2026 MLB Playoffs Open: Bracket, Schedule, TV — SkimNews
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- MLB postseason launched Tuesday with a four-game Wild Card Series slate featuring Braves-Phillies, Astros-White Sox, Yankees-Red Sox, and Padres-Cubs, all best-of-three matchups.
- Braves took an early series lead with a 5-3 Game 1 victory over the Phillies, leaving the loser one defeat from elimination and the winner one win from the Division Series.
- Rays, Guardians, Brewers and Dodgers earned byes into the Division Series, with the Rays securing the AL's No. 1 seed and guaranteed to face either the Yankees or Red Sox.
- Brewers finished the regular season at 103 wins and Dodgers at 100 wins — the only clubs in triple digits — and both will host NLDS Game 1s on Saturday, Oct. 3.
- Guardians drew the AL's No. 2 seed despite an 85-77 regular-season record that ranks 10th out of the 12 playoff teams, setting up an ALDS matchup against the Astros-White Sox winner.
- The 2026 World Series is scheduled to open Friday, Oct. 23 on Fox, with a potential Game 7 set for Saturday, Oct. 31.
Why it matters: The bracket crystallizes two stark imbalances: the Brewers and Dodgers enter the NLDS with 103 and 100 wins and home-field advantage, while the Guardians' 85-77 mark — 10th-best among the 12 playoff teams — exposes how the new format hands premium byes to clubs that didn't earn them on the field.
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