You're looking for Cardinals vs Reds in a city where neither team pulls a crowd. That means most sports bars won't put it on the main screen unless you ask early, and even then you're competing with whatever YES Network is running. The good news: midweek National League games usually mean empty stools and bartenders willing to flip a corner TV. The bad news: you need to know which rooms have MLB Extra Innings or the streaming package, and you need a backup if the first place is packed with a private event.
Karpo checks which bars are showing the game tonight, how crowded the room is before you commit to the trip, and whether the 3 train is running express or local when you're ready to leave.
The honest version of watching Cardinals vs Reds in New York
Start by assuming the game will not be on when you walk in. Call ahead or text the bar an hour before first pitch. Ask specifically if they carry the channel, not just "do you show baseball." If they hedge, move to the next place on your list. This is especially true in Crown Heights, where the sports bar density is lower than in Midtown and you don't want to burn thirty minutes on the 3 train only to find out they're showing the Mets on every screen.
The keyword here is Cardinals vs Reds, and if you're searching that in New York City, you're probably a transplant, a fantasy player, or someone with a specific rooting interest. That means you care about the score more than the atmosphere, and you want a place where you can hear the broadcast. Avoid anywhere that lists "DJ night" or "trivia" on the same evening—those rooms prioritize the event over the game audio, and you'll spend nine innings reading the closed captions.
Crown Heights to Midtown: picking your route by train time
If you're starting in Crown Heights, you have two practical routes. The first is to stay local and try the sports bars along Franklin Avenue or Nostrand, where you'll find a handful of places with flat-screens and a weeknight crowd that skews toward basketball but will tolerate baseball if the room isn't full. The advantage here is that you're ten minutes from home on the 2, 3, or 4. The disadvantage is limited screen inventory—if one bar says no, your fallback options thin out fast, and you may end up watching on your phone in a booth.
The second route is the 3 train to Midtown, where the density of sports bars gives you real options. You're looking at a forty-minute ride to Penn Station or Herald Square, but once you're there you have a dozen rooms within a six-block walk, and at least three will have MLB Extra Innings. This is the safer play if the game matters to you and you don't want to gamble on a single Crown Heights venue. The friction cost is the late-night 3 train, which can run local after 10 p.m. depending on maintenance schedules, turning your ride home into an hour-plus crawl.
Between those two, the decision comes down to how much you trust your first-choice bar. If you've been there before and they know you, stay local. If you're guessing, take the train to Midtown and give yourself options. The worst outcome is getting stuck in Crown Heights with no screen and no reasonable backup, forcing you onto the subway anyway but now you've lost the first two innings.
One note on Midtown timing: if you're aiming for a 7 p.m. first pitch, leave Crown Heights by 6:15 p.m. That gets you to Penn Station with enough buffer to walk into a bar, claim a seat, and ask for the channel before the national anthem. If you wait until 6:30 p.m., you're arriving mid-first-inning and the good sightline seats are gone.
What it costs you in time and money
A local Crown Heights sports bar will run you fifteen to twenty dollars if you're buying two beers and staying for three hours. You're not expected to order food, but if the place is quiet the bartender will appreciate it if you get an appetizer. Tipping on two beers and fries usually puts you at twenty-five dollars all in. If you take the Midtown route, assume the same drink cost but higher food prices—Midtown bars near Penn Station charge eighteen to twenty-two dollars for wings or nachos, and the beer list skews toward six- to eight-dollar drafts instead of four-dollar domestics.
Transit cost is $2.90 each way, so if you're going to Midtown and back you're at $5.80 in fares. If you stay in Crown Heights, you pay nothing beyond the initial subway ride to get to Franklin or Nostrand unless you're walking from another neighborhood. Factor in an extra ten dollars if you're planning to take a rideshare home after the game instead of waiting for the 3 train—late-night Crown Heights to Midtown rideshare rates run twelve to eighteen dollars depending on surge, and that's the smart move if the train is running local and you have work in the morning.
Time cost is harder to quantify but matters more. A local Crown Heights bar saves you ninety minutes of total commute time compared to Midtown. If the game goes into extra innings or you stay for the postgame recap, that ninety minutes is the difference between getting home at 11 p.m. versus 12:30 a.m. on a weeknight. If you're watching Cardinals vs Reds on a Tuesday in May, that probably tips the decision toward staying local unless you have a strong reason to prefer the Midtown experience.
What to confirm before you leave your apartment
Check the 3 train status on the MTA website or app before you commit to Midtown. If there's a service change or planned local-only service after 9 p.m., your ride home will take significantly longer, and you should either leave earlier or pick a Crown Heights bar instead. The MTA posts these changes by 5 p.m. on the day of, so you have time to adjust your plan.
Call your first-choice bar between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. and confirm they're showing the game. Ask which screen it'll be on—if they say "we can put it on a side TV," clarify whether that's a screen you can actually see from a barstool or if it's mounted in a corner where you'll be craning your neck all night. If the answer is vague, ask them to hold a seat or move to your second choice. This one phone call eliminates most of the risk in the plan.
If you're going to Midtown, write down two or three bar names and addresses before you leave. Don't rely on your phone to surface options when you're standing on Seventh Avenue at 6:45 p.m. The bars near Penn Station that reliably show out-of-market baseball include the big sports bar chains on 33rd Street and the smaller spots on Eighth Avenue between 34th and 37th. Confirm which ones are still operating—some turnover happens every year, and you don't want to walk into a closed storefront.
Bring a credit card and a MetroCard with at least two rides left on it. Don't assume the bar takes cash only, and don't assume your phone will have signal in the basement level of a Penn Station-adjacent building. If you're planning to stay for the full game, eat something before you go or plan to order food—three hours on two beers without food is a bad idea, and you'll feel it on the train home.
Finally, set a hard cutoff time for when you'll leave. If the game is tied in the tenth inning and it's already 11 p.m., decide in advance whether you're staying or going. The 3 train runs less frequently after 11:30 p.m., and the difference between catching the 11:20 p.m. and the 12:05 a.m. can be twenty minutes of platform time. If you're watching alone and the game doesn't matter for playoff standings, leave at the start of the tenth. If you're with a group or the game is critical, budget the extra time and accept the late night.
Practical notes
- Call ahead to confirm the bar has MLB Extra Innings or the streaming package that carries Cardinals vs Reds.
- Check MTA service changes for the 3 train before committing to a Midtown route—local service after 10 p.m. adds significant time.
- Budget $25–$35 for two beers and food if you're staying for a full nine innings.
- If you're drinking, plan your ride home in advance—late-night rideshare or a confirmed train schedule, not a guess.
- Midtown bars near Penn Station get crowded after 8 p.m. even on weeknights; arrive before first pitch to claim a seat with a sightline.
- Pace your drinking over three hours and eat something—responsible consumption and a safe trip home are non-negotiable.
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Sources consulted: MTA Service Changes · MLB Schedule
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Ask Karpo first
Text Karpo before you leave to confirm which sports bars in Crown Heights or near Penn Station are currently open and showing the game tonight. Ask for a live subway route that accounts for any service changes on the 3 train, and get a backup bar name in case your first choice is at capacity or not carrying the broadcast.
