After a 162-game season that began way back in March, a dozen teams remain with World Series dreams as the calendar turns to October. Baseball’s postseason gets underway on Tuesday with a quartet of Wild Card series. Each series is the best of three games, with the higher seed hosting all three games.
In the American League, the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays face off in one series, while the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins play in the other. In the National League, the Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Miami Marlins play the Philadelphia Phillies. The top two division winners in each league earned first-round byes: the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros in the AL, and the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL.
Wild Card games will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. After Thursday, however, coverage shifts to Fox and FS1 for the ALDS and ALCS, and TBS for the NLDS and NLCS. The 2023 World Series will be shown on Fox.
Hoping for a return trip to the World Series, Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies begin the 2023 MLB postseason at home against the Miami Marlins.
What is the schedule for the Wild Card series?
There are no off days for the Wild Card teams. The Wild Card round starts on Tuesday, with Game 2 of each series scheduled for Wednesday. Any Wild Card series that goes the full three games will be settled on Thursday. The Rays, Twins, Brewers and Phillies are the higher seeds and will host each series.
Here are the times and channels for each series (all times ET):
Tuesday, Oct. 3
- Game 1: Rays vs. Rangers, 3:08 p.m. on ABC
- Game 1: Twins vs. Blue Jays, 4:38 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 1: Brewers vs. Diamondbacks, 7:08 p.m. on ESPN2
- Game 1: Phillies vs. Marlins, 8:08 p.m. on ESPN
Wednesday, Oct. 4
- Game 2: Rays vs. Rangers, 3:08 p.m. on ABC
- Game 2: Twins vs. Blue Jays, 4:38 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 2: Brewers vs. Diamondbacks, 7:08 p.m. on ESPN2
- Game 2: Phillies vs. Marlins, 8:08 p.m. on ESPN
Thursday, Oct. 5 (if necessary)
- Game 3: Rays vs. Rangers, 3:08 p.m. on ABC
- Game 3: Twins vs. Blue Jays, 4:38 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 3: Brewers vs. Diamondbacks, 7:08 p.m. on ESPN2
- Game 3: Phillies vs. Marlins, 8:08 p.m. on ESPN
You can see the full postseason schedule here.
How to watch the Wild Card round without cable
If you don’t have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch all four Wild Card series with a live TV service. ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 are available on each of the five major streaming services, but not every service carries every local network in every area, so Rays and Rangers fans will need to check each service using the links below to make sure it carries ABC where they live.
Sling TV’s Sling Orange plan includes ESPN and ESPN2 but not ABC, and the Blue plan includes ABC (in only in a handful of markets) but not either ESPN channel. Each plan costs $45 a month in the areas with ABC ($40 elsewhere), and the combined Orange-and-Blue plan that includes all three channels costs $60 a month ($55 in markets without ABC). Looking forward, Sling’s Blue plan includes Fox, FS1 and TBS for the subsequent rounds in each league and the World Series.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $70 a month right now (before jumping to $77 per month on Oct. 12) and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the “Can I watch local news in my area?” question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get. Hulu Plus Live TV also includes Fox, FS1 and TBS for the rest of the playoffs and World Series. Read our Hulu Plus Live TV review.
YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV’s welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. YouTube TV also includes Fox, FS1 and TBS for the rest of the playoffs and World Series.
DirecTV Stream’s basic $75-a-month Entertainment package includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. DirecTV Stream also includes Fox, FS1 and TBS for the rest of the playoffs and World Series. Read our DirecTV Stream review.
Fubo’s basic plan costs $75 a month and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Click here to see which local channels you get. Fubo also includes Fox and FS1, but NL fans will be disappointed to learn it does not offer TBS for the NLDS and NLCS. Read our Fubo review.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
