▲ 2026 MLB Postseason Format and Schedule
The 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason will kick off on September 30 (Korea time).
According to this year's autumn baseball schedule announced by the MLB office today (the 11th), the American League (AL) and National League (NL) will open the postseason with the best-of-three Wild Card Series (WCS) from September 30 to October 2.
A total of six teams from each league will advance to the postseason, consisting of three division winners and three wild-card teams with the next-best records.
The two division champions with the highest winning percentages (No. 1 and No. 2 seeds) will advance directly to the Division Series (DS, best-of-five).
The Wild Card Series will feature matchups between the division winner with the lowest winning percentage (No. 3 seed) and the third wild-card team (No. 6 seed), as well as the first wild-card team (No. 4 seed) and the second wild-card team (No. 5 seed). The higher-seeded team will host all three games of the series at home.
The Division Series between the wild-card winners and the top two seeds will take place from October 4 to October 11.
The League Championship Series (LCS, best-of-seven) between the Division Series winners will run from October 12 to 21, and the highly anticipated World Series (best-of-seven) between the league champions will begin on October 24 and continue through November 1 at the latest.
In the World Series, the team with the higher regular-season winning percentage will host Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 at home.
As of the 10th, the Tampa Bay Rays (East), Chicago White Sox (Central), and Houston Astros (West) are leading their respective divisions in the AL, while the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers occupy the top three wild-card spots.
In the NL, the Atlanta Braves (East), Milwaukee Brewers (Central), and Los Angeles Dodgers (West) are leading their divisions, with the Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Philadelphia Phillies competing for wild-card berths in the autumn classic.
(Photo: Captured from MLB X account, Yonhap News)
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