Technologies
World Baseball Classic 2023: How to Watch USA vs. Japan Tonight From Anywhere
Japan and the US face off tonight in the WBC final on FS1.
Japan won its semifinal game against Mexico in the World Baseball Classic last night in thrilling fashion, coming back from three runs down and punching its ticket to the final with a walk-off, two-run double by Munetaka Murakami, the current home run champion of Nippon Professional Baseball. The US had an easier time in its semifinal game on Sunday, cruising to a 14-2 victory against Cuba behind four innings of one-run ball each by Adam Wainwright and Miles Mikolas, and four RBIs apiece from Paul Goldschmidt and Trea Turner.
It sets up a titanic clash of baseball powers tonight in Miami for the championship game of the World Baseball Classic. The US is the defending champion, winning the last WBC tournament in 2017, and Japan is the only two-time WBC winner with back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2009. Lefty Shota Imanaga will start on the mound for Japan with MLB All-Stars Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani available in relief. The US will give the ball to Merrill Kelly, a right-hander who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks. If Ohtani enters the game in relief, he could face Mike Trout, his Los Angeles Angels teammate.
First pitch for the US-Japan game is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) on FS1. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the WBC final, with or without cable.


Mike Trout and Team USA will take on Japan tonight in the championship of the World Baseball Classic.
Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos/Getty ImagesWhat are the projected starting lineups for the WBC final?
This was the lineup USA used against Cuba and its southpaw starter:
- Mookie Betts, RF
- Mike Trout, CF
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
- Nolan Arenado, 3B
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Will Smith, C
- Pete Alonso, DH
- Tim Anderson, 2B
- Trea Turner, SS
Most of the spots are set, but we could see Kyle Tucker in left field in place of Schwarber or J.T. Realmuto behind the plate instead of Smith.
Japan has had success with this lineup throughout the tournament:
- Lars Nootbaar, CF
- Kensuke Kondoh, RF
- Shohei Ohtani, DH
- Masataka Yoshida, LF
- Munetaka Murakami, 3B
- Kazuma Okamoto, 1B
- Tetsuto Yamada, 2B
- Sosuke Genda, SS
- Yuhei Nakamura, C
How can I watch the World Baseball Classic?
You can watch the WBC final on FS1 and Fox Deportes with a live TV streaming service, but keep in mind that not every service carries every network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries Fox in your area.
Games can also be streamed live online through FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app, but you’ll need to authenticate with a cable, streaming or satellite login.
Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
You can watch the WBC live at FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app, but you need to authenticate with a cable, streaming or satellite login. Fox Sports has apps for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV and Xbox.
Sling/CNET
Sling’s $40-a-month Blue package includes FS1 but it does not offer Fox Deportes. Read our Sling TV review.
YouTube TV now costs $73 a month ($63 for your first three months) and includes FS1, but not Fox Deportes. Read our YouTube TV review.
Fubo TV
FuboTV’s basic plan costs $75 a month and includes FS1. To watch the Spanish-language broadcast on Fox Deportes, you will need to spring for FuboTV’s $86-a-month plan. Click here to see which local channels you get. Read our FuboTV review.
Hulu
Hulu with Live TV costs $70 a month and includes Fox and FS1. Click the «View channels in your area» link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code. Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
Directv stream
DirecTV Stream’s basic, $75-a-month package includes FS1. Fox Deportes is not offered. Read our DirecTV Stream review.
How to use a VPN to watch the WBC from anywhere
If you’re traveling outside your home country and want to watch the WBC, or just want an added layer of privacy for streaming, there is an option that doesn’t require searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a VPN, or virtual private network.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to WBC broadcasts, which comes in handy if you find yourself unable to view the games locally. A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
If you can’t find a convenient opportunity to watch the WBC where you live, using a VPN with a US-based server should provide access to some or all of the streaming options listed below. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, as long as you’ve got a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions. See our list of best VPNs for more and check out other great VPN deals taking place right now.
Sarah Tew/CNET
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription. Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Quick tips for streaming the WBC using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — experience and success may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the «search for city or country» option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
Technologies
Spotify Brings Wrapped Energy Year-Round With Friend-Sharing Stats
The music service introduced new ways for music nerds to share their listening habits with friends.
It can be a long wait for Spotify Wrapped, the end-of-year promotion that allows Spotify users to view and share their listening habits. Now, users can keep an eye on those stats daily, plus share their listening habits with friends.
You can view your Spotify usage statistics every 24 hours and share your updates via social media services, such as Instagram Notes or Spotify Messages. The new share icon gives you access to eight different services where you can post your stats.
Every week, you’ll get updates on your top artists and songs from the past month, and Spotify will recommend new playlists. The app also gives you a «special highlight» based on a specific artist or song.
To access your personal musical data, click on your profile in the top left corner of the app and scroll down to «listening stats.»
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
The new features are somewhat similar to Spotify Wrapped, the service’s annual end-of-year review of users’ listening habits, which is designed to be shared. Every year, Spotify adds extra details to Wrapped, such as assigning users a listening personality or a city that supposedly reflects their music tastes. It’s been the most popular way for Spotify users to view and share their music listening in the past. A number of third-party services do the same thing, including Volt.fm.
Read more: Best Music Streaming Services
Spotify is the world’s largest music streaming service, offering 100 million tracks and serving more than 713 million users. In addition to its $12-per-month subscription service, Spotify also offers a free, ad-supported option.
Technologies
Wordle Gets Personal: You Can Now Make and Share Your Own Puzzles
If you’re a Wordle obsessive, you can now make your own inside joke puzzles to send to friends.
Wordle’s an immensely popular New York Times word game (we post the answers daily), but it’s not the most personal game in the world. Answers such as GUISE and PERIL are tricky, but generic. Now, Wordle fans who have ever dreamed of making their own puzzles can test their friends and family by creating their own Wordle creations up to seven letters in length.
No surprise, you have to be a New York Times Games or All Access Subscriber to use this feature. If you are, you’ll find the Create a Puzzle option available from the top menu above today’s Wordle. While you must be a subscriber to create your own personalized puzzle, you can share it with anyone — they only need the link, not a subscription, to complete your Wordle.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
Enter a word, and the site will tell you if it is available. Real Wordle limits you to five-letter words, but the puzzle-making feature lets you choose words between 4 and 7 letters.
The usual dictionary rules apply, and so curse words, some pet names, and obscure inside jokes are essentially out. If your cat is named TANGO, that’s there, but RINGO is not an option. You can drop a proposal with a single word like MARRY, but MARRYME will get rejected since that’s two separate words.
Word chosen, you can then fill out your name and add an optional hint, and the feature will generate your puzzle with a link you can send around. Unlike standard puzzles, your puzzle doesn’t appear to reset after a day, so whoever you send it to doesn’t need to rush to solve it.
Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Nov. 8, #411
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle No. 411 for Saturday, Nov. 8.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tricky one. The theme of the purple category is also a word hidden among the answers, but of course, it doesn’t end up in the purple group. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Brawl.
Green group hint: The Steel City.
Blue group hint: They once played in Oakland.
Purple group hint: Not always made of cardboard.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Fight.
Green group: A Pittsburgh athlete.
Blue group: Parts of the Las Vegas Raiders’ logo.
Purple group: ____ box.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is fight. The four answers are box, duke, scrap and spar.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is a Pittsburgh athlete. The four answers are Panther, Penguin, Pirate and Steeler.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is parts of the Las Vegas Raiders’ logo. The four answers are eye patch, helmet, shield and swords.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ___ box. The four answers are batter’s, luxury, penalty and press.
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