USATSIA
Now that the Tuesday October 4 action between playoff teams has come to an end, we now know for sure that the games on the last day of the regular season are all meaningless in terms of the playoff field. Each of the 12 teams was already on their way to Tuesday after which the Braves won the NL East and results for the final two wildcard teams on either side of the bracket settled the matchups.
Here’s what it will look like.
American league
The Wild Card series will be three matches, all in the same ballpark with no travel. There will also be no reseeding, so the Rays-Guardians series winner will face the Yankees in the ALDS while the Mariners-Blue Jays winner will go to Houston.
For a full rundown of the new format, we’ve got you covered.
National League
As noted, there is no reseeding after the first round. It’s a closed bracket, so the winner of the Padres-Mets gets the Dodgers in the NLDS, while the winner of the Phillies-Cardinals series gets the defending champion Braves.
Individual times are not yet known, but we know that all four Wild Card Series will be played on Friday, Saturday and, if necessary, the deciding Game 3 on Sunday.
Wild Card Series schedule (best-of-three)
Friday 7 Oct.
Game 1: Mets vs. Padres
ESPN
Game 1: Cardinals vs. Phillies
ESPN
Game 1: Guardians vs. Rays
ESPN
Game 1: Blue Jays vs. Mariners
ESPN
Saturday Oct 8
Game 2: Mets vs. Padres
ESPN
Game 2: Cardinals vs. Phillies
ESPN
Game 2: Guardians vs. Rays
ESPN
Game 2: Blue Jays vs. Mariners
ESPN
sunday 9 oct
Game 3: Mets vs. Padres (if needed)
ESPN
Game 3: Cardinals vs. Phillies (if needed)
ESPN
Game 3: Guardians vs. Rays (if needed)
ESPN
Game 3: Blue Jays vs. Mariners (if needed)
ESPN
Game 1 of all four division series will take place on Tuesday, October 11. View the full schedule here.