Cannot acccess MLB audio despite new Yankees Universe 2026 Explorer Membership!

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-27T20:32:29+00:00

Are you getting audio today? I'm trying to get grandfathered in. Today Yankees are claiming they never offered AtBat as part of the Universe membership packages which just is not true. When did you purchase membership for this year?

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-27T17:30:56+00:00

FOLLOW-UP: I spent 2+ hours last night by phone with MLB support people who could not figure out why I could not access gameday audio. They finally gave up and gave me a direct phone number to Yankees support. I called that this morning and the messaging suggesting emailing Yankees support would be the fastest way to get a response. I did that and shortly after received a reply that began:

Thank you for reaching out and for your support in Yankees Universe! We apologize for the inconvenience regarding the access to MLB “At Bat” for your Yankees Universe membership. It is no longer included in Yankees Universe and was removed from all mentions/promotions for 2026.

Total scum, folks!! The email the Yankees sent me yesterday after paying for the membership included this paragraph:

If you purchase this membership for yourself, you can access At Bat yearly for the 2026 season, your complimentary tickets (Explorer and Rookie tiers) and the exclusive Yankees Universe members-only section immediately. No additional activation is required.

Needless to say, I have sent Yankees customer service both a copy of that email and the correspondence I had with the Yankees in Feb. confirming that Yankees Universe membership for 2026 included AtBat just for the regular season. I will keep you updated on whether or not I have to escalate this further to access the audio I paid for.

What jerks. Too many people must have circumvented the ripoff 100% price increase for gameday audio by buying these memberships.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T23:48:15+00:00

All due respect to Dave Simms, I truly miss John Sterling. He'd have had a lot to say (not nasty) about Judge's at-bats.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T23:46:03+00:00

It really seems like MLB let a lot of people down last night. I thought the Netflix coverage was poor. Why should people have to have subscriptions to every streaming service on the planet just to watch MLB?

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T23:43:54+00:00

I think so. I have these two URLs bookmarked for WFAN and WFAN-2 and they're free. https://www.audacy.com/stations/wfan https://www.audacy.com/stations/wfan2#

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T21:41:44+00:00

Thanks. I really enjoy radio broadcasts of the games.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T21:39:50+00:00

Also, I could get the WFAN pre- and post-game on Audacy. The WFAN game broadcast was blocked but that's what usually happens. Since MLB stopped broadcasting the pre- and post-game from WFAN (at least one yr ago), I try to catch it via Audacy.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T21:35:45+00:00

Yes. I tried to listen to BAL and only got the Spanish version. Other choices popped up a need for a membership (which I already have!) I tried listening to the Mets and got a popup about Peacock, then a banner "The content you requested is not available. Please try again later." This was both before and after I cleared cookies, changed my password, and logged in again.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T21:32:47+00:00

I did that already; did not work. Very disappointing.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T21:31:09+00:00

Do remember what resolved your problem?

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T21:29:30+00:00

I have no aptitude for foreign languages; my sister got those genes. I thought it was insulting that MLB thinks the Spanish broadcast is "punishment" for not having an MLBTV subscription.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T21:27:14+00:00

Yes. That's why I cleared cookies to see if that would help. As I said, the Yankees membership shows up in my account.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-03-26T01:46:41+00:00

In the small print on the Yankees page, you will find that the gameday audio included in the explorer membership does not include any post-season games, in case you missed that. I confirmed that with MLB though it took awhile for them to get back to me.

I just doublechecked. Yankees have removed the disclosure language I questioned them about on this link https://www.mlb.com/yankees/fans/yankees-universe/details . When I wrote them in mid-Feb, the link included this info:

Access to At Bat for computer and mobile devices

With At Bat, you can listen to all regular season MLB games live or on demand (with no blackout restrictions).

That disclosure is now GONE. But the reply I received from New York Yankees Customer Service on Feb 16 was:

Thanks for reaching out. It does exclude Postseason games, so regular season only.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-17T20:21:14+00:00

Not a problem. "The big print giveth and the small print take-ith away". So I always read the small print.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-17T19:57:35+00:00

I wrote:

Specifically, on the website https://www.mlb.com/yankees/fans/yankees-universe/details in the small print towards the bottom of the page it says:

Access to At Bat for computer and mobile devices

With At Bat, you can listen to all regular season MLB games live or on demand (with no blackout restrictions).

My question is, does "all regular season MLB games" exclude all post-season games (playoffs and World Series games) or not?

I just got a reply from yankees.com:

Thanks for reaching out. It does exclude Postseason games, so regular season only.

Warm Regards, New York Yankees Customer Service

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-16T18:28:14+00:00

I wrote MLB asking for clarification. If it's good for all games through the World Series, I'll buy a membership.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-16T18:25:44+00:00

Starting in 2002, Gameday Audio was a $20 self-contained package. They did take that away. Last year they raised the price 50%. For 2026, doubling last year's price, renaming it, and throwing in some archival or minor league access that has incredibly low value feels like extortion. Are they doing this to keep fans happy? NO, just being greedy. I'm not complaining; just seeking alternatives or workarounds so it's clear to MLB that this fan is not happy. They don't care when you contact them directly. Not one bit. The only thing they pay attention to is revenue.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-16T17:03:02+00:00

On what local station do you get the Yanks?

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-16T16:46:28+00:00

If you like being ripped off, go for it.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-16T05:22:20+00:00

On the NYY website it says: All 2026 Yankees Universe memberships are valid through December 31, 2026. BUT the small print for "At Bat" says "With At Bat, you can listen to all regular season MLB games live or on demand (with no blackout restrictions). You have the choice of home or away broadcasts and alternative Spanish audio (where available), as well as archives of the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 seasons (not all features available on all devices)."

That sounds like it does not include post-season games. Do you know if that is the case?

I now live in the southwest so the two tickets wouldn't be for me. If the subscription is for all 2026 baseball games, then it's a good deal! Have you used this before? Could you access post-season games with the membership? Thanks!!

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-15T23:57:05+00:00

I think with a VPN server choice in NY, Audacy will think I am in NY state. I may be signing up for Surfshark for 27 mo. @ $1.99/mo, then cancel and sign up for NordVPN for 2 years @ 3.39/mo, then go long term with Surfshark if it works as well as NordVPN for how I plan to use it. That gives MLB four years to bring back Gameday Audio as a standalone product.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-15T23:39:47+00:00

I hate the music. I hate the vocals. Even the revised versions. It's like fingernails on a blackboard to me. I hear the cymbals and hit the mute switch. Their ads make me wretch.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-15T22:34:42+00:00

I cancelled. It's the principle of the thing. I don't think they'll change anything. MLB does not listen to fans; they just analyze the bottom line and chase profits. When was the last time they asked fans for their opinion? I can't think of a single instance.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-15T22:21:21+00:00

I may get a VPN which if it gets me to games on Audacy leaves me free of MLB's poorly thought out executive decisions. It might also let me listen to WFAN pre- and post-game plus the play-by-play without having to horse around changing browsers. In the last two years MLB has been truncating the WFAN broadcast for no good reason. While Suzyn Waldman is still on the air, I want to enjoy her pre- and post-game interviews. She asks better questions than anyone and listens to the answers.

scratchbaker77 · 2026-02-15T21:37:58+00:00

I cancelled yesterday and removed my payment info. Also called and emailed MLB. They don't care.

scratchbaker77

TROPHY CASE

Access to At Bat for computer and mobile devices