LOS ANGELES — Dodger fans have always stepped up for their team. They buy tickets, pack Dodger Stadium, and tune in by the millions to SportsNet LA, the network created specifically to bring them their hometown team. But on Friday night, when Clayton Kershaw is expected to make what could be his final start at Dodger Stadium, those same fans are being asked to look elsewhere—and many aren’t happy about it.
Why Friday Is Different
This time, the broadcast won’t be on SportsNet LA. Instead, Major League Baseball has handed the game exclusively to Apple TV+, as part of its Friday night package. MLB’s deal guarantees Apple at least four Dodgers games a season, and this will be the fourth such broadcast in 2025. That means the only way to watch Kershaw’s potential farewell at home is through Apple’s subscription service.
For Dodgers fans who already pay steep cable fees just to access SportsNet LA, being told to sign up for another subscription—simply to watch the franchise icon pitch one last time in Los Angeles—feels like a gut punch.
An Uneven Playing Field
What makes this sting even more is the contrast with how MLB handled another Apple-exclusive matchup. When it appeared the Toronto Blue Jays could clinch a playoff berth this week, MLB allowed Sportsnet—their local network equivalent of SportsNet LA—to simulcast the Apple TV+ broadcast. That concession meant Toronto fans could still watch history unfold on their familiar home channel.
But Dodger fans? No such luck. Even though Kershaw’s final Dodger Stadium start is a moment with far more weight than a clinch that can happen any day, Apple’s exclusivity remains in place. It’s not the first time either. Back in 2022, Albert Pujols’ 700th career home run was only available on Apple TV+, depriving many longtime baseball fans of the chance to see it on their usual broadcast.
The Game and the Stakes
Friday’s game against the Giants isn’t just another late-September divisional matchup. It’s the farewell start at Chavez Ravine for an 11-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, MVP, and World Series champion. Kershaw confirmed earlier this week that he’ll retire at the end of the 2025 season, bringing to a close an 18-year career spent entirely in Dodger blue.
After this weekend series, the Dodgers finish the regular season on the road. Kershaw’s postseason role has yet to be defined, meaning Friday is almost certainly the last time Dodger Stadium will watch him start a game. And yet, for most fans, that goodbye won’t be on SportsNet LA.
Apple’s Call, Fans’ Frustration
The broadcast will be handled by Wayne Randazzo—the same announcer who called Pujols’ historic 700th homer on Apple three years ago. And once again, history will be fenced off behind a streaming paywall.
Yes, Apple does offer a seven-day free trial, and yes, fans can sign up to watch Friday’s game without paying if they cancel quickly. But that misses the point. Dodger fans already invest heavily in their team—through ticket prices, cable packages, and merchandise. Forcing them to jump through hoops just to witness Kershaw’s last home start feels more like exploitation than innovation.
The Bigger Picture
Kershaw’s career has been defined by moments shared with Los Angeles. His curveball buckling hitters under Vin Scully’s call. His fist pump after the 2014 no-hitter. His long-sought championship in 2020. These memories belong to the fans who’ve been there from the beginning. To have his Dodger Stadium farewell whisked away to a platform many don’t subscribe to—or don’t want to subscribe to—is a disservice to the very people who made him a legend.
Baseball is supposed to be about connection: families gathered in living rooms, generations united by a voice on the television. Instead, Friday night will be another reminder of how broadcast deals can fracture that connection.
Bottom line: Dodgers fans deserve better. When Clayton Kershaw walks off the Dodger Stadium mound for the final time, it should be on the home channel, with the home team, for the home fans. Instead, Apple’s policy is robbing them of a shared farewell that belongs to Los Angeles.
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