The 2026 MLB regular season ended this past weekend, meaning it is now time for playoff baseball. The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers are in pursuit of a historic three-peat, while the rest of the postseason field hopes this is the year they win the World Series.
The best-of-three Wild Card round gets underway today, with eight of the 12 teams in the bracket in action. The other four teams—the Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians—earned first-round byes as the top
two seeds in their respective leagues.
In the American League (AL), the New York Yankees will host their bitter rival, the Boston Red Sox, for a second consecutive October. The other matchup pits the 81-81 AL West champion Houston Astros against the visiting Chicago White Sox, who surprisingly but deservedly made the playoffs after two consecutive 100-loss seasons.
In the National League (NL), the San Diego Padres will face the Chicago Cubs once again, but this time in San Diego instead of Chicago. On the East Coast, the Atlanta Braves will host their division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies.
Braves vs Phillies (2:00 PM EDT)
These two senior circuit juggernauts will each send standout left-handers to the mound to open the series. Former Athletic Jesús Luzardo (14-5, 2.86 ERA), who was just reinstated from the injured list, will make the start for the Phillies. He will be opposed by Atlanta ace Chris Sale (14-9, 2.16 ERA), who put together another strong season for the NL East champions.
White Sox at Astros (5:00 PM EDT)
Houston is using a bullpen game, with right-hander AJ Blubaugh making the start. That allows the Astros to preserve Hunter Brown for Game 2. The White Sox are also using a bullpen game as both teams look to take advantage of favorable matchups. Left-hander Hagen Smith will get the start for the South Siders.
Yankees vs Red Sox (8:00 PM EDT)
Both of these historic franchises feature two of the best rotations in the league. AL Cy Young Award frontrunner Cam Schlittler (14-6, 1.95 ERA) will start for the Yankees, while the Red Sox will turn to left-hander Payton Tolle (9-6, 3.03 ERA) to open the series.
New York knocked out Boston in three games last year. Will history repeat itself, or will the Red Sox oust their division rival?
Cubs at Padres (10:00 PM EDT)
Right-hander Michael King (12-10, 3.21 ERA) will start for the Padres, looking to shut down NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong and the rest of the Cubs’ strong lineup. He will be opposed by Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd (10-5, 3.91 ERA), who will be tasked with keeping Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill off the basepaths.
If the Padres are in front after five innings, the Cubs could have difficulty coming back against the Padres’ elite bullpen. Left-hander Adrian Morejon and arguably the best closer in baseball, Mason Miller, form a dynamic late-inning duo. This season, A’s fans often wished Miller was still in the team’s bullpen instead of the parade of relievers the Green and Gold employed in his absence.
Chicago knocked out San Diego in three games last year. Will history repeat itself, or will the Padres advance this time around?
What are your playoff predictions? Which team will win the World Series, and which players will make a name for themselves on the national stage?
