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How to Watch Mariners vs Athletics Japan Series Online Without Cable

Mariners Athletics Japan Series

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The 2019 MLB regular season begins in Japan, as the Seattle Mariners take on the Oakland Athletics in a special two-game series at the Tokyo Dome.

In the United States, the games are on Wednesday, March 20, and Thursday, March 21, at 5:35 a.m. ET, and both will be televised on ESPN. But if you don’t have cable, you can watch ESPN on your computer, phone or streaming device via one of the following live-TV streaming services:

PlayStation Vue

PS Vue–which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch–offers four different live-TV channel packages: All four include ESPN, while the upper three bundles have ESPNU.

You can start a free 5-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the national championships on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.

Hulu With Live TV

In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including ESPN and ESPNU.

You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the national championships on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.

Sling TV

ESPN is included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle, while ESPNU is in the “Sports Extra” add-on.

You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the national championships on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.


Mariners vs Athletics Japan Series Preview

For the Mariners, this series is all about Ichiro.

Though he has yet to make an official decision about his future, the 45-year-old is clearly on the last legs of his career. He hit .205/.255/.205 in 15 games with the Mariners last season before transitioning to a front-office/batting-practice role, and after signing a minor-league contract with the M’s this year, he struggled to do much of anything in the spring.

Still, Ichiro is beyond being a legend in Japan–he is God-like. And after an illustrious career with the Mariners that saw him win the 2001 MVP and appear in 10 All-Star games in 11-and-a-half years during his first stint in Seattle, he has earned the right to play these games in front of his home country. And that’s exactly what he’ll do.

“Ichiro is going to start for us in the first games against the A’s,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “He’s playing fine in the outfield, obviously he showed plenty of arm strength tonight on that one throw to third base. He’ll start the game and we’ll see how it plays out from there.

“I’m excited for him. It hasn’t been a great spring training for him offensively, but if there’s anybody who can turn it on for a few days it’s certainly Ichiro.”

If these are indeed the final two games of Ichiro’s MLB career, it will be the perfect way to say goodbye.

And he won’t be the only Japanese import returning home. Starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who signed with the M’s in the offseason, will make his MLB debut in his home country in the second game of the series.

“I never thought I would be making my debut in Japan,” Kikuchi said through a translator. “It’s like a dream come true. It’s a new season for the team and new start for me so I want to pitch my best.”

The Mariners may have the home-town favorites, but they’ll still enter as underdogs after an offseason that saw them ship off James Paxton, Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, Jean Segura and others as part of a rebuild.

The Athletics, who overtook the M’s during the second-half of last season to capture the second wild-card spot, will get to show off an explosive offense led by Matt Chapman, Khris Davis, Matt Olson and Stephen Piscotty, who all finished in the Top 30 in the AL in extra-base hit percentage last year. They lost Jed Lowrie at second base, but they’ve replaced him with a still-improving Jurickson Profar, and they should remain one of the best hitting teams in the league.

Matt Fiers will start Game 1 for the A’s against Marco Gonzalez, followed by Marco Estrada vs. Kikuchi in Game 2.