MLB Wild Card round: Full schedule, key matchups and more
After a 162-game marathon, the MLB postseason is finally upon us. And it gets started with a bang: three days, four best-of-three Wild Card matchups across the AL and NL. Some of the biggest names and teams in the game will be battling for the chance to keep their World Series dreams alive for one more round, and recent history has shown us that anything can and will happen in short series like this.
How can you catch all the action? Here's everything you need to know ahead of first pitch on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
MLB Wild Card Round: Every game and start time
The complete broadcast schedule for all four Wild Card series has already been set. We're in for four games a day on Tuesday and Wednesday, with each Game 3 scheduled for Thursday if necessary. Full dates, times and TV channels are below.
Date | Matchup | Game | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tue, Oct. 1 | Tigers @ Astros | Game 1 | 2:32 p.m. | ABC |
Tue, Oct. 1 | Royals @ Orioles | Game 1 | 4:08 p.m. | ESPN2 |
Tue, Oct. 1 | Mets @ Brewers | Game 1 | 5:32 p.m. | ESPN |
Tue, Oct. 1 | Braves @ Padres | Game 1 | 8:38 p.m. | ESPN |
Wed, Oct. 2 | Tigers @ Astros | Game 2 | 2:32 p.m. | ABC |
Wed, Oct. 2 | Royals @ Orioles | Game 2 | 4:38 p.m. | ESPN |
Wed, Oct. 2 | Mets @ Brewers | Game 2 | 7:38 p.m. | ESPN |
Wed, Oct. 2 | Braves @ Padres | Game 2 | 8:38 p.m. | ESPN2 |
Thu, Oct. 3 | Tigers @ Astros | Game 3* | 2:32 p.m. | ABC |
Thu, Oct. 3 | Royals @ Orioles | Game 3* | 4:08 p.m. | ESPN |
Thu, Oct. 3 | Braves @ Padres | Game 3* | 7:08 p.m. | ESPN |
Thu, Oct. 3 | Mets @ Brewers | Game 3* | 8:38 p.m. | ESPN2 |
(*If necessary)
How to watch every Wild Card game
Every game of the Wild Card Round will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. All three games of Tigers-Astros will be on ABC; Mets-Brewers will be on ESPN for Games 1 and 2 before switching to ESPN2 for a potential Game 3; Royals-Orioles will be on ESPN2 for Game 1 before switching to ESPN for Games 2 and 3; and Braves-Padres will be on ESPN for Game 1, ESPN2 for Game 2 and back to ESPN again for Game 3.
If you're looking to stream any of the action online, you can do so via Watch ESPN, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Fubo or MLB.tv. (Though keep in mind that certain blackout restrictions may apply with MLB.tv due to the league's blackout policy.)
Top Wild Card Round matchups to watch
Man, where to start? It's a battle of old friends in the American League as former Astros manager A.J. Hinch leads his Gritty Tigs into Houston for a matchup against the Astros. Presumptive AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is among the very best pitchers in the sport right now, and watching him take on this star-studded Astros lineup in Game 1 will be appointment television. The other AL series, meanwhile, features MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. making his postseason debut against an Orioles squad overflowing with young talent like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman.
On the National League side, the New York Mets look to keep the momentum rolling after punching their postseason ticket in thrilling fashion on Monday in Atlanta. Of course, that saga also leaves New York's pitching a bit thin; can Francisco Lindor and Co. do enough damage to keep up with a rollicking Milwaukee Brewers team that finished second in the Majors in steals this season and boasts a budding superstar in rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio? Elsewhere in the NL bracket, the Braves will be without Chris Sale (injury) and Spencer Schwellenbach (pitched Monday) as they head west to take on Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and the Padres. With Dylan Cease, Joe Musgrove and Michael King, San Diego has the top-end rotation talent to make a real run in October.
What to expect if a Wild Card Series goes to Game 3
Depending on what happens on Tuesday and Wednesday, some or even all four Wild Card series could head to a decisive Game 3. Broadcast times will remain unchanged — the Game 3 start times above are set in stone — but it could have a major impact on teams' pitching staffs and what they might have left should they advance to the Divisional Round.
What happens after the Wild Card Round?
The two teams that emerge from each league's Wild Card series will move on to the Divisional Round, where the top two seeds will be waiting after enjoying a few days off. The top seed in each league will face the lowest seed of the two Wild Card winners, while the No. 2 seed will face the higher seed of the two.
Earning a bye into the Divisional Round is certainly an advantage, in terms of both resting any injured players and lining up pitching rotations. But it might not be as big of an edge as you'd think. Just look back to last year, when three of the four top-two seeds (the Dodgers, Phillies and Orioles) were all knocked out in the Divisional Round by teams that had picked up momentum with wins in their Wild Card series. (And two of those Wild Card teams, the Rangers and D-Backs, rode that momentum all the way to the World Series.) Every team would take the extra rest if given the choice, but it just goes to show that anything can happen in a short series.
Wild Card Round start times and time zones
While the full schedule above is listed in Eastern Time, below is a list of start times for each series that notes relevant time-zone changes for each fan base.
Astros-Tigers
- Game 1: 2:32 p.m. ET/1:32 p.m. CT
- Game 2: 2:32 p.m. ET/1:32 p.m. CT
- Game 3: 2:32 p.m. ET/1:32 p.m. CT
Orioles-Royals
- Game 1: 4:08 p.m. ET/3:08 p.m. CT
- Game 2: 4:38 p.m. ET/3:38 p.m. CT
- Game 3: 4:08 p.m. ET/3:08 p.m. CT
Brewers-Mets
- Game 1: 5:32 p.m. ET/4:32 p.m. CT
- Game 2: 7:38 p.m. ET/6:38 p.m. CT
- Game 3: 8:38 p.m. ET/7:38 p.m. CT
Padres-Braves
- Game 1: 8:38 p.m. ET/5:38 p.m. PT
- Game 2: 8:38 p.m. ET/5:38 p.m. PT
- Game 3: 7:08 p.m. ET/4:08 p.m. PT
Potential Division Series Matchups for Wild Card Winners
Exact Divisional Round matchups depend on the full results of each Wild Card series, but we can make some educated guesses.
Should the No. 3-seed Astros beat the Tigers, they would be locked into a matchup against the second-seeded Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS, with the winner of Orioles-Royals moving on to face the Yankees — two potentially juicy matchups, considering the AL East rivalry between Baltimore and New York and the MVP race between Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. If the sixth-seeded Tigers pull the upset in Houston, they would be the ones taking on New York in the ALDS, with the winner of Orioles-Royals taking on the Guardians instead. The O's had an identical run differential to Cleveland this season, while Kansas City won the season series with its AL Central rival, meaning the Guardians could be on upset alert against either.
In the National League, the bracket hinges on what happens in the series between the third-seeded Brewers and the sixth-seeded Mets. If Milwaukee wins, it would move on to face the second-seeded Philadelphia Phillies (featuring an emotional reunion between Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins and his former team). The winner of Padres-Braves, meanwhile, would draw the top-seeded Dodgers in the NLDS, two matchups with a ton of recent postseason history behind them. If New York pulls the upset, the Mets would head west for a blockbuster NLDS against the top-seeded Dodgers, with the winner of Padres-Braves taking on the Phillies instead. Given how the last couple of Division Series matchups have ended between the two, we're guessing that Philly would be just fine welcoming Atlanta back to Citizens Bank Park.
feed