Welcome to October: 2018 postseason guide

By Chad Thornburg | September 30, 2018

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October is here, and so is playoff baseball. The regular season wrapped Monday with two divisions needing a Game 163 tiebreakers and National League seeding coming down to the wire. Now that the dust has settled on the 2018 standings, here's a look at where things stand heading into this week's Wild Card matchups.
NL Wild Card Game presented by Hankook Tire: Rockies @ Cubs
Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
The losers of Monday's NL tiebreaker games -- the Cubs and Rockies -- will meet in the postseason for the first time Tuesday at Wrigley Field for a one-game playoff with the Brewers awaiting the winner in a best-of-five series, beginning Thursday. The Rockies are returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2009, while the Cubs have made it in three years straight, including their 2016 World Series victory.
American League Wild Card Game presented by Hankook Tire: Athletics @ Yankees
Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET on TBS
The Yankees (100-62) clinched the top Wild Card spot with higher winning percentage than the A's (97-65) this season and will host the one-game playoff at Yankee Stadium. It's the first postseason meeting between these clubs and first since 2001, when New York defeated Oakland in the AL Division Series for a second consecutive year. The winner of this elimination game will head to Boston on Friday to face the Red Sox in the AL Division Series.
NL Division Series presented by Doosan (2-2-1 format): NLWC @ Brewers
Series begins Thursday on MLB Network or Fox Sports 1
The Brewers clinched the NL Central and the NL's top seed with their 3-1 win over Chicago on Monday, returning to the postseason for the first time since 2011. They host the the winner of the NL Wild Card Game between the Cubs and Rockies. Milwaukee hasn't matched up against either team in the playoffs before.
Schedule:
Game 1: Thursday @ Milwaukee, FS1 or MLBN
Game 2: Friday @ Milwaukee, FS1 or MLBN
Game 3: Sunday @ Chicago/Colorado, FS1 or MLBN
Game 4: Oct. 8 @ Chicago/Colorado, FS1 (if necessary)
Game 5: Oct. 10 @ Milwaukee, FS1 (if necessary)
NL Division Series presented by Doosan (2-2-1 format): Braves @ Dodgers
Series begins Thursday on MLB Network or Fox Sports 1
The Dodgers' 5-2 win over the Rockies on Monday punched their ticket to the NLDS and a best-of-five series against the Braves. It's the third postseason meeting between these clubs and first since the 2013 NLDS, when the Dodgers' six-year run of NL West titles began and the Braves last made the playoffs. They also met in the 1996 NLDS, which the Braves swept.
Schedule:
Game 1: Thursday @ Los Angeles, FS1 or MLBN
Game 2: Friday @ Los Angeles, FS1 or MLBN
Game 3: Sunday @ Atlanta, FS1 or MLBN
Game 4: Oct. 8 @ Atlanta (if necessary)
Game 5: Oct. 10 @ Los Angeles, FS1 (if necessary)
AL Division Series presented by T-Mobile (2-2-1 format): Yankees/Athletics @ Red Sox
Series begins Friday on TBS
The top-seeded Red Sox finished with the best record in baseball (108-54) to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and will host the winner of the AL Wild Card Game between the Yankees and A's at Fenway Park on Friday. If the Yankees win, it would represent a rare October meeting between the longtime rivals. Boston and New York have met just twice in the postseason in the 1999 and 2003 AL Championship Series, both of which the Yankees won. The Red Sox last faced the A's in the playoffs in the 2003 ALDS, winning in five games.
Schedule:
Game 1: Friday @ Boston, TBS
Game 2: Saturday @ Boston, TBS
Game 3: Oct. 8 @ New York/Oakland, TBS
Game 4: Oct. 9 @ New York/Oakland, TBS (if necessary)
Game 5: Oct. 11 @ Boston, TBS (if necessary)
AL Division Series presented by T-Mobile (2-2-1 format): Indians @ Astros
Series begins Friday on TBS
The reigning champion Astros (103-59), the AL's second seed, have home-field advantage in this series and will host the third-seeded Indians (91-71) in Friday's Game 1. Houston and Cleveland have never met in the postseason. Houston is eyeing a second consecutive championship, while the Tribe are looking to end baseball's longest active title drought, which dates back 70 years to 1948.
Schedule:
Game 1: Friday @ Houston, TBS
Game 2: Saturday @ Houston, TBS
Game 3: Oct. 8 @ Cleveland, TBS
Game 4: Oct. 9 @ Cleveland, TBS (if necessary)
Game 5: Oct. 11 @ Houston, TBS (if necessary)
AL Championship Series presented by Google Assistant (2-3-2 format)
Begins Oct. 13 on TBS
Home-field-advantage for this best-of-seven series goes to the Division Series winner with the higher regular-season winning percentage, but never a Wild Card team. The Red Sox are the AL's top seed and are guaranteed home-field if they advance. The Astros are next in line, followed by the Indians, who own home-field over both the Yankees and A's, regardless of record, by virtue of winning the AL Central.
Schedule:
Game 1: Oct. 13, TBS
Game 2: Oct. 14, TBS
Game 3: Oct. 16, TBS
Game 4: Oct. 17, TBS
Game 5: Oct. 18, TBS (if necessary)
Game 6: Oct. 20, TBS (if necessary)
Game 7: Oct. 21, TBS (if necessary)
NL Championship Series presented by Google Assistant (2-3-2 format)
Begins Oct. 12 on FOX or FOX Sports 1
Just like the ALCS, home-field advantage in the NLCS is determined by regular season winning percentage among division winners. The Brewers are the NL's top seed, after winning Monday's tiebreaker against the Cubs, followed by the Dodgers and Braves. As Wild Card teams, the Cubs and Rockies won't have home-field in the NLCS, regardless of record.
Schedule:
Game 1: Oct. 12, FS1
Game 2: Oct. 13, FOX
Game 3: Oct. 15, FS1
Game 4: Oct. 16, FS1
Game 5: Oct. 17, FS1 (if necessary)
Game 6: Oct. 19, FS1 (if necessary)
Game 7: Oct. 20, FS1 (if necessary)
World Series presented by YoutubeTV (2-3-2 format)
Begins Oct. 23 on FOX
MLB changed the way home-field advantage works in the World Series last year, awarding it to the team with the best regular-season record -- excluding tiebreaker games and regardless of Wild Card status -- rather than tying it to the winning league in the All-Star Game. Home-field in the 2019 Series will most likely go to an AL team; the Red Sox, Astros, Yankees and A's all finished with better records than the NL's top seed.
The only matchups in which the NL would have home-field advantage are if the 95-win Cubs or Brewers faced the Indians. Head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker for World Series seeding, but Cleveland (91-71) didn't play the Dodgers or Rockies, so it falls to intradivision record. The Tribe (49-27) have the edge over Los Angeles (44-32) and Colorado (41-35). The Braves, with a 90-72 record, won't have home-field in any scenario.
World Series home-field advantage seedings:

  1. Red Sox (108-54)
  2. Astros (103-59)
  3. Yankees (100-62)
  4. Athletics (97-65)
  5. Cubs (95-67, won season series vs. Milwaukee, 11-8)
  6. Brewers (95-67)
  7. Indians (91-71, better intradivision record than Dodgers, Rockies)
  8. Dodgers (91-71, won season series vs. Colorado, 12-7)
  9. Rockies (91-71)
  10. Braves (90-72)

    World Series Schedule:
    Game 1: Oct. 23, FOX
    Game 2: Oct. 24, FOX
    Game 3: Oct. 26, FOX
    Game 4: Oct. 27, FOX
    Game 5: Oct. 28, FOX (if necessary)
    Game 6: Oct. 30, FOX (if necessary)
    Game 7: Oct. 31, FOX (if necessary)