The 2013 MLB regular season is over, and while it was a bit disappointing for some teams (the Orioles, Nationals, and Yankees), it was even more disappointing for others (the Blue Jays and Phillies come to mind). But now it's time for the post-season - when intensity is up a few notches, players ignore injuries and play their hearts out, and fans get caught up in the hoopla and excitement. But if you're not a die-hard fan, it might be a little hard to keep track of which teams are playing in which round. Don't worry; I'm here to help you figure things out.
The first official post-season game is Tuesday night, when the Pittsburgh Pirates will be hosting the Cincinnati Reds for a one-game Wild Card contest. The winner of that game will then face the Cardinals in St. Louis for a best-of-five series. This is called the NLDS (National League Division Series). At the same time, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be visiting the Atlanta Braves for the second NLDS. The winners of those two series will then move on to the best-of-seven NLCS (National League Championship Series), so that narrows the National League from 4 teams before the NLDS to 1 team after the NLCS. This team goes on to the World Series as the sole representative of the National League. Got it? I hope so, because I don't know how else to explain it.
The same thing happens in the American League, so here it goes. The one-game Wild Card contest is on Wednesday between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians (in Cleveland). The winner of that game goes on to the ALDS (American League Division Series) against the Red Sox in Boston. On the other NLDS, Oakland will be hosting the Detroit Tigers. After that best-of-five series, the two teams who come out on top go on to the ALCS (Americal League Championship Series) and the winner of that will go on to the World Series.
Are there any surprises here? Well the Red Sox went from last to first in their division, the Cleveland Indians played like they didn't want to go to the playoffs for a while, and the Dodgers came out of nowhere. And how about those Pirates? They haven't been to the post-season in like 20 years or something. So it's nice to see some fresh faces - no Yankees, no Phillies, and no Giants. Instead, we have Longoria, Kimbrell, McCutchen, and two Molinas along with last year's Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and badass Justin Verlander. It will be exciting, and I will try to watch as much of it as I can!
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|
|---|
| NL Wild Card | Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh | Tue, Oct 1 | 8:00 PM | TBS |
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NL Wild Card
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|
|---|
| AL Wild Card | Tampa Bay @ Cleveland | Wed, Oct 2 | 8:00 PM | TBS |
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AL Wild Card
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|
|---|
| Game 1 | NL Wild Card @ St. Louis | Thu, Oct 3 | 5:00 PM | TBS |
|
| Game 2 | NL Wild Card @ St. Louis | Fri, Oct 4 | 1:00 PM | MLBN |
|
| Game 3 | St. Louis @ NL Wild Card | Sun, Oct 6 | TBD | TBS | |
| Game 4* | St. Louis @ NL Wild Card | Mon, Oct 7 | TBD | TBS/MLBN | |
| Game 5* | NL Wild Card @ St. Louis | Wed, Oct 9 | TBD | TBS |
|
NLDS
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|
|---|
| Game 1 | LA Dodgers @ Atlanta | Thu, Oct 3 | 8:30 PM | TBS |
|
| Game 2 | LA Dodgers @ Atlanta | Fri, Oct 4 | 6:00 PM | TBS |
|
| Game 3 | Atlanta @ LA Dodgers | Sun, Oct 6 | TBD | TBS |
|
| Game 4* | Atlanta @ LA Dodgers | Mon, Oct 7 | TBD | TBS/MLBN |
|
| Game 5* | LA Dodgers @ Atlanta | Wed, Oct 9 | TBD | TBS |
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NLDS
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|
|---|
| Game 1 | AL Wild Card @ Boston | Fri, Oct 4 | 3:00 PM | TBS |
|
| Game 2 | AL Wild Card @ Boston | Sat, Oct 5 | 5:30 PM | TBS |
|
| Game 3 | Boston @ AL Wild Card | Mon, Oct 7 | TBD | TBS/MLBN | |
| Game 4* | Boston @ AL Wild Card | Tue, Oct 8 | TBD | TBS | |
| Game 5* | AL Wild Card @ Boston | Thu, Oct 10 | TBD | TBS |
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ALDS
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
|
|---|
| Game 1 | Detroit @ Oakland | Fri, Oct 4 | 9:30 PM | TBS |
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| Game 2 | Detroit @ Oakland | Sat, Oct 5 | 9:00 PM | TBS |
|
| Game 3 | Oakland @ Detroit | Mon, Oct 7 | TBD | TBS/MLBN |
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| Game 4* | Oakland @ Detroit | Tue, Oct 8 | TBD | TBS |
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| Game 5* | Detroit @ Oakland | Thu, Oct 10 | TBD | TBS |
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