Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies homered Thursday night to give the Atlanta Braves their first win in a winner-take-all playoff game since Game 7 of the 1996 National League Championship Series. They had lost six straight in between.
And the reward for that breakthrough? They get fly across the country to Los Angeles to face the two-time World Series defending champion Dodgers.
The division series open Saturday with four games in one day, all best-of-five games series.
The Tampa Bay Rays had the best record in the American League. They also haven't won a playoff series since 2020. They host the New York Yankees, who gave up two runs in two games against Boston. The Chicago White Sox swept Houston for their first series win since 2005. Next is
Cleveland, a division rival they have never played in the postseason.
Then there's Jacob Misiorowski. The Milwaukee right-hander led the majors in ERA, strikeouts and opponents' batting average, something only Sandy Koufax, J.R. Richard and Mike Scott have done since 1950. He gets the ball in Game 1 against San Diego, a team that just held the majors' highest-scoring offense to one run in two haves.
The best-of-seven league championship series start Oct. 11, and the World Series opens Oct. 23.
Here's how the bracket looks:
MLB playoff bracket
AL wild card series
- Yankees def. Red Sox, 2-0
- White Sox def. Astros, 2-0
NL wild card series
- Padres def. Cubs, 2-0
- Braves def. Phillies, 2-1
ALDS
- Guardians vs. White Sox
- Rays vs. Yankees
NLDS
- Dodgers vs. Braves
- Brewers vs. Padres
ALCS: Guardians/White Sox vs. Yankees/Rays
NLCS: Brewers/Padres vs. Dodgers/Braves
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoff bracket: See the 2026 ALDS and NLDS matchups
