MLB Wild Card Series

Major League Baseball has announced the umpire crew chief assignments for the Wild Card Series, setting the officiating teams for the opening round of the postseason playoffs. The announcement gives fans and teams a look at who will supervise each series as October baseball gets underway.

MLB.com's experts have published their predictions for every Wild Card Series matchup as the MLB postseason gets underway. The picks cover each of the four best-of-three series, with analysts split on several matchups, giving fans plenty to debate as playoff baseball begins.

The Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros begin their American League Wild Card Series with Game 1 at 5 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Peacock and NBCSN, part of MLB's expanded playoff coverage. Fans can follow an FAQ guide from MLB.com covering start times, pitching matchups, how to watch and what is at stake in the best-of-three matchup.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves open the NL Wild Card Series in Game 1, scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and broadcast on NBC and Peacock. MLB.com has published a viewing FAQ covering how to watch the playoff matchup between the National League rivals, which begins the postseason series between the two clubs.

The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres begin their National League Wild Card Series with Game 1 scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on NBCSN and streamed on Peacock, with MLB.com publishing a viewing guide covering how to watch, pitching matchups and key storylines. It marks the start of postseason play between the two clubs as baseball's October elimination rounds get underway.

The MLB postseason is underway with the Wild Card Series starting, and attention is on the key storylines for each Game 1 matchup across the brackets. Coverage focuses on pitching decisions, teams under pressure to avoid early elimination, and which contenders can set the tone for October. Fans are weighing in on the matchups and predicting which clubs will advance.

Yahoo Sports has published a preview of the 2026 MLB Wild Card Series, outlining the matchups and storylines fans can expect when baseball's postseason begins. The piece is drawing attention from baseball followers looking ahead to October and weighing which contenders are best placed to survive the three-game round.

The MLB postseason wild card round is underway, with fans checking the schedule and start times for today's games. The best-of-three series format means teams face quick elimination, driving attention to exact game times and matchups as the playoff bracket takes shape.