Major League Baseball (MLB) has finalized the schedule for its 2026 postseason, commonly known as October Baseball.
The MLB office released the official playoff calendar on Tuesday.
According to the announcement, the postseason will commence on September 29 in the U.S., which corresponds to September 30 in Korean time.
The Wild Card Series, a best-of-three format, will kick off the playoffs. Twelve teams in total, six from each league, will qualify for the postseason. In each league, the three Wild Card teams and the division winner with the lowest winning percentage will compete in the Wild Card Series.
The third-seeded division champion will face the sixth-seeded Wild Card team, while the fourth and fifth seeds (the top two Wild Card teams) will battle for a spot in the Division Series.
The two division champions with the best records will advance directly to the Division Series (best-of-five), where they’ll face the Wild Card Series winners. The Division Series is scheduled for October 4-11.
The Championship Series (best-of-seven) will pit the Division Series winners against each other from October 12-21.
The National League and American League champions will then square off in the World Series (best-of-seven) to crown the MLB champion. The Fall Classic is set to begin on October 24 and could stretch to November 1 if it goes the full seven games.
In the World Series, the team with the superior regular-season record will host Games 1, 2, 6, and 7.
As it stands, the Tampa Bay Rays (East), Chicago White Sox (Central), and Houston Astros (West) are leading their respective divisions in the American League. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers currently occupy the three Wild Card spots.
Over in the National League, the Atlanta Braves (East), Milwaukee Brewers (Central), and Los Angeles Dodgers (West) top their divisions. The Chicago Cubs, Lizzona Diamondbacks, and Philadelphia Phillies are in the hunt for Wild Card berths.