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For the first time since October 3, all four Major League Baseball Division Series games will be played on the same day. The National League Championship Series participants could be decided, as the NLDS moves to Game 4, while the American League Division Series enters Game 3.
The Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Chicago White Sox each hold a 2-1 series lead and are one victory away from advancing to the next round. Should all four teams win today, it would be just the second instance in MLB history that all four division series ended on the same day. The only previous occurrence was in 1996, according to MLB's Sarah Langs.
Here are the scheduled first pitch times for all four games, in Eastern time:
- Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox: 4 p.m.
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves: 6 p.m.
- Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees: 8 p.m.
- Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Diego Padres: 10 p.m.
Key Analysis
Historically, the odds of all four series concluding on the same day seem low. Three of the four teams with a 2-1 lead are on the road, with only the White Sox playing at home.
The Guardians vs. White Sox matchup is particularly unpredictable from a pitching perspective. Both teams are expected to rely on their bullpens, with Daniel Espino and Sean Newcomb listed as the starters for Game 3. Chicago has treated every postseason game as a bullpen game thus far. The atmosphere at Rate Field should be electric for the franchise's first home postseason game in five years.
The Braves will attempt to force a Game 5 after dropping a crucial Game 3 to the Dodgers. They will turn to trade deadline acquisition Tyler Mahle, who has posted a 1.99 ERA since joining Atlanta. The bigger question for the Braves is whether they can score more than three runs against a deep Dodgers pitching staff that appears to be firing on all cylinders.
The Yankees are another team to watch. They trail 0-2 to the Rays, following a four-error performance in Game 2 at Tampa Bay. How they respond could determine whether the series continues. The Rays, meanwhile, would be content if the Yankees continue to make mistakes.
The Brewers and Padres are likely to follow a similar pitching strategy to the Guardians and White Sox in Game 4. Walker Buehler is expected to see some action, especially after San Diego exhausted its resources to stay alive in the series. Milwaukee has not named a starter, but bulk arms Robert Gasser, Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan, and Chad Patrick are all available.
If the White Sox, Dodgers, Rays, and Brewers all win, it would mark only the second time that all four division series were wrapped up on the same day. That adds extra intrigue to each individual game.
Michael McDermott has covered MLB since the 2016 season. He previously covered the Arizona Diamondbacks for On SI and the Arizona Fall League as credentialed media during the 2022-2025 seasons. Past stops include AZ Snake Pit, Burn City Sports, and FanSided. Follow michaelmcd8393.