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It’s October. It’s playoff baseball time.
In the National League, the two best teams in the regular season came from the NL West, as the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers battled for supremacy all year long. Ultimately, the Giants won the division and earned the top seed in the playoffs.
The two clubs couldn’t be more opposite. The Dodgers are the defending champions and loaded with star power all over the diamond, with the biggest payroll in baseball. Nobody is surprised to see L.A. in the postseason.
The Giants, on the other hand, went just 29-31 last year and missed the playoffs. They sit a more modest 10th in payroll but have been bolstered by career years from players like Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Mike Yastrzemski, and boast an excellent pitching staff and a lineup that finished second in baseball in home runs (240).
At the start of the season, the idea that two teams would reach the playoffs from the NL West wouldn’t have been a shock. But most pundits would have expected the San Diego Padres, not the Giants, to have joined the Dodgers come October.
Of course, the rest of the field in the National League won’t be impressed by the two NL West powers. The Milwaukee Brewers have basically been in cruise control since mid-September and are a major threat, with a super rotation, bullpen maestro Josh Hader and a lineup built around Luis Urias and Avisail Garcia.
If they can get Christian Yelich going, look out.
The Atlanta Braves, meanwhile, have been a model of resiliency, overcoming a season-ending injury to superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. and a number of other injuries to win their fourth straight NL East title. Not bad for a team that wasn’t even above .500 until Aug. 6. And the St. Louis Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in baseball, with a 17-game winning streak in September that came to an end this week.
In the American League, the drama was high in the wild-card chase, coming down to the final day of the season. Ultimately, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees got in, setting the stage for a wild-card matchup between two bitter rivals. More than a few folks at MLB headquarters must be salivating over the potential ratings for that showdown.
The favorites, however, will be the Tampa Bay Rays, who will be looking to return to the World Series after coming up short against the Dodgers last season. Not bad for a team with the fifth-lowest payroll in baseball. Career years from Brandon Lowe, Randy Arozarena and Mike Zunino helped. But the Rays have become one of the best-run franchises in baseball, if not all of professional sports.
The Houston Astros, meanwhile, are back in the postseason for the fifth straight season and the sixth time in seven years. The Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa era is going strong but may be nearing its end with the All-Star shortstop’s impending free agency. And led by Tim Anderson, 2020 AL MVP Jose Abreu and an excellent rotation, the Chicago White Sox are to be feared.
We’re in store for an exciting month. Below, you’ll find the full postseason schedule.
Wild Card Series (All Times ET)
Tuesday, Oct. 5
Yankees at Red Sox (8 p.m. on ESPN)
Wednesday, Oct. 6
Cardinals at Dodgers (8 p.m. on TBS)
Divisional Series
Thursday, Oct. 7
Game 1: White Sox at Astros (TBD)
Game 1: TBD at Rays (TBD)
Friday, Oct. 8
Game 2: White Sox at Astros (TBD)
Game 2: TBD at Rays (TBD)
Game 1: TBD at Giants (TBD on TBS)
Game 1: Braves at Brewers (TBD on TBS)
Saturday, Oct. 9
Game 2: TBD at Giants (TBD on TBS)
Game 2: Braves at Brewers (TBD on TBS)
Sunday, Oct. 10
Game 3: Astros at White Sox (TBD)
Game 3: Rays at TBD (TBD)
Monday, Oct. 11
*Game 4: Astros at White Sox (TBD)
*Game 4: Rays at TBD (TBD)
Game 3: Giants at TBD (TBD on TBS)
Game 3: Brewers at Braves (TBD on TBS)
Tuesday, Oct. 12
*Game 4: Giants at TBD (TBD on TBS)
*Game 4: Brewers at Braves (TBD on TBS)
Wednesday, Oct. 13
*Game 5: White Sox at Astros (TBD on FS1)
*Game 5: TBD at Rays (TBD on FS1)
Thursday, Oct. 14
*Game 5: TBD at Giants (TBD on TBS)
*Game 5: Braves at Brewers (TBD on TBS)
ALCS Schedule
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 15 on Fox (time TBD)
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 16 on Fox or FS1 (time TBD)
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 18 on FS1 (time TBD)
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 19 on FS1 (time TBD)
*Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 20 on FS1 (time TBD)
*Game 6: Friday, Oct. 22 on FS1 (time TBD)
*Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 23 on Fox or FS1 (time TBD)
NLCS Schedule
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 16 on TBS (time TBD)
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 17 on TBS (time TBD)
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 19 on TBS (time TBD)
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 20 on TBS (time TBD)
*Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 21 on TBS (time TBD)
*Game 6: Saturday, Oct. 23 on TBS (time TBD)
*Game 7: Sunday, Oct. 24 on TBS (time TBD)
World Series
Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 26 on Fox (time TBD)
Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 27 on Fox (time TBD)
Game 3: Friday, Oct. 29 on Fox (time TBD)
Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 30 on Fox (time TBD)
*Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 31 on Fox (time TBD)
*Game 6: Tuesday, Nov. 2 on Fox (time TBD)
*Game 7: Wednesday, Nov. 3 on Fox (time TBD)
* If necessary
