Mets debut for Max Scherzer will only be available on Apple TV Plus

If you want to see Max Scherzer make his New York Mets debut in the regular season, you’ll need an Apple TV Plus account. The mop-up men of streaming services, it looks like a lot of Mets fans will be brief subscribers of the service.

Hopefully, you haven’t already binged Ted Lasso yet. And who knows: maybe there’s something else good available on the platform? I don’t know. I only watch old episodes of Unsolved Mysteries.

Mets fans aren’t the only ones who won’t get to see Max Scherzer’s first 2022 start

It’s not a New York exclusive problem. The deal with Apple TV Plus will make Scherzer’s return to D.C. to face the Washington Nationals something even those fans won’t get to see on cable. SNY and MASN are getting shut out of some a spectacular return.

From a business standpoint, we all understand the decision. The new partnership between MLB and Apple TV is a money-making, for-profit plan. It brings in subscribers and helps buy Rob Manfred the occasional lobster.

Some fans will pay up even for a limited time to see Scherzer make start number one for the Mets. Even some Nationals fans would be willing to hand over their credit card digits. People pay for some of the craziest things. Have you seen how much some pseudo-celebrities charge on Cameo?

After the long lockout, others may feel less inclined to pay anything extra than they already are for cable and everything else in life. Scherzer’s first Mets game will be something everyone needs to see. But it’s also not the only opportunity for it to happen. He’ll get other starts.

Dust off your nearest radio or update your smart phone apps. It’s looking like—or maybe I should say sounding like—this is a game many of us will enjoy on the radio. What better way than to do it with Scherzer on the mound for the Mets? Here’s Howie Rose with the call.