October is here! Here’s how the 2026 MLB playoffs shape up, with matchups that promise to be explosive
Por Carlos Rodríguez ·
The stage is set for October: the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season has come to an end, and the 12 teams that will compete in the MLB playoffs have been determined, with four Wild Card Series set to begin this Tuesday, September 29, paving the way to the World Series.
In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays finished as the top seed and the Cleveland Guardians as the second seed, so both advanced directly to the Division Series. The Houston Astros, champions of the West, finished third and will host the Chicago White Sox, while the New York Yankees, the fourth seed, will face off against the Boston Red Sox in one of the most exciting matchups. The American League matchups will be White Sox vs. Astros and Red Sox vs. Yankees. Tampa Bay awaits the winner of the historic rivalry between New York and Boston, while Cleveland will face the winner of the Houston-Chicago series.
The Dodgers and Brewers are waiting to find out who they’ll face
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers secured the top seed and the Los Angeles Dodgers the second.
Both will avoid the wild card round.
The Atlanta Braves finished third and will host the Philadelphia Phillies, while the San Diego Padres, who finished fourth, will host the Chicago Cubs.
The Phillies clinched the last available spot in the National League on the final day of the regular season by defeating Tampa Bay 7-3, eliminating the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Houston, for its part, clinched the American League West title after the Texas Rangers lost to the Minnesota Twins.
The Wild Card Series is a best-of-three series, with all games played at the higher-seeded team’s home stadium (Filed under: 2026 MLB Playoffs).
Wild Card Schedule in the United States
On Tuesday, September 29, and Wednesday, September 30, the same four matchups will be played:
Phillies vs. Braves at 2:00 p.m. ET; White Sox vs. Astros at 5:00 p.m. ET; Red Sox vs. Yankees at 8:00 p.m. ET; and Cubs vs. Padres at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Any potential third games will be played on Thursday, October 1.
MLB notes that the schedule for that day may change depending on how many series require a decisive game.
For Hispanic fans in the United States, there’s some important news:
The Wild Card Series will be available in Spanish on Universo, while Univision Radio will provide audio coverage in Spanish.
In English, the games will be broadcast on NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Network (Filed under: 2026 MLB Playoffs).
The schedule for the 2026 World Series has been set
Following the Wild Card games, the Division Series will begin on October 3.
The Championship Series are scheduled to begin on October 11 in the National League and on October 12 in the American League.
Game 1 of the 2026 World Series is scheduled for Friday, October 23 (Filed under: 2026 MLB Playoffs).
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