separate deal entirely.
My Adventure with Customer Service
Now, how do I remember this so vividly? Well, it’s tied to this one specific attempt to get clarity. I wasn’t just looking online; I actually picked up the phone. Big mistake, sometimes.
I called my cable company. Got into that lovely automated system. “Press 1 for new service, Press 2 to question the meaning of your existence while on hold.” Finally, I get a human. I ask my simple question: “Does Extra Innings include Spring Training?”
The person on the other end, bless their heart, sounded like they were reading from a script printed in hieroglyphics. There was a lot of, “Well, sir, the Extra Innings package provides an extensive lineup of regular season games…” I kept saying, “Yeah, I get that, but what about Spring Training? Before the regular season?”
- More script reading.
- An attempt to upsell me to a bigger bundle that probably included channels for basket weaving in Antarctica.
- A long hold while they “checked with a supervisor.”
After what felt like an entire inning, they came back and pretty much confirmed, in a very roundabout way, that, no, Spring Training wasn’t really part of that specific deal. It was like they didn’t want to say “no” directly.
So, my takeaway from all that hassle? If you’re eyeing MLB Extra Innings specifically for Spring Training, you’re probably going to be disappointed. It’s built for the main show, not the pre-game. Always, always dig into the details yourself, or brace yourself for a call, before you sign up hoping for those early exhibition games. Sometimes those separate streaming options are the way to go for the pre-season fix. It’s just how they’ve sliced and diced it, making us piece it all together. Good luck out there!
