The Major League Baseball wild-card round has almost come to a close and matchups are almost set for the second round of the playoffs. It's now time for the league's final eight teams to battle in the division series.
When do the National League Division Series start?
The NLDS will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 5. The National League East champion Philadelphia Phillies will host the winner of the wild card elimination game between the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets in Game 1 of their series at 4:08 p.m. ET.
The second division series will see an NL West clash between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. The division-champion Dodgers will host the visiting Padres on October 5 at 8:38 p.m. ET. The Padres escaped the wild-card round by sweeping the Atlanta Braves and will now face their division rivals in the NLDS for the third time in five seasons.
When do the American League Division Series start?
The ALDS series will also begin on Saturday, October 5. The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians will get things started in an AL Central clash. The division champion Guardians will host Detroit with the first pitch coming at 1:08 p.m. ET. This series will mark a crazy bit of history for the two franchises. The Tigers roared into the division series by sweeping the favored Houston Astros in two thrilling contests.
The top-seeded New York Yankees will also host the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, with first pitch set for 6:38 p.m ET. The Royals advanced out of the wild card round by sweeping the Baltimore Orioles in two close games.
When do the League Championship Series begin?
For the four teams that advance from the division series, the league championship series await.
The National League Championship Series will begin on October 13, with the higher seed hosting.
Meanwhile, the American League Championship Series will start on October 14, with the higher seed as the home team.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as When Does the Divisional Series Start in the MLB Playoffs?.