2021 MLB playoffs: Bracket, postseason baseball schedule as Yankees, Red Sox face off in AL Wild Card Game

The 2021 Major League Baseball postseason is here, and the action kicks off on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. This year’s playoffs mark a return to some sense of normalcy for the sport. Gone are the neutral sites, the fan-less games, and the 16-team format; the concepts of home-field advantage and sellouts are back, and so is the 10-team field. For a reminder on how the rounds typically work, here’s a quick refresher:

• Wild Card Game: Winner advances
• Division Series (two per league): Best-of-five series
• Championship Series: Best-of-seven series
• World Series: Best-of-seven series

The Yankees and Red Sox clinched the final two spots in the playoff field on Sunday, fending off the Blue Jays and Mariners and denying fans the chaos of a Game 163 tiebreaker on Monday. The Giants also clinched the NL West on the regular season’s final day, sending the Dodgers to the NL Wild Card Game in the process.

So what does the MLB playoff bracket look like? Below you’ll find the schedule and the results for all the rounds as they play out, beginning with the Wild Card Game, extending through the League Division and Championship Series, and concluding with — what else — the 2021 World Series.

2021 MLB playoff bracket

2021 MLB postseason schedule

All games on the ESPN networks, Fox, FS1 and MLB Network can be streamed via fuboTV (Try for free).  

Former Marlins president David Samson discussed what to expect from the AL Wild Card Game matchup between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox on the latest episode of Nothing Personal with David Samson. Listen below:

Wild Card Games (single elimination)

Tues., Oct 5	Yankees at Red Sox (AL)	8:08 p.m.	ESPN
Weds., Oct 6	Cardinals at Dodgers (NL)	8:10 p.m.	TBS

League Division Series (best-of-five)

Thurs., Oct. 7	ALDS Game 1	Astros vs. White Sox	4:07 p.m.	FS1
	ALDS Game 1	Rays vs. TBD	8:07 p.m.	FS1
Fri., Oct. 8	ALDS Game 2	Astros vs. White Sox	2:07 p.m.	MLB Network
	NLDS Game 1	Brewers vs. Braves	4:37 p.m.	TBS
	ALDS Game 2	Rays vs. TBD	7:02 p.m.	FS1
	NLDS Game 1	Giants vs. TBD	9:37 p.m.	TBS
Sat., Oct. 9	NLDS Game 2	Brewers vs. Braves	5:07 p.m.	TBS
	NLDS Game 2	Giants vs. TBD	9:07 p.m.	TBS
Sun., Oct. 10	ALDS Game 3	TBD vs. Rays	4:07 p.m.	MLB Network
	ALDS Game 3	White Sox vs. Astros	8:07 p.m.	FS1
Mon., Oct. 11	ALDS Game 4 (if nec.)	TBD vs. Rays	TBA	FS1 or MLB Network
	ALDS Game 4 (if nec.)	White Sox vs. Astros	TBA	FS1 or MLB Network
	NLDS Game 3	Braves vs. Brewers	TBA	TBS
	NLDS Game 3	TBD vs. Giants	TBA	TBS
Tues., Oct. 12	NLDS Game 4 (if nec.)	Braves vs. Brewers	TBA	TBS
	NLDS Game 4 (if nec.)	TBD vs. Giants	TBA	TBS
Weds., Oct. 13	ALDS Game 5 (if nec.)	Astros vs. White Sox	TBA	FS1
	ALDS Game 5 (if nec.)	Rays vs. TBD	TBA	FS1
Thurs., Oct 14	NLDS Game 5 (if nec.)	Brewers vs. Braves	TBA	TBS
	NLDS Game 5 (if nec.)	Giants vs. TBD	TBA	TBS

League Championship Series (best-of-seven)

Fri., Oct. 15	ALCS Game 1	TBD	TBA	Fox
Sat., Oct. 16	ALCS Game 2	TBD	TBA	Fox or FS1
	NLCS Game 1	TBD	TBA	TBS
Sun., Oct. 17	NLCS Game 2	TBD	TBA	TBS
Mon., Oct. 18	ALCS Game 3	TBD	TBA	FS1
Tues., Oct. 19	ALCS Game 4	TBD	TBA	FS1
	NLCS Game 3	TBD	TBA	TBS
Weds., Oct. 20	ALCS Game 5 (if nec.)	TBD	TBA	FS1
	NLCS Game 4	TBD	TBA	TBS
Thurs., Oct. 21	NLCS Game 5 (if nec.)	TBD	TBA	TBS
Fri., Oct. 22	ALCS Game 6 (if nec.)	TBD	TBA	TBS
Sat., Oct. 23	ALCS Game 7 (if nec.)	TBD	TBA	Fox or FS1
	NLCS Game 6 (if nec.)	TBD	TBA	TBS
Sun., Oct. 24	NLCS Game 7 (if nec.)	TBD	TBA	TBS

World Series (best-of-seven)

Tues., Oct. 26	Game 1	TBD	TBA	Fox
Weds., Oct. 27	Game 2	TBD	TBA	Fox
Fri., Oct. 29	Game 3	TBD	TBA	Fox
Sat., Oct. 30	Game 4	TBD	TBA	Fox
Sun., Oct. 31	Game 5 (if nec.)	TBD	TBA	Fox
Tues., Nov. 2	Game 6 (if nec.)	TBD	TBA	Fox
Weds., Nov. 3	Game 7 (if nec.)	TBD	TBA	Fox

2021 MLB postseason gear now available

The 2021 MLB Playoffs start Oct. 5 and 6 with the AL and NL Wild Card games. In celebration, 2021 MLB postseason gear is now available for select teams. Shop hoodies, shirts, and more here.

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