MLB Opening Night started with a bang. For all the wrong reasons.
A cable car and two taxis graced the field at Oracle Park as the Yankees’ and Giants’ lineups were announced.
The broadcast team consisted of Barry Bonds, CC Sabathia and Jameis Winston, among others.
And a new scorebug has drawn much criticism online.
“I didn’t think a scorebug could get worse than the Bally Sports one,” one user wrote on X. “Netflix may have just proven me wrong.”
Of many issues, one was that the text — namely the batter and pitcher’s names — was too small.
“I like the aesthetic and concept, but the text is shockingly small,” another commenter said. “The pitcher and batter text is the smallest I have ever seen on any sports scorebug/lower third.”
“This scorebug has me squinting,” one added.
That wasn’t the only thing that fans ranted about.
One wrote about the Adobe ad behind home plate that ironically made batters look like they were pasted into the scene.
The appearance of the game also looked diluted, with one user saying it looked like there was a “monsoon in progress.”
Even the broadcasting team caught some jabs.
Along with Bonds, Winston and Sabathia, former big leaguers Hunter Pence, Anthony Rizzo and Albert Pujols were present, along with WWE legend John Cena — who explained how the new ABS challenge system works — and comedian Bert Kreischer.
“Netflix’s broadcast of MLB Opening Night was garbage. I don’t need Jameis Winston and John Cena in my opening day, I just don’t,” a post on X read, referring to the inclusion of non-baseball stars.
Winston was also singled out specifically for his antics.
The usually outspoken NFL quarterback did a segment with a crab legs stand and even served Yankees standouts Max Fried and Trent Grisham hot dogs after the game.
Some didn’t want any of it.
“Netflix is making me hate Jameis Winston!” one person said. “I’m Jameis Winston’d out!”
Despite all the controversy, the Yankees cruised past the Giants in a 7-0 win. They exploded for a five-run second inning and never looked back.
Aaron Judge went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts — his first time recording a golden sombrero since 2024 — but every other Yankees batter got a hit to pick up the slack.
Fried tallied 6 ⅓ shutout innings to give some confidence to a beleaguered Yankees rotation.
Twenty-two more teams will play for the first time Thursday, while the Yankees and Giants get a day off.
Fortunately for them, they won’t have to play on Netflix.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
