The Division Series matchups are set.
The White Sox swept the Astros to meet a familiar face in the division-rival Guardians, while the Yankees swept the Red Sox and will play the Rays in the ALDS. The Padres swept the Cubs to advance to the NLDS against the Brewers and the Braves took down the Phillies in three games to secure a matchup with the Dodgers.
Here’s a breakdown of the Division Series ahead of Saturday’s openers.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
(2) Guardians vs. (6) White Sox
Schedule
Game 1 (at CLE): Saturday, 1 p.m. ET/noon CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Game 2 (at CLE): Monday, 5 p.m. ET/4 CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Game 3 (at CWS): Wednesday, 4 p.m. ET/3 CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Game 4 (at CWS, if necessary): Thursday, 5 p.m. ET/4 CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Game 5 (at CLE, if necessary): Saturday, 5 p.m. ET/4 CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Season series: The White Sox held a narrow advantage in the head-to-head despite the Guardians walking away with the AL Central crown this season. Chicago won seven games to Cleveland’s six, but this matchup was about as close as it gets. Six games were decided by one run, and two went to extra innings. The Guardians won four of those nail-biters.
Postseason history: This will be the first playoff meeting between these teams.
Keys to the matchup: The long ball tends to win in the postseason. The White Sox hit a lot of them (211 home runs, fifth in MLB) in the regular season, and the Guardians didn’t (162, 27th). The additions of Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe at the Trade Deadline helped the Guardians move closer to the middle of the pack in the second half, though power is still not the club’s forte.
The Guardians do have an advantage on the mound, with one of the most stout rotations in the AL. Parker Messick, Gavin Williams and trade pickup Foster Griffin will need to keep the ball in the yard before turning things over to a bullpen headlined by All-Star Cade Smith.
Player to watch: José Ramírez. After needing surgery to repair a fractured left hamate bone in June, J-Ram didn’t look much like himself. He had just a .598 OPS with two home runs after the All-Star break. But it can take time to get right after a hamate surgery, so we’ll call the seven-time All-Star a “sleeping giant.” The Guardians will certainly need Ramírez to make a deep October run.
(1) Rays vs. (4) Yankees
Schedule
Game 1 (at TB): Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Game 2 (at TB): Monday, 8 p.m. ET/5 CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Game 3 (at NYY): Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Game 4 (at NYY, if necessary): Thursday, 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Game 5 (at TB, if necessary): Saturday, 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Season series: The AL-best Rays took seven of 13 against the Yankees in a tight matchup. They won the first four -- each by two runs or fewer -- before the Yankees heated up. New York won four of the final five head-to-head matchups.
Postseason history: These teams have met just once in the postseason. The Rays toppled the Yankees in five games in the 2020 ALDS at Petco Park before their run to the World Series. Mike Brosseau hit a decisive eighth-inning home run off Aroldis Chapman in Game 5.
Keys to the matchup: How will each team’s starting pitching shake out? Both clubs have some elite arms -- Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez and much-improved Trade Deadline acquisition Freddy Peralta for the Rays; Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón for the Yankees. But with Schlittler likely to start Game 2 -- he’d be on three days’ rest for Saturday’s Game 1 -- can the Rays win the opener behind the reliable Rasmussen and set the tone from there?
If Aaron Judge (right calf) remains sidelined, Rays third baseman Junior Caminero might just be the best hitter in this series, although the Yankees’ Ben Rice -- who delivered a stellar performance in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series -- has a strong argument, too. Whichever team can best make opposing starters work and get them out early will be the series favorite.
Player to watch: Luis García Jr., the Yankees’ major Trade Deadline pickup, will be a key part of this series. Acquired from the Nationals for right-hander Yovanny Cruz and two of New York’s top 30 prospects, García hit 30 home runs and drove in 92 runs during the regular season before homering to open the scoring in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. He was particularly effective against right-handed pitching, slashing .283/.314/.551 with 27 dingers against righties in 2026. Whether Judge is back for the ALDS, García’s power bat will be a huge part of New York’s potent lineup, particularly against a righty-heavy Tampa Bay rotation.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
(1) Brewers vs. (4) Padres
Schedule
Game 1 (at MIL): Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 2 (at MIL): Sunday, 4 p.m. ET/3 CT on FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 3 (at SD): Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 CT on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 4 (at SD, if necessary): Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET/9 CT on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 5 (at MIL, if necessary): Friday, 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 CT on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Season series: The Padres took four of six games between the clubs during the regular season. The Brewers won two of three against San Diego at American Family Field from May 12-14, and the Padres swept Milwaukee at Petco Park from Aug. 10-12.
Postseason history: This will be the first postseason meeting between the two teams, each of which played its first season in 1969.
Keys to the matchup: Pitching and early scoring will be key. The Brewers have the game's most electric starter, NL Cy Young Award frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski, and he's followed by a strong No. 2 in Logan Henderson. Milwaukee also has a very good bullpen, one that is matched or exceeded by the Padres' relief corps, which features the most dominant closer in the Majors, Mason Miller.
Games will get late early, and the team that scores first will have a major advantage. Led by Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego's offense has been red-hot over the past month. The Crew's lineup hasn't been too shabby, either. Whichever club comes out of the gate with early runs could be the team that reaches the NL Championship Series.
Player to watch: Tatis. When he's hot, he can carry a lineup. And right now, he's hot -- after posting a 1.066 OPS with eight home runs over the final month of the regular season, he set the tone for San Diego's NL Wild Card Series sweep of the Cubs with a leadoff homer in Game 1. Tatis is as exciting a player as there is in the game, and if he's locked in, the Padres could feed off his energy and surge into the NLCS.
(2) Dodgers vs. (3) Braves
Schedule
Game 1 (at LAD): Saturday, 4 p.m. ET/3 CT on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 2 (at LAD): Sunday, 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 3 (at ATL): Tuesday, 6 p.m. ET/5 CT on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 4 (at ATL, if necessary): Wednesday, 6 p.m. ET/5 CT on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Game 5 (at LAD, if necessary): Friday, 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Season series: The Braves dominated the two-time reigning champs, going 5-1 against the Dodgers in 2026. Atlanta swept a three-game set at home in late August, while the Dodgers won their lone game, 3-1, on May 8 at home.
Postseason history: This will be the sixth postseason meeting between a pair of historic franchises. They last faced off in the 2021 NLCS, when the Braves bested the Dodgers in six games en route to their fourth World Series win. The duo also met in the 2020 NLCS, when the Dodgers won in seven games before their own World Series title.
The Dodgers have won three of five head-to-head playoff series against the Braves. Four have come since 2013, while the first happened in 1996.
Keys to the matchup: A lot rides on these pitching staffs. The Braves have been buoyed by the dominant Chris Sale and a resurgent Tyler Mahle, but the rotation falls off quite a bit from there, with injuries also putting into question the status of Martín Pérez and Bryce Elder -- both steady for much of the season. However, the Atlanta bullpen has been one of MLB’s best and got the job done in the Wild Card Series against the Phillies.
As for the Dodgers, their rotation should be set, even without Shohei Ohtani on the mound. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are a formidable bunch. The questions remain in the bullpen, where the club has cycled through late-inning options, both due to injury and underperformance. Might Roki Sasaki turn into a postseason star again in a bullpen role, or could Edwin Díaz round back into form?
Player to watch: Kyle Tucker. We could easily say Ohtani, who might still be hampered by the biceps and knee issues that have impacted his season. But Tucker was arguably the biggest offseason acquisition any team made this year, and he struggled through much of the regular season, ending with a .715 OPS. However, his September was considerably better (.890 OPS, six home runs). Tucker playing to his All-Star standards could be a catalyst as the Dodgers look to three-peat.