What to watch during MLB’s best-of-three Wild Card Series this week
PHOENIX (AP) — Major League Baseball’s postseason has delivered some spicy matchups for this week’s Wild Card Series, particularly in the American League. The four series begin Tuesday, highlighted by a showdown between archrivals the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
All games of the best-of-three series will be played at Yankee Stadium since the Yankees hold the higher seed.
### American League Wild Card Matchups
Elsewhere in the AL, the Detroit Tigers travel to face their AL Central rival, the Cleveland Guardians. The Tigers have a chance to get revenge after blowing a huge September lead in the division, which allowed the Guardians to clinch the title.
The AL’s Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, both with the best records in the league, earned byes to the Division Series.
### National League Wild Card Matchups
In the National League, the high-dollar Los Angeles Dodgers host the Cincinnati Reds, who edged out the New York Mets on the final day of the regular season to claim the last NL wild card spot. Additionally, the San Diego Padres will host the Chicago Cubs.
The NL’s Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies, having the best records in the league, also earned byes to the Division Series.
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## What to Know as October Baseball Begins
### 1. Yankees vs. Red Sox
A Yankees-Red Sox series is always an event, especially in the postseason. The Yankees are powered by Aaron Judge, who had another monster year, leading the American League with a .331 batting average, 53 home runs, and 114 RBIs.
The Red Sox bounced back from a rough first half with a balanced lineup led by Trevor Story, Alex Bregman, and Jarren Duran. Their ace Garrett Crochet led the AL with 255 strikeouts.
### 2. Tigers vs. Guardians
While the Tigers blew a large lead in the AL Central, the Guardians have been the hottest team in baseball with a 20-5 record since September 3. Detroit remains formidable, led by ace left-hander Tarik Skubal, who paced the AL with a 2.21 ERA.
Cleveland’s lineup features All-Stars José Ramírez and Steven Kwan.
### 3. Dodgers vs. Reds
The defending World Series champion Dodgers looked like they might be one of the best teams in league history in April. Now, in the fall, they are simply very good, finishing with a 93-69 record, good enough to win their 12th NL West title in 13 seasons.
Shohei Ohtani will make his first postseason pitching appearance after an elbow injury limited him to DH duty last October.
### 4. Padres vs. Cubs
The Cubs are back in the postseason for the first time since 2020, boasting a deep lineup that includes Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner, Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch, and Dansby Swanson.
The Padres are led by All-Stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, along with ace Nick Pivetta, who had one of the best under-the-radar seasons with a 13-5 record, 2.87 ERA, and 190 strikeouts.
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## What Is the MLB Playoff Format?
Twelve teams qualify for MLB’s postseason: six from the American League and six from the National League. The three division winners in each league receive seeds No. 1 through No. 3, ranked by their win-loss records. The three wild-card teams are seeded No. 4 through No. 6, also ranked by record.
The top two teams with the best records in each league automatically advance to the Division Series. The remaining eight teams compete in the Wild Card Series, a best-of-three format starting Tuesday, September 30.
In both leagues, the No. 6 seed travels to face the No. 3 seed, while the No. 5 seed visits the No. 4 seed. The higher seed hosts all games in the Wild Card Series.
Winners advance to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series, and finally the best-of-seven World Series between the AL and NL champions.
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## MLB Postseason Schedule
– **Wild Card Round:** Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 (ESPN)
– **Division Series:** Oct. 4 – 11 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1)
– **Championship Series:** Oct. 12 – 21 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1)
– **World Series:** Oct. 24 – Nov. 1 (FOX)
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## Favorites to Win the World Series
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Philadelphia Phillies (+425) enter the postseason as favorites to win the World Series. Following them are the Seattle Mariners (+500), Los Angeles Dodgers (+550), New York Yankees (+700), Milwaukee Brewers (+800), and Toronto Blue Jays (+950).
Notably, the Blue Jays opened the season with +6000 odds, making their current standing an impressive climb.
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