MLB RELEASE
Who is ready for October baseball? Well, we won’t need to wait for the start of a new month in order to get some postseason action, since the MLB playoffs begin Tuesday. That’s when all four of the Wild Card Series presented by AbbVie will get underway.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
(6) White Sox at (3) Astros
Schedule
Game 1: Tuesday, 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT on Peacock & NBCSN
Game 2: Wednesday, 5 p.m ET/4 p.m. CT on Peacock & NBCSN
Game 3 (if necessary): Thursday on NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
Season series: The Astros went 5-2 against the White Sox this season, taking a three-game set at Rate Field in July and then winning three of four games at Daikin Park in a series that spanned August into September.
Postseason history: The last time the White Sox were in the postseason, they squared off with the Astros in the 2021 ALDS, a series that Houston won in four games. More memorably, it’s also a rematch of the 2005 World Series. Chicago captured the franchise’s first championship since 1917 by way of a four-game sweep over Houston, at the time in the National League.
Keys to the matchup: The vast majority of White Sox hitters are getting their first taste of the postseason, and a number of them struggled down the stretch of the regular season. Can they turn the page in October? Since Aug. 1, Munetaka Murakami (.154) and Colson Montgomery (.158) have two of the lowest batting averages in the Majors among qualified hitters. Both players were as responsible as anyone for the team’s revelatory early-season success. Even amid their respective slumps, Murakami and Montgomery are capable of changing a game with one swing. The slugging Murakami exceeded expectations for his rookie season while launching 35 home runs, while Montgomery has 31 long balls.
Player to watch: Yordan Alvarez. For a six-week stretch bridging August into September, the American League MVP frontrunner looked mortal. That is no longer the case. Alvarez entered play on Sunday hitting .400 with four home runs and a 1.300 OPS across his last 11 games. He was leading all qualified hitters with a .316 batting average, .604 slugging percentage and a 1.036 OPS while bopping 42 home runs and 34 doubles. Alvarez is also a fantastic postseason player, owning a .944 OPS in 60 playoff games — a track record that includes a few franchise-defining home runs. It will also be fascinating to see how the White Sox pitch Alvarez: How often will they challenge him?
(5) Red Sox at (4) Yankees
Schedule
Game 1: Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET on NBC & Peacock
Game 2: Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET on NBC & Peacock
Game 3 (if necessary): Thursday on NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
Season series: The Yankees went 7-6 against their archrival this season, including 4-2 at Yankee Stadium, which is the host site for this three-game series.
Postseason history: This will be the seventh postseason series between these two foes. The Yankees won the most recent meeting, triumphing in the 2025 AL Wild Card Series, two games to one.
Keys to the matchup: The Rivalry was a tale of two halves this season. The Yankees won four of the first five games before the Red Sox found their stride, then Boston swept four home games in June just before its historic 15-game winning streak. New York wrapped things up by taking three of four back at home at the end of August, outscoring the Sox, 26-9. The Bronx Bombers used their bread and butter — the home run — to overpower their rivals. But both clubs can really spin it, making for an intriguing playoff matchup. The Yankees and Red Sox are both in the top three in MLB in team ERA.
Player to watch: Aaron Judge. The Captain has had a frustrating year, missing 84 games over the summer with a rib injury. He returned in early September, only to head back to the IL with a calf strain after seven games. Judge is planning to play in the Wild Card Series, but nothing is certain. Even if he hasn’t been his typical MVP self this season when on the field, and even if he’s not at 100% in the postseason, Judge will still transform the Yankees’ lineup. Much maligned for his postseason performance over the years, Judge shook that trend in 2025. He hit .500 in seven games, including four hits in three games against the Red Sox.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
(6) Phillies at (3) Braves
Schedule
Game 1: Tuesday, 2 p.m. ET on NBC & Peacock
Game 2: Wednesday, 2 p.m. ET on NBC & Peacock
Game 3 (if necessary): Thursday on NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
Seasons series: Atlanta handled Philadelphia in the regular season, going 9-4 in 13 head-to-head meetings. That’s no small part why the Braves won the NL East rather comfortably.
Postseason history: These NL East rivals have met in three prior postseason series, and all three have gone in Philadelphia’s favor. That includes in 2022 and 2023, when the Phillies — as a Wild Card — upended the division-winning Braves. In ‘22, the onslaught helped kickstart a run to the World Series.
Keys to the matchup: How will the Phillies cobble together their pitching plans? A four-game losing skid at the end of the regular season pressed Zack Wheeler into action in Game 162, and while Wheeler delivered six strong innings to punch a postseason berth, it certainly came at a cost. One of baseball’s elite hurlers will not be on full rest at any point during the Wild Card Series. Then there’s left-hander Jesús Luzardo, who pitched a 1-2-3 inning on Sunday in his first appearance since Sept. 7 following an IL stint due to inflammation in his left shoulder. No one knows how many innings he’ll be able to throw moving forward. That leaves Philadelphia with some combination of All-Star lefty Cristopher Sánchez — who won’t be on full rest until Wednesday — rookie Andrew Painter, and veteran Aaron Nola, who had an ill-fated start on short rest on Saturday. The bullpen’s struggles have only compounded matters: Since Sept. 1, Phillies relievers have combined for a 5.79 ERA that ranks last in the Majors.
Player to watch: Chris Sale. The All-Star left-hander continues to defy Father Time, pitching to a 2.16 ERA in 27 regular-season starts while reaping the benefits of a significant velocity uptick. This will be Sale’s first postseason appearance since 2021 and his first with the Braves, as a back injury prevented him from pitching in the 2024 Wild Card Series. While the addition of Tyler Mahle at the Trade Deadline provided Atlanta with a reliable No. 2 option behind Sale, so much of the club’s success is still predicated on Sale setting the tone. Can he do that in Game 1? On paper, the matchup is favorable: Sale has stymied Philadelphia’s two lefty sluggers, Bryce Harper (2-for-21) and Kyle Schwarber (2-for-25).
(5) Cubs at (4) Padres
Schedule
Game 1: Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Peacock & NBCSN
Game 2: Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Peacock & NBCSN
Game 3 (if necessary): Thursday on NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
Season series: The Cubs went 5-1 against the Padres in 2026, taking two of three in late April at Petco Park and sweeping a three-game set from June 29-July 1 at Wrigley Field. The final contest between the two clubs was a 23-3 Chicago rout.
Postseason history: This is a rematch of the 2025 NL Wild Card Series, which featured the Cubs and Padres squaring off at Wrigley Field. The Cubs pulled out the win in a tense, low-scoring series, winning Game 1 and Game 3 by identical scores of 3-1 around a 3-0 loss in Game 2.
Keys to the matchup: This series likely hinges on whether the Padres’ starting pitchers can safely deliver leads to their bullpen. With Bradgley Rodriguez, Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller on the back end, San Diego has a strong chance of holding onto any late edge. But can Michael King, Nick Pivetta (recently returned from a lengthy injury absence) and Co. hold down the Cubs’ offense? Chicago leads MLB in OPS at .765 and leads the NL with 218 home runs, so it won’t be an easy task for Padres pitching. Cubs starters have had their own issues, though — the rotation’s 4.27 ERA is tied for 18th in MLB — and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill are among the key Padres hitters getting hot at the right time.
Player to watch: Pete Crow-Armstrong. All eyes will be on the presumptive NL MVP in this series after Crow-Armstrong put up a season for the ages, becoming the seventh member of the 40-40 club while playing flat-out elite defense in center field. He didn’t do much offensively in his first taste of the postseason in 2025, going a combined 5-for-27 (.185) with a .399 OPS between the Wild Card Series and the NLDS, but PCA has leveled up his hitting considerably this season. His rare combination of power and speed makes him a major threat to change the game with one swing, and it’s often his first swing: Crow-Armstrong’s nine leadoff home runs rank third in MLB.
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