The final step before the World Series is now finalized.
The Guardians defeated the White Sox on Saturday to conclude an epic American League Division Series, setting up a date with the top-seeded Rays in the AL Championship Series.
In the NL, the Brewers and Dodgers will reprise their 2025 pennant battle, with Los Angeles seeking a chance at a championship three-peat and Milwaukee aiming for its first World Series appearance since 1982.
Here’s all you need to know ahead of the League Championship Series.
ALCS
Rays (1) vs. Guardians (2)
Schedule
Game 1 (at TB): Monday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV/HBO Max/UniMas
Game 2 (at TB): Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV/HBO Max/UniMas
Game 3 (at CLE): Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV/HBO Max/UniMas
Game 4 (at CLE): Friday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV/HBO Max/UniMas
Game 5 (at CLE, if necessary): Saturday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV/HBO Max/UniMas
Game 6 (at TB, if necessary): Monday, Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV/HBO Max/UniMas
Game 7 (at TB, if necessary): Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV/HBO Max/UniMas
Season series: The Rays won five of six regular-season bouts against the Guardians, with Cleveland’s lone win coming at home in late April. Tampa Bay pitching was dominant, finishing three shutouts and allowing no more than three runs in any game.
Postseason history: This will be the third postseason meeting between these clubs. The Guardians swept a three-game Wild Card Series in 2022, while the Rays won the Wild Card Game in 2013.
Keys to the matchup: The Guardians had to get creative with their pitching to cover innings in the dogfight that was the ALDS. Might fatigue set in? The Rays, on the other hand, are well-rested after taking care of business in a sweep of the Yankees.
This will be a clash of similar styles. Both clubs play strong defense and feature an offense that ranked in the bottom 10 of regular-season home runs, though the Rays had better overall offensive production, posting a .728 team OPS (eighth in MLB) compared to the Guardians’ .696 (26th).
Player to watch: José Ramírez. The Guardians will be seen as underdogs in this matchup, and if they’re going to overcome the Rays, a vintage Ramírez will need to power the lineup. After the Cleveland superstar battled injuries for much of this season, he started to get right in the ALDS. Ramírez posted five hits and seven RBIs across the final three games of the series.
NLCS
Brewers (1) vs. Dodgers (2)
Schedule
Game 1 (at MIL): Sunday, Oct. 11 on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 2 (at MIL): Monday, Oct. 12 on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 3 (at LAD): Wednesday, Oct. 14 on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 4 (at LAD): Thursday, Oct. 15 on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 5 (at LAD, if necessary): Friday, Oct. 16 on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 6 (at MIL, if necessary): Sunday, Oct. 18 on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 7 (at MIL, if necessary): Monday, Oct. 19 on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Season series: The Brewers won a tight season series, four games to three. Three of those wins came during a key four-game set in mid-August in Los Angeles.
Postseason history: This will be the fourth postseason meeting between the two clubs. The Dodgers have won all three: the 2025 NLCS, the 2020 Wild Card Series and the 2018 NLCS.
Keys to the matchup: The Dodger bats hit timely home runs to advance past the Braves in the NLDS, while the Brewers' stars came through in the biggest moments against the Padres. This 2025 NLCS rematch could become a war of attrition in terms of pitching, with questions persisting about the Los Angeles bullpen and the Milwaukee rotation beyond Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson.
And there is still perhaps the biggest question: Will Shohei Ohtani get right at the plate after a quiet NLDS? His performance could determine a lot in the battle for the NL pennant.
Player to watch: Jackson Chourio. The left fielder is becoming a bona fide postseason superstar after battling Mason Miller to walk it off in Game 2 of the NLDS. At just 23 years old, he already is the Brewers franchise leader in postseason homers and RBIs, and he’ll be a huge threat to the Dodgers’ three-peat hopes.