MLB Wild Card Series Begins Tuesday; Red Sox Visit Yankees in Rematch
The short version
- The Wild Card Series runs Tuesday through Thursday, and the higher seed hosts every game.
- Aaron Judge is questionable for New York with a right calf strain after a broken rib cost him over three months.
- AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler starts Game 1 for the Yankees following a 1.95 ERA season.
- The Dodgers (+210) are World Series favorites; Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee and the Dodgers hold Division Series byes.
- Houston won the AL West at 81-81, and Chicago reached the playoffs after back-to-back 100-loss seasons.
Four best-of-three series open the MLB postseason Tuesday, with Red Sox-Yankees, White Sox-Astros, Phillies-Braves and Cubs-Padres deciding who advances.
Major League Baseball's postseason opens Tuesday, and four best-of-three Wild Card Series run through Thursday. The American League sends the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox to the Houston Astros. In the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies meet the Atlanta Braves, and the Chicago Cubs face the San Diego Padres.
Four clubs bypass the opening round: the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays from the American League, plus the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers from the National League. All advance directly to the Division Series and get nearly a week off following the 162-game regular season. The Dodgers, winners of the past two World Series, are +210 betting favorites to add another title, ahead of Milwaukee (+550), Tampa Bay (+800) and the Yankees (+800).
Boston and New York meet in this round for a second consecutive season. The Yankees took last year's series, 2-1, behind a standout Game 3 from Cam Schlittler, now among baseball's premier arms and the probable AL Cy Young winner after a 1.95 ERA. Schlittler starts Game 1. Aaron Judge's status is less certain: a right calf strain kept the three-time MVP out of the final week, a broken rib had already cost him more than three months, and his availability is unclear. Games 1 and 2 start at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Boston's place in the field is itself a surprise. The club sat 32-46 and 15 1/2 games behind in the AL East on June 24, having already dismissed manager Alex Cora in April. Successor Chad Tracy began as the interim choice and recently landed the job full-time.
No team had ever reached the playoffs immediately after successive 100-loss seasons until these White Sox. Chicago's offense centers on Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery, though Murakami and Montgomery have slumped lately. Houston finished 81-81 yet claimed a fifth AL West title in six years after once sitting 11 games under .500 and firing its general manager in August. Yordan Alvarez, the AL MVP favorite, powers the Astros' lineup. Games 1 and 2 begin at 5 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN.
Atlanta is a postseason fixture, with left-handed ace Chris Sale topping the rotation and Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, Ronald Acuna Jr., Drake Baldwin and Ozzie Albies filling the lineup. Philadelphia clinched on the regular season's final day after a late fade but arrives with Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and one of the game's top starting rotations. The Phillies and Braves play at 2 p.m. ET Tuesday and Wednesday on NBC and Peacock.
San Diego is playing into October for a third consecutive year after a strong finish powered by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill, pairing steady starting pitching with a top bullpen anchored by closer Mason Miller. The Cubs counter with NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong, who posted 45 home runs and a .943 OPS, and third baseman Alex Bregman, back a week after being struck in the face by a ball while on deck. Games 1 and 2 start at 10 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN.
Twelve teams reach October, six per league. Division winners draw seeds 1-3 by record and wild cards 4-6, and the two best records in each league advance straight into the best-of-five Division Series. Everyone else meets in a best-of-three set, No. 6 visiting No. 3 and No. 5 visiting No. 4, with the higher seed hosting every game. The Division Series runs Oct. 3-10 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1), the League Championship Series Oct. 11-20 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1) and the World Series Oct. 23-31 on FOX. If-necessary Game 3s come Thursday on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN.
Next on the calendar: the Chicago White Sox visit the Houston Astros on Tuesday, September 29, at 5:00 PM EDT at Daikin Park, with coverage on Peacock and NBCSN.
Games to watch
