All but eight teams have been required to stop playing MLB baseball, but the remaining eight will all play today.
First up, the Brewers will host the division rival Cubs at 1:08 PM Central Time. Brewers ace Freddy Peralta (17-6, 2.70 ERA) will kick off his team’s first playoff game of the year. The Cubs will counter with All-Star Matthew Boyd (14-8, 3.21 ERA). It will be a battle of young, superstar outfielders as the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong gets his first taste of postseason play and the Brewers’
Jackson Chourio tries to build on a breakout party he held in last year’s playoffs. The game can be viewed on TBS and HBO Max.
At 3:08 PM CDT, the Blue Jays will host the Yankees. Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.59 ERA) will go for the Blue Jays, while Luis Gil (4-1, 3.32 ERA) will pitch for the Yankees. This will be Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s first foray into the postseason after signing his megadeal back in April. Aaron Judge will try to show that his otherworldly talent does play in the playoffs. The game can be viewed on FOX nationally.
At 5:38 PM CDT, the battle of heavyweight NL teams will commence when the Phillies host the Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani (1-1, 2.87 ERA) will do yet another thing that’s never been done before when he becomes the first starting pitcher to also be a leadoff hitter. The Phillies will send out their snubbed ace Christopher Sánchez (13-5, 2.50 ERA). The Phillies also have their own slugger to lead things off in Kyle Schwarber, so expect early bombs in this one. The game will air on TBS and HBO Max.
The final game on the docket will begin at 7:38 CDT. It will see the Mariners hosting the Tigers as the Pacific Northwesterners attempt to make their first-ever World Series following a fantastic finish to the regular season that saw them climb from last-in to a first-round bye over the final month. The Tigers will be using Troy Melton (3-2, 2.76 ERA) as an opener in this one. The Mariners will ask George Kirby (10-8, 4.21 ERA) to get them off on the right foot. Cal Raleigh has been the guy his team has rallied around all year, and he’ll want to keep that going. The Tigers don’t necessarily have a star batter to lead them, but last year they had a seemingly random assortment of guys come through in the clutch, and they’ll need similar performances again this year. The game will be aired on FOX Sports 1.
