The stakes will be higher when the Knoxville Smokies return to Covenant Health Park, which is hosting its first playoff baseball game this week since the stadium opened for the 2025 season.
The regular season has concluded, and the Smokies began their postseason on the road Sept. 15 against the Rocket City Trash Pandas, whose second-half title gave the team from Alabama a home field advantage for the opening game of the Southern League Divisional Series.
The best-of-three series shifts to Knoxville for the second game Sept. 17. If a third game is required, it will also be played at Covenant Health Park on Sept. 18.
Knoxville closed the regular season with a series loss on the road to the Birmingham Barons, finishing the season with a record of
73-64. The last time the Smokies were at Covenant Health Park, they won four out of six against Chattanooga − the same team they beat to earn a first-half Southern League North title and clinch a playoff spot in June.
Now, the road to a championship runs through Knoxville.
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"We've known this was coming for a long time," Smokies manager Lance Rymel told Knox News. "That's what we all play for. We play 138 games, we play for playoffs, we play for championships. Now we can go do that."
Here's a closer look at the Smokies' playoff schedule.
What is the Smokies' divisional round playoff schedule?
The Smokies are 15-9 against the Trash Pandas this season and dominated their most recent series in August with five consecutive come-from-behind wins.
- Game 1 (Tuesday, Sept. 15): 7:35 p.m. at Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama
- Game 2 (Thursday, Sept. 17): 7 p.m. at Covenant Health Park
- Game 3 (Friday, Sept. 18): 7 p.m. at Covenant Health Park (if necessary)
Who would the Smokies face in the championship series?
If the Smokies win their first best-of-three series, they'll advance to the Southern League Championship Series, where they'll face the winner of the South Division matchup between the first-half champion Biloxi Shuckers and second-half champion Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
- Game 1: (Sunday, Sept. 20): Away
- Game 2 (Tuesday, Sept. 22): Covenant Health Park
- Game 3 (Wednesday, Sept. 23): Covenant Health Park
Trevor McGee covers the Knoxville Smokies and One Knox SC for Knox News. Email: trevor.mcgee@knoxnews.com; X: @TrevorMcGee12
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Smokies have a path to win title in Knoxville. Here's the playoff schedule
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