‘Inexcusable’: MLB Fans Blast Netflix Over Numerous Production Issues During Season-Opening Broadcast
Baseball fans on Wednesday night called out Netflix for a numerous production issues that occurred during the MLB's season opener.
A Netflix logo and baseball are shown in McCovey Cove before a baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Baseball fans on Wednesday night called out Netflix for a numerous production issues that occurred during the MLB’s season opener. Much to the chagrin of viewers , Netflix landed a deal with the MLB to be the exclusive home of the first game of the season between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants.
It was Netflix’s first-ever live baseball game, and based on the social media feedback, it showed. One of the biggest changes heading into to the 2026 season was the introduction of the Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system. The system allows players to challenge calls made by the home plate umpire, and its inclusion had been teased for a number of years.
Early iterations of the system were used in the Minor Leagues and Spring Training. In the top of the fourth inning, Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero became the first player to ever use ABS in an MLB game. The broadcast, however, completely missed the moment in favor of a mid-game interview.
Showing a mid-game interview instead of the first ever ABS challenge in Major League history shoutout Netflix, worst in the game pic. twitter. com/Zyr9XVWyWt — Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) March 26, 2026 How did the first ABS challenge in the history of MLB go?