Postseason schedule announced; flexible start date for World Series (2024)

August 1st, 2024

Postseason schedule announced; flexible start date for World Series (1)

Jason Foster

@ByJasonFoster

The 2024 MLB postseason will feature a month of games broadcast across six channels and, for the first time, includes a wrinkle for the start of the World Series.

Overall, the postseason is scheduled to run from the start of the Wild Card Series on Tuesday, Oct. 1, to a potential Game 7 of the World Series as late as Saturday, Nov. 2.

  • MLB postseason schedule

Here's everything you need to know.

When does the World Series start?

The 2024 World Series is scheduled to begin on Oct. 25 at the home of the league champion with the better record and continue through a potential Game 7 on Saturday, Nov. 2. The scheduled off-days are Sunday, Oct. 27, and Thursday, Oct. 31.

But for the first time, there's a major caveat: Should the National League Championship Series and American League Championship Series both end by Oct. 19 -- meaning neither series lasts longer than five games under the current schedule -- the World Series will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 22, with a potential Game 7 coming on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

In that scenario, the World Series off-days would be Thursday, Oct. 24, and Monday, Oct. 28.

How many postseason rounds are there?

There are four postseason rounds: the best-of-three Wild Card Series, the best-of-five Division Series, the best-of-seven League Championship Series and the best-of-seven World Series.

When are the Wild Card Series?

The Wild Card Series in both leagues are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Oct. 1, and continue through Thursday, Oct. 3, if necessary.

The openers of all four Division Series are scheduled to begin on Saturday, Oct. 5. Potential Game 5s would be on Friday, Oct. 11, in the NL and Saturday, Oct. 12, in the AL.

When do the NLCS and ALCS start?

The NL Championship Series is scheduled to open on Sunday, Oct. 13, with the AL Championship Series scheduled to start on Monday, Oct. 14. Potential Game 7s would be on Monday, Oct. 21, in the NL and Tuesday, Oct. 22 in the AL.

  • MLB's postseason format, explained

How can I watch the postseason?

The 2024 MLB postseason will be broadcast across a variety of networks.

All Wild Card Series games will be shown on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

The NLDS will be broadcast on FOX or FS1, while TNT Sports will simulcast the ALDS on TBS, truTV and Max.

FOX or FS1 will broadcast the NLCS, while TBS, truTV and Max will be the home of the ALCS.

The World Series will be broadcast on FOX.

All games on TNT Sports platforms, FOX and FS1 will be available to MLB.TV subscribers who are authenticated subscribers to those networks via a participating pay TV provider. The Wild Card Series will also be available on the ESPN app.

WILD CARD SERIES

Tuesday, Oct. 1
American League Wild Card A, Game 1 (ESPN Platforms)
American League Wild Card B, Game 1 (ESPN Platforms)
National League Wild Card A, Game 1 (ESPN Platforms)
National League Wild Card B, Game 1 (ESPN Platforms)

Wednesday, Oct. 2
American League Wild Card A, Game 2 (ESPN Platforms)
American League Wild Card B, Game 2 (ESPN Platforms)
National League Wild Card A, Game 2 (ESPN Platforms)
National League Wild Card B, Game 2 (ESPN Platforms)

Thursday, Oct. 3
American League Wild Card A, Game 3* (ESPN Platforms)
American League Wild Card B, Game 3* (ESPN Platforms)
National League Wild Card A, Game 3* (ESPN Platforms)
National League Wild Card B, Game 3* (ESPN Platforms)

*(if necessary)

DIVISION SERIES

Presented by Booking.com

Saturday, Oct. 5
ALDS A, Game 1 (TBS, truTV, Max)
ALDS B, Game 1 (TBS, Max)
NLDS A, Game 1 (FOX/FS1)
NLDS B, Game 1 (FOX/FS1)

Sunday, Oct. 6
NLDS A, Game 2 (FOX/FS1)
NLDS B, Game 2 (FOX/FS1)

Monday, Oct. 7
ALDS A, Game 2 (TBS, truTV, Max)
ALDS B, Game 2 (TBS, truTV, Max)

Tuesday, Oct. 8
NLDS A, Game 3 (FOX/FS1)
NLDS B, Game 3 (FOX/FS1)

Wednesday, Oct. 9
ALDS A, Game 3 (TBS, truTV, Max)
ALDS B, Game 3 (TBS, truTV, Max)
NLDS A, Game 4* (FOX/FS1)
NLDS B, Game 4* (FOX/FS1)

Thursday, Oct. 10
ALDS A, Game 4* (TBS, truTV, Max)
ALDS B, Game 4* (TBS, truTV, Max)

Friday, Oct. 11
NLDS A, Game 5* (FOX/FS1)
NLDS B, Game 5* (FOX/FS1)

Saturday, Oct. 12
ALDS A, Game 5* (TBS, Max)
ALDS B, Game 5* (TBS, Max)

*(if necessary)

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Presented by loanDepot

Sunday, Oct. 13
NLCS Game 1 (FOX/FS1)

Monday, Oct. 14
ALCS Game 1 (TBS, truTV, Max)
NLCS Game 2 (FOX/FS1)

Tuesday, Oct. 15
ALCS Game 2 (TBS, truTV, Max)

Wednesday, Oct. 16
NLCS Game 3 (FOX/FS1)

Thursday, Oct. 17
ALCS Game 3 (TBS, truTV, Max)
NLCS Game 4 (FOX/FS1)

Friday, Oct. 18
ALCS Game 4 (TBS, truTV, Max)
NLCS Game 5* (FOX/FS1)

Saturday, Oct. 19
ALCS Game 5* (TBS, truTV, Max)

Sunday, Oct. 20
NLCS Game 6* (FOX/FS1)

Monday, Oct. 21
ALCS Game 6* (TBS, truTV, Max)
NLCS Game 7* (FOX/FS1)

Tuesday, Oct. 22
ALCS Game 7* (TBS, truTV, Max)

*(if necessary)

WORLD SERIES

Presented by Capital One

If both LCS conclude no later than Saturday, Oct. 19, the World Series will move up to start on Tuesday, Oct.22, with a potential Game 7 on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

Friday, Oct. 25
Game 1, at better 2024 record (FOX)

Saturday, Oct. 26
Game 2, at better 2024 record (FOX)

Monday, Oct. 28
Game 3 (FOX)

Tuesday, Oct. 29
Game 4 (FOX)

Wednesday, Oct. 30
Game 5* (FOX)

Friday, Nov. 1
Game 6*, at better 2024 record (FOX)

Saturday, Nov. 2
Game 7*, at better 2024 record (FOX)

*(if necessary)

Postseason schedule announced; flexible start date for World Series (2024)

FAQs

Postseason schedule announced; flexible start date for World Series? ›

But for the first time, there's a major caveat: Should the National League Championship Series and American League Championship Series both end by Oct. 19 -- meaning neither series lasts longer than five games under the current schedule -- the World Series will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 22, with a potential Game 7 coming ...

What is the new MLB playoff format bracket? ›

How many teams make the MLB playoffs? The bracket-style postseason involves 12 teams (six from each league) -- an increase from 10 teams (five in each league) in the previous format. That includes the three division winners in each league and three Wild Card teams per league.

Where is the MLB World Series 2024? ›

The 2024 World Series will be held July 21-27 in St. Charles, Missouri.

How to watch the 2024 MLB playoffs? ›

How can I watch the 2024 MLB Playoffs? The MLB Playoffs will air on FOX, FS1, TBS, ESPN, ESPN2 and MLB Network. Specific channels for each series and each game will be announced when the 2024 MLB Playoffs schedule is known.

What is the format for the World Series? ›

The National League Championship Series (NLCS) and American League Championship Series (ALCS), since the expansion to best-of-seven, are always played in a 2–3–2 format: Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 are played in the stadium of the team that has home-field advantage, and Games 3, 4, and 5 are played in the stadium of the team ...

What is the new MLB schedule format? ›

Beginning with the 2023 season, teams play a balanced schedule as follows: thirteen games are played against each of the other four teams in their own division (52 games total), six or seven games against each of the other ten teams in their own league (64 games total), four games against one "geographic rival" from ...

Who is favored to win the World Series in 2024? ›

With the MLB trade deadline behind us, the Los Angeles Dodgers remain the favorites to win the World Series. The Dodgers opened at +550, moved to +450 after signing Shohei Ohtani in the offseason and now sit at 3-1 at ESPN BET.

Who is the favorite to win the World Series? ›

Although they only have four wins in their last 10 games, Los Angeles remains the odds-on favorite to win the World Series at +330. Let's take a look at every team's updated 2024 World Series odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of July 22.

Is the 2024 baseball schedule out? ›

Schedule. On July 13, 2023, Major League Baseball released its 2024 schedule. There are 162 games scheduled for all teams. As has been the case since 2023, each team will play 13 games against their division rivals, totaling 52 games.

Is MLB.TV free with Amazon Prime? ›

Prime members can add MLB.TV and 100+ more subscriptions, all on Prime Video. Access every team's out-of-market games with an All Team Pass. Choose the Annual option to pay once for full season access ($34.99) or choose Monthly for $29.99/month.

How much is the MLB.TV package for 2024? ›

MLB. TV's All Teams Yearly package, which enables you to stream every out-of-market game, live or on demand, on your favorite supported devices, is now $34.99, while a Single Team subscription is just $29.99. The Trade Deadline Sale runs through Monday.

What changed in MLB playoff format? ›

How many Wild Card teams are there? 12 teams will make the MLB playoffs — six from both the American League and National League. This is an increase over the previous format which had 10 teams. This is broken out with three division winners in the AL and NL as well as three Wild Card teams.

How do the Wild Card playoffs work? ›

The Wild Cards feature three games per conference, for six games total, and each game is arranged according to seeding numbers, with the highest seed playing the lowest seed, the second highest playing the second lowest, and so on.

How many teams make the MLB playoffs in 2024? ›

How many teams make the MLB playoffs? Twelve out of 30 league teams will make the playoffs: six from each league, consisting of the three divisional winners and three wildcard teams.

What is the format for the College Baseball World Series bracket? ›

The eight winners of the super regionals head to the MCWS in Omaha. They are split into two double-elimination brackets, consisting of four teams each. The winners of the two MCWS brackets meet in the MCWS Finals, a best-of-three series to decide the NCAA champion.

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