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After a 162-game season that began back in March, we are again down to just a dozen teams in the hunt for a World Series title. October baseball officially begins today, with a quartet of Wild Card series matchups on the docket. Each series is the best of three games, with the higher seed hosting all three games.
In the American League, the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros face off in one series, while the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles play in the other. After a wild Monday doubleheader, the National League playoffs are finally set with the New York Mets taking on the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves playing the San Diego Padres.
The top two division winners in each league earned first-round byes: the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians in the AL, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies in the NL.
Wild Card games will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. After Thursday, however, coverage shifts to Fox and FS1 for the NLDS and NLCS, and TBS for the ALDS and ALCS. The 2024 World Series will be shown on Fox.
Yordan Alvarez and the Houston Astros are back in the playoffs.
Kevin M. Cox/Getty ImagesWhat is the schedule for the Wild Card series?
There are no off days for the Wild Card teams. The Wild Card round starts on Tuesday, with Game 2 of each series scheduled for Wednesday. Any Wild Card series that goes the full three games will be settled on Thursday. The Astros, Orioles, Brewers and Padres are the higher seeds and will host each series.
Here are the times and channels for each series (all times ET):
Tuesday, Oct. 1
- Game 1: Tigers vs. Astros, 2:30 p.m. on ABC
- Game 1: Royals vs. Orioles, 4:00 p.m. on ESPN2
- Game 1: Mets vs. Brewers, 5:30 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 1: Braves vs. Padres, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Wednesday, Oct. 2
- Game 2: Tigers vs. Astros, 2:32 p.m. on ABC
- Game 2: Royals vs. Orioles, 4:38 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 2: Mets vs. Brewers, 7:38 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 2: Braves vs. Padres, 8:38 p.m. on ESPN2
Thursday, Oct. 3 (if necessary)
- Game 3: Tigers vs. Astros, 2:32 p.m. on ABC
- Game 3: Royals vs. Orioles, 4:08 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 3: Braves vs. Padres, 7:08 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 3: Mets vs. Brewers, 8:38 p.m. on ESPN2
You can see the full postseason schedule here.
If you don't have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch all four Wild Card series with a live TV service. ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 are available on each of the five major streaming services, but not every service carries every local network in every area, so make sure to check each service using the links below to make sure it carries ABC where you live.
Sling TV's Sling Orange plan includes ESPN and ESPN2 but not ABC, and the Blue plan includes ABC (in only in a handful of markets) but not either ESPN channel. Each plan costs $45 a month in the areas with ABC ($40 elsewhere), and the combined Orange-and-Blue plan that includes all three channels costs $60 a month ($55 in markets without ABC). Looking forward, Sling's Blue plan includes Fox, FS1 and TBS for the subsequent rounds in each league and the World Series.
Read our Sling TV review.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $77 a month and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the "Can I watch local news in my area?" question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get. Hulu Plus Live TV also includes Fox, FS1 and TBS for the rest of the playoffs and World Series. Read our Hulu Plus Live TV review.
YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV's welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. YouTube TV also includes Fox, FS1 and TBS for the rest of the playoffs and World Series.
Read our YouTube TV review.
DirecTV Stream's basic $80-a-month Entertainment package includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. DirecTV Stream also includes Fox, FS1 and TBS for the rest of the playoffs and World Series. Read our DirecTV Stream review.
Fubo's basic plan costs $80 a month and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, but Fubo charges an RSN fee (either $12 a month if you get one RSN or $15 a month if you have two or more in your area) that raises the monthly charge to $92 or $95. Fubo is currently offering $30 off for the first month of some of its plans, which means you can get its base Pro plan for $62 or $65 to start. Click here to see which local channels you get.
Fubo also includes Fox and FS1, but NL fans will be disappointed to learn it does not offer TBS for the NLDS and NLCS. Read our Fubo review.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.