NEW YORK — Say goodbye to Gary, Keith and Ron on select Friday nights.

Apple and Major League Baseball have agreed to a streaming deal that will feature a doubleheader of Friday night games exclusively on Apple TV+ beginning in 2022, the technology company announced on Tuesday. The multi-year agreement is worth $85 million annually over seven years, according to Forbes.

The “Friday Night Baseball” concept will include a weekly doubleheader with pregame and postgame shows as soon as the upcoming season begins. Similar to ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, Apple and MLB’s new agreement means local broadcasts, like SNY’s legendary announcing trio in Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, will be free from any responsibility on select Friday nights.

Apple TV+ will also feature a program called “MLB Big Inning,” a live show featuring highlights and look-ins airing every weeknight during the regular season, and a 24/7 stream with MLB content.

The Friday night games will be available to stream on the Apple TV app in the U.S. and other countries.

Baseball fans who are frustrated by MLB.TV’s blackout restrictions, and those who already have an Apple TV+ subscription, will enjoy the new steaming agreement.

But fans who are already overwhelmed by the amount of streaming services available today, and revel in their local broadcast announcers’ connection to the game, will detest Apple and MLB’s latest kinship. Monthly payments for yet another streaming service to watch baseball games is sure to disenchant a sector of MLB’s fan base.

Apple TV+ will join Youtube and Facebook as other streaming services that MLB has welcomed for live-game broadcasts in recent years. In doing so, MLB is watering down its own streaming options and further driving fans away from cable.

“Apple is the ideal partner to bring ‘Friday Night Baseball’ to fans around the world,” said Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer, in a Tuesday press release.

The holdup over a new collective bargaining agreement is centered around core economic issues. MLB owners are reluctant to meet the players’ requests for higher thresholds on the competitive balance tax, a pre-arbitration bonus pool and other financial topics. On Monday, Yankees president Randy Levine said, “Nobody’s crying poverty,” but “We need to be appropriate and proportional in how much money is out there so it’s realistic and not unrealistic.” On Tuesday, the highly lucrative Apple deal was announced. According to Forbes, MLB’s new agreement with Apple contributes to a 26% annual increase over the league’s previous national media deals.

MLBPA launches $500k fund for non-profits

The Major League Players Association will provide $500,000 to nonprofits impacted by the owners’ lockout, the union announced this week. The news arrived after the union last week launched a $1 million fund to support stadium workers and others who are facing financial hardship due to the lockout.

Specifically, the MLBPA’s $500,000 fund will support “qualifying nonprofits that provide youth development programs and services to young people throughout the spring training communities in Arizona and Florida, and have historically benefitted from spring training games through fundraising and promotional activities.”

Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded, and applications are open until 5 p.m. on March 31 for nonprofit organizations that meet eligibility requirements listed on the Player Trust’s Fastball Fund website.

MLB commits $1 million for stadium workers

Four days after the MLBPA announced its $1 million initiative to financially help stadium workers, MLB followed suit with a $1 million fund to support ballpark employees affected by missed spring training games.

MLB’s fund will be available to all part-time and seasonal workers, including concessionaires, grounds crew, security, clubhouse and general ballpark and game operators. The league said an additional fund will be created for seasonal and part-time workers affected by missed regular-season games with details to be announced at a future date.

“We know that our sport is facing a challenging time as we work toward a new collective bargaining agreement,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in a statement. “Regrettably, the people who make Spring Training a first-class experience for our fans have been affected through no fault of their own. As an institution, Major League Baseball and our Clubs remain committed to supporting our most vulnerable staff. We hope this fund will alleviate some of the financial concerns they have faced due to missed Grapefruit and Cactus League games this spring.”

A chunk of spring training games have already been canceled because MLB locked out the players on Dec. 2. Manfred last week postponed opening day indefinitely and canceled the first week of regular season games. With the lockout passing its 98th day, players and owners have continued labor talks this week, and MLB has proposed a scenario where the full 162-game schedule can still be played this season if a deal is reached within an immediate time frame.