Padres vs. Tigers radio coverage: Station, channel, streaming to listen live to MLB Opening Day game broadcast

Two teams hoping to return to the postseason and stay a while longer open the 2026 MLB season against each other as the San Diego Padres host the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. 

The Padres are coming off their third playoff appearance in four seasons but are getting diminishing returns. They fell to the Cubs in the wild card series last year after reaching the NLDS in 2024 and NLCS in 2022. The Tigers have reached the ALDS the last two seasons, suffering an agonizing 15-inning Game 5 loss at Seattle to end their 2025 campaign. 

Opening Day likely marks the beginning of the Tigers' last run with ace Tarik Skubal, who will take the ball after winning the American League Cy Young Award each of the last two seasons. The 29-year-old lefty posted a 2.21 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 31 starts last year, striking out 241 in 195.1 innings. On the heels of similar success in 2024, Skubal is poised for a monster payday as a free agent after this season, but he'd love nothing more than to bring Detroit its first championship since 1984 before his expected exit. 

San Diego will open with Nick Pivetta, who is coming off a career year in his first season with the Padres. The right-hander's 2.87 ERA was more than a run better than his previous best of 4.04 with the Red Sox in 2023. The Padres had a quiet offseason, re-signing Michael King to bolster a rotation that lost Dylan Cease and adding Korean infielder Sung Mun Song and veteran outfielder Nick Castellanos, but Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado return to a formidable lineup.

The biggest change in San Diego is rookie manager Craig Stammen replacing Mike Schildt, who retired shortly after the playoff loss. At age 42, Stammen is four years removed from a lengthy career as a relief pitcher in which he spent the final six seasons with the Padres. 

Thursday marks the first step in a long journey, but optimism always abounds on Opening Day. Here's everything you need to know about listening to Padres vs. Tigers.

Padres vs. Tigers radio coverage

• National radio channel: SiriusXM channel 89
• Padres radio channel: 97.3 The Fan 
• Tigers radio channel: WXYT 97.1 FM

Fans can listen to Padres vs. Tigers on the SiriusXM app or on channel 89 in vehicles for the Padres' call. Both teams' broadcasts are available to stream on the SiriusXM app or website.

San Diego's radio home is 97.3 The Fan, with Jesse Agler calling the action as he has since 2014 and Tony Gwynn Jr. serving as the main analyst. 

Tigers fans in the Detroit area can listen on the team's flagship radio station, 97.1 FM WXYT. Dan Dickerson remains the primary play-by-play announcer, a role he has held since 2000, with Bobby Scales and Andy Dirks rotating as analysts. 

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Padres vs. Tigers start time

• Date: Thursday, March 26
• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET | 1:10 p.m. PT

First pitch of Padres vs. Tigers on Thursday is at 4:10 p.m. ET. The game will be played at Petco Park in San Diego, California.

It's the second consecutive season opening on the West Coast for the Tigers, who dropped four of six at the Dodgers and Mariners to start 2025. The Tigers won two of three against the Padres last year, with their lone series played in Detroit in late April. 

MLB Opening Day radio schedule 2026

Thursday, March 26

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