MLB Playoffs 2026: Schedule, Bracket and How to Watch

The Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. Chicago swept the AL West champion Astros in Houston (6-3, 7-3), the Yankees swept the Red Sox (9-0, 9-2), the Padres swept the Cubs (8-0, 4-1), and Atlanta beat the Phillies 2-1 after dropping Game 2 (5-3, 3-4, 6-2). Three of the four higher seeds advanced; Houston was the exception. Sources: MLB, ESPN.

ALDS: the Rays swept the Yankees 3-0 (1-0, 5-2, 4-3), and the Guardians beat the White Sox 3-2: Chicago won the first two in Cleveland (3-0, 4-3), Cleveland answered 9-3 and 9-5 in Chicago, then won Game 5 2-0 on Saturday, October 10. NLDS: the Dodgers beat the Braves 3-1 (5-3, 2-3, 3-1, 4-1) and the Brewers beat the Padres 3-1 (3-2, 4-3, 3-4, 3-1). Sources: MLB, ESPN.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee, the NL No. 1 seed and the best record in baseball (103-59), beat San Diego 3-1; Los Angeles, the No. 2 seed, beat Atlanta 3-1. Milwaukee swept the series 4-0: 2-1 and 7-4 at home on October 11 and 12, then 6-2 and 6-4 at Dodger Stadium on October 14 and 15. Games 5 to 7 were not needed. Sources: MLB, ESPN, AP.

The Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 and clinched on Thursday, October 15 with a 6-4 win at Dodger Stadium. It is Milwaukee's first National League pennant and its first trip to the World Series since 1982. According to AP, the Brewers are the first MLB club to sweep a postseason series against the team that swept it the previous postseason (the Dodgers beat them 4-0 in the 2025 NLCS), and the first to sweep a best-of-seven series after trailing in every game. Sources: AP, MLB, CBS Sports.

Jake Bauers, Milwaukee's first baseman. He went 4 for 14 with six RBIs: a 12-pitch walk that helped knock out Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, the go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning of Game 3, and a two-run double in Game 4, plus a bases-loaded walk that tied that game. He is the first LCS MVP in Brewers history. Bauers, who has played for seven organizations, nearly retired after 2023; in 2026 he hit 26 homers with 86 RBIs. Sources: CBS Sports, AP.

The Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-2 and clinched with a 7-3 win in Game 6 on Monday, October 19 at Tropicana Field. It is the Rays' third American League pennant (after 2008 and 2020) in the franchise's 29 seasons and their first since 2020. The series went Guardians 7-3, Rays 3-1, Guardians 3-2, then three straight Tampa Bay wins: 7-3, 3-1 and 7-3. The loss extended Cleveland's World Series drought to 78 years; its last title came in 1948. Sources: ESPN, MLB, AP.

Rays 7, Guardians 3, Monday, October 19 at Tropicana Field, in front of a sellout crowd of 40,230. Cleveland used a bullpen game opened by Shawn Armstrong. Richie Palacios hit a two-out, two-run double in the second and Jonny DeLuca added a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the third. Freddy Peralta allowed one run on five hits in 5 1/3 innings (three walks, three strikeouts, 84 pitches): Nathaniel Lowe's RBI single in the sixth ended his night. Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz each hit a two-run homer, Cleveland scored twice in the eighth, and Bryan Baker closed it out. Sources: ESPN, Yahoo Sports, AP.

Freddy Peralta, the Rays right-hander. He went 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA, allowing one run in 12 innings over three appearances: six scoreless innings in Game 2, two key outs in relief in Game 4 (he retired Steven Kwan and Chase DeLauter with the tying run on base in the sixth), and 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball in the Game 6 clincher. He pitched in three of Tampa Bay's four wins. Peralta spent 2018 to 2025 with Milwaukee, was traded to the Mets in January 2026, then to the Rays on August 2, so he now faces his former team in the World Series. More on his [profile page](/en/people/freddy-peralta/). Sources: ESPN, CBS Sports, AP.

Two teams: the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays, who meet in the World Series starting Friday, October 23 in Milwaukee. The other ten playoff teams are out; the last two eliminated were the Dodgers, swept in the NLCS on October 15, and the Guardians, beaten 4-2 in the ALCS on October 19. Neither finalist has ever won the World Series. Sources: MLB, ESPN.

Brewers 6, Dodgers 4, Thursday, October 15 at Dodger Stadium, in front of 49,104. Los Angeles scored four in the second, including Shohei Ohtani's three-run homer, his first of the postseason, and Tyler Glasnow retired the first 10 Brewers. Milwaukee got two back in the fourth on ground-rule doubles by William Contreras and Jake Bauers, then tied it in the fifth as the Dodgers' bullpen walked four: a David Hamilton single and a bases-loaded walk to Bauers. Garrett Mitchell hit a 409-foot go-ahead homer off Tanner Scott in the sixth, and Hamilton added a solo shot off Edwin Díaz in the ninth. JoJo Romero got the win and Aaron Ashby threw three scoreless innings for the save. Source: AP.

From Sunday, October 11 to Thursday, October 15, and it lasted the minimum four games. Game 1: Brewers 2-1 (October 11, American Family Field). Game 2: Brewers 7-4 (October 12, Milwaukee). Game 3: Brewers 6-2 (Wednesday, October 14, Dodger Stadium). Game 4: Brewers 6-4 (Thursday, October 15, Dodger Stadium). The scheduled Games 5 to 7, from October 16 to 19, were cancelled. Every game aired on FOX or FS1, with FOX Deportes in Spanish. Sources: MLB, AP, NBC Sports.

On Monday, October 19, in Game 6, one game short of the maximum. It started on Monday, October 12 at Tropicana Field. Results: Game 1 Guardians 7-3 (October 12) and Game 2 Rays 3-1 (October 13) in St. Petersburg; Game 3 Guardians 3-2 (Thursday, October 15, moved up five hours to the afternoon because of the forecast), Game 4 Rays 7-3 (Saturday, October 17, after a rainout on Friday) and Game 5 Rays 3-1 (Sunday, October 18) at Progressive Field; Game 6 Rays 7-3 (Monday, October 19, first pitch 8:08 p.m. ET) back at Tropicana Field. Game 7, scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, was not needed. TV was TBS, truTV and HBO Max, with UniMas in Spanish. Sources: MLB, ESPN, NBC Sports.

The Cleveland Guardians, who reached the ALCS by winning ALDS Game 5 2-0 over the Chicago White Sox on October 10 after trailing that series 2-0. Cleveland won ALCS Game 1 7-3 at Tropicana Field and led 2-1 after Game 3, but Tampa Bay won the last three games (7-3, 3-1, 7-3) to take the series 4-2 on October 19. The Rays now face Milwaukee in the World Series. Sources: MLB, ESPN, AP.

Brewers 2, Dodgers 1, Sunday, October 11 at American Family Field. Andy Pages put Los Angeles ahead with an RBI single in the second; Brice Turang tied it with a leadoff homer off Tarik Skubal in the fourth, and Luis Lara singled home Garrett Mitchell for the go-ahead run in the fifth. Jacob Misiorowski gave up one run in 4 1/3 innings, then the bullpen shut the Dodgers out: DL Hall got the win and Trevor Megill the save. Milwaukee played without Christian Yelich. Sources: ESPN, FOX Sports, MLB.

Brewers 7, Dodgers 4, Monday, October 12 in Milwaukee. The Dodgers took the lead three times in the first five innings and Milwaukee answered each time. Yoshinobu Yamamoto lasted only 2 2/3 innings, his shortest postseason start. William Contreras tied it 4-4 with a 436-foot homer off Kris Bubic in the fifth and singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth; Turang and Jake Bauers added RBI singles in the eighth. Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby retired the last 15 Dodgers in order. It is the first 2-0 lead in a championship series in Brewers history. Sources: AP, ESPN, CBS Sports.

Guardians 7, Rays 3, Monday, October 12 at Tropicana Field, in front of 35,361. Tampa Bay led 2-0 from the first inning on RBI singles by Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca. Chase DeLauter homered in the sixth and Patrick Bailey tied it with a 436-foot shot in the seventh, chasing Drew Rasmussen. Nathaniel Lowe hit a two-run single in the eighth, Cedric Mullins answered with a solo homer, and Cleveland put it away with three runs in the ninth, including a two-run double by Jo Adell. Five relievers followed starter Foster Griffin; Cade Smith threw a perfect ninth. Sources: AP, ESPN, NBC News.

The Tampa Bay Rays won the ALCS 4-2 over the Cleveland Guardians. The teams alternated wins for the first four games: Cleveland won Game 1 (7-3) and Game 3 (3-2), Tampa Bay Game 2 (3-1) and Game 4 (7-3). The Rays then won Game 5 3-1 in Cleveland on October 18 and Game 6 7-3 at home on Monday, October 19, to reach their third World Series and first since 2020. Sources: MLB, ESPN, NBC Sports.

2-0 at Progressive Field on Saturday, October 10. José Ramírez hit a two-run homer in the fourth off Sean Burke, and Gavin Williams struck out 12 in 5 2/3 innings, tying a franchise postseason record. The White Sox struck out 21 times, the most ever in a nine-inning postseason game, and 75 times in the series. Cleveland became only the 11th team to win a best-of-five series after losing the first two games. Sources: AP, Chicago Sun-Times, MLB.

Rays 3, Guardians 1, Tuesday, October 13 at Tropicana Field, which evened the series 1-1. Freddy Peralta threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits with six strikeouts, and topped out at 99.4 mph, the hardest pitch of his career. All three Tampa Bay runs came in the fourth: a replay review overturned a double play on Victor Mesa Jr., Ben Williamson's grounder went through José Ramírez's legs, and Liam Hicks hit a two-run single. Cleveland rookie Parker Messick gave up three unearned runs in five innings. Sources: MLB, FOX Sports.

Guardians 3, Rays 2, Thursday, October 15 at Progressive Field, for a 2-1 series lead. The game was moved up five hours to the afternoon to get ahead of bad weather. With the score 2-2, Petey Halpin hit a two-run homer in the fifth, 385 feet to right-center off Griffin Jax, his first postseason homer. Gavin Williams allowed two runs with nine strikeouts in five innings and Cade Smith got the last four outs for the save. Sources: NBC Sports, theScore, MLB.

Rays 7, Guardians 3, Saturday, October 17 at Progressive Field, which tied the series 2-2. The game was scheduled for Friday, October 16 but was postponed by heavy rain, which pushed Game 5 to Sunday, a planned off day. Starter Nick Martinez allowed one run on two hits in 5 1/3 innings. In the seventh, Chase DeLauter misplayed Jonathan Aranda's single in right field and two runs scored, and Yandy Díaz hit a two-run homer in the ninth. Aranda, Díaz and Junior Caminero went a combined 6 for 14 with five RBIs. Sources: ESPN, theScore, MLB.

Rays 3, Guardians 1, Sunday, October 18 at Progressive Field, for a 3-2 series lead. Drew Rasmussen, who had been chased in Game 1, allowed one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings, with six strikeouts on 95 pitches. Tampa Bay scored once in each of the first three innings: Yandy Díaz doubled and scored on a bases-loaded walk to Jonny DeLuca, Jonathan Aranda singled home Ben Williamson, and Liam Hicks singled home Chandler Simpson. Cleveland's only run came on a Chase DeLauter groundout, and Bryan Baker finished the game. Sources: MLB, ESPN, NBC Sports.

Monday, October 19 at 8:08 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, on TBS, truTV and HBO Max, with UniMas in Spanish. [Freddy Peralta](/en/people/freddy-peralta/), who threw six scoreless innings in Game 2, started for Tampa Bay and Cleveland went with a bullpen game opened by Shawn Armstrong, since Gavin Williams was not available on short rest. The Rays won 7-3 and clinched the pennant, so Game 7, scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, was not played. Sources: MLB, ESPN, NBC Sports.

Brewers 6, Dodgers 2, Wednesday, October 14 at Dodger Stadium, for a 3-0 series lead. Los Angeles went ahead 2-1 in the sixth on a two-run double by Will Smith. In the seventh, Jake Bauers won an 11-pitch at-bat against Blake Snell with a 412-foot, two-run homer to right, and Garrett Mitchell followed with a solo shot, back to back. Milwaukee added a run in the eighth and another in the ninth. Sources: AP, NBC Sports.

Twice now: in 1982 and in 2026. In 1982 they were still an American League team and lost the World Series in seven games to St. Louis. By sweeping the Dodgers in the 2026 NLCS, Milwaukee won its first National League pennant, 28 years after moving leagues in 1998, and the second pennant in franchise history. As owners of the best record in baseball (103-59), the Brewers have home field against the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series, which opens in Milwaukee on October 23. Sources: AP, MLB.

Yes. New York swept Boston in the Wild Card Series, then was swept 3-0 by the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, losing all three games by a combined five runs: 1-0, 5-2 and 4-3. Sources: MLB, ESPN.

No. Los Angeles won the 2024 and 2025 World Series, but was swept 4-0 by Milwaukee in the 2026 NLCS (2-1, 7-4, 2-6 and 4-6), ending the bid on October 15 at Dodger Stadium. It is a reversal of 2025, when the Dodgers swept the Brewers in the NLCS. A third straight title would have been the first since the 1998-2000 Yankees and the first ever by a National League team. Manager Dave Roberts pointed to an aging roster after the elimination. More on our [World Series 2026](/en/world-series-2026/) page. Sources: AP, MLB, ESPN.

They started on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, two days after the regular season ended on Sunday, September 27. The Wild Card Series ran September 29 to October 1, and the Division Series opened on Saturday, October 3. The League Championship Series began on October 11 (NLCS) and October 12 (ALCS). Sources: MLB, NBC Sports.

The final 12. American League: Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox. National League: Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. As of October 20, two are left: the Brewers and the Rays, who meet in the World Series from October 23. The Guardians were the last team eliminated, beaten 4-2 in the ALCS on October 19. Sources: MLB, ESPN.

Final seeds. AL: 1 Rays, 2 Guardians, 3 Astros (AL West champions), 4 Yankees, 5 Red Sox, 6 White Sox. NL: 1 Brewers (best record in baseball), 2 Dodgers, 3 Braves, 4 Padres, 5 Cubs, 6 Phillies. Wild Card winners: White Sox, Yankees, Braves, Padres. Division Series: Rays over Yankees (3-0), Guardians over White Sox (3-2), Brewers over Padres (3-1), Dodgers over Braves (3-1). LCS: Brewers over Dodgers (4-0), Rays over Guardians (4-2). World Series: Brewers vs Rays, from October 23, Milwaukee with home field. Sources: MLB, ESPN.

The Tampa Bay Rays (AL No. 1), the Cleveland Guardians (AL No. 2), the Milwaukee Brewers (NL No. 1 and the best record in baseball) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (NL No. 2). All four skipped the Wild Card round and opened the Division Series on October 3. Cleveland locked in its bye on September 26 by winning a third straight AL Central title. All four reached the League Championship Series, and the World Series is played between the two No. 1 seeds: Milwaukee and Tampa Bay. Sources: MLB, ESPN, AP.

American League: No. 6 Chicago White Sox at No. 3 Houston Astros: White Sox won 2-0. No. 5 Boston Red Sox at No. 4 New York Yankees: Yankees won 2-0. National League: No. 6 Philadelphia Phillies at No. 3 Atlanta Braves: Braves won 2-1. No. 5 Chicago Cubs at No. 4 San Diego Padres: Padres won 2-0. Every game was played at the higher seed's park, September 29 to October 1, on NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports Network. Sources: MLB, AP, NBC Sports.

The last two places, on Sunday, September 27. In the AL West, Houston and Texas entered the day tied, and the Astros took the division and the AL No. 3 seed; they held the tiebreaker after winning the season series 9-4. In the National League, the Phillies held on to the last Wild Card ahead of the Diamondbacks and went to Atlanta as the No. 6 seed. Sources: AP, MLB, Yahoo Sports.

Houston finished no better than 81-81, since both contenders entered the final day at 80-81. That made the Astros the worst division winner in a full season in MLB history, below the 82-80 San Diego Padres of 2005. They still got the No. 3 seed and hosted a Wild Card Series, because division winners are always seeded ahead of Wild Cards, and then were swept at home by the White Sox. Sources: CBS Sports, ESPN, MLB.

Game 1 is Friday, October 23, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee, and Game 2 is Saturday, October 24, also in Milwaukee. Games 3, 4 and 5 (Monday, October 26 to Wednesday, October 28) are at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, home of the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays. If necessary, Game 6 Friday, October 30 and Game 7 Saturday, October 31 return to Milwaukee. Every game airs on FOX, the network's 29th straight World Series. More on our [World Series 2026](/en/world-series-2026/) page. Sources: MLB, AP.

The Tampa Bay Rays, who won the ALCS 4-2 over Cleveland on Monday, October 19. It is the Rays' third World Series after 2008 and 2020, and Milwaukee's second after 1982. Neither team has ever won the title: according to ESPN, it is the first World Series between two franchises both chasing a first championship since 1980 (Phillies vs Royals). There is a direct link between the two: ALCS MVP [Freddy Peralta](/en/people/freddy-peralta/) pitched for the Brewers from 2018 to 2025. Milwaukee hosts Game 1 on October 23, after a full week off since its sweep of the Dodgers. Sources: ESPN, MLB, AP.

At American Family Field in Milwaukee, on Friday, October 23 at 8 p.m. ET, on FOX. The Brewers have home-field advantage because their 103-59 record is better than Tampa Bay's 98-64, so they host Games 1, 2, 6 and 7. They are 4-0 at home this postseason. Sources: MLB, AP.

Wild Card Series: September 29 to October 1 (best of three, played). Division Series: October 3 to October 10 (best of five, played; Cleveland won the only Game 5). NLCS: October 11 to 15 (Milwaukee swept 4-0). ALCS: October 12 to 19 (Tampa Bay won 4-2; Game 4 slipped a day after a rainout). World Series: October 23 to October 31 at the latest (best of seven, opens in Milwaukee). Sources: MLB, ESPN.

Twelve, six from each league. All three division winners qualify automatically, joined by the three best remaining records in the league as Wild Cards. That is the same 12-team field MLB has used since 2022. Source: MLB.

Division winners are seeded 1 to 3 by record, Wild Cards 4 to 6. The top two seeds in each league get a bye straight to the Division Series. The rest play the Wild Card round: 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5, with the higher seed hosting all three games. In the Division Series, the No. 1 seed plays the 4/5 winner and the No. 2 seed plays the 3/6 winner. There is no reseeding. Sources: MLB, FOX Sports.

No division race is open any more. American League: Rays (AL East), Guardians (AL Central, clinched September 26, a third straight title) and Astros (AL West, settled on the final day). National League: Braves (NL East), Brewers (NL Central, a fourth straight title) and Dodgers (NL West). Sources: ESPN, AP, CBS Sports.

Rights are split by round in the US. Wild Card Series: NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports Network. ALDS and ALCS: TBS, truTV and HBO Max, with UniMas in Spanish for the ALCS, which ended in six games on October 19. NLDS and NLCS: FOX or FS1, with FOX Deportes in Spanish and streaming on FOX One; the NLCS ended in four games on October 15. World Series: FOX, with every game also streaming on FOX One. Sources: MLB, FOX Sports, NBC Sports.

Because the national TV packages were redistributed for the 2026 season and the Wild Card round moved from ESPN to NBC Sports. It was the network's first postseason baseball since the 2000 ALCS, a 26-year gap. Sources: MLB, NBC Sports.

Wild Card: best of three. Division Series: best of five. League Championship Series and World Series: best of seven. A team that starts in the Wild Card round needs 13 wins to take the title (2 + 3 + 4 + 4); a team with a bye needs 11, and plays one fewer series. Source: MLB.

A considerable one. The higher seed hosts all three games with no travel, which is the sharpest home-field edge anywhere in the bracket. In 2026, three of the four hosts advanced; only Houston lost, swept by the White Sox. In the later rounds home field alternates in the usual 2-2-1 and 2-3-2 patterns and goes to the higher seed. Sources: MLB, ESPN.

The pennant winner with the better regular-season record, whatever its seed. That rule has applied since 2017, when MLB stopped tying home field to the All-Star Game. If the records are equal, head-to-head decides. The team with home field hosts Games 1, 2, 6 and 7. In 2026 it goes to the Milwaukee Brewers (103-59), ahead of both Tampa Bay (98-64) and Cleveland (85-77), so it was settled before the ALCS ended. Sources: MLB.

Yes. The 2023 Texas Rangers won the title as a Wild Card under the current format, and the 2022 Phillies reached the World Series as the NL's No. 6 seed. In 2026 that will not happen: the White Sox, the AL's No. 6 seed, swept Houston and came within one win of the ALCS before losing ALDS Game 5 2-0 at Cleveland, and the Yankees, Padres and Braves also went out in the Division Series. All four LCS teams had a bye. Sources: MLB, ESPN.

There is no tiebreaker game. Since 2022, ties for a playoff spot or a seed are settled by head-to-head record first, then by intradivision record and other statistical tiebreakers. That is exactly why Houston only needed to match Texas on the final day, and why Arizona needed to catch Philadelphia rather than pass it. Sources: MLB, Yahoo Sports.

It ended on Sunday, September 27, 2026, with the Wild Card Series starting two days later. That tight turnaround is why clubs still fighting on the last day, like the Phillies, Diamondbacks, Astros and Rangers, often burn their best starter on Sunday and head into the playoffs without him for Game 1. Sources: MLB, ESPN.