When do the MLB playoffs start in 2023? Date, TV schedule & updated AL, NL brackets for postseason
The 2023 MLB playoff race has come down to the wire.
While some races have been decided for a while — the Braves and Dodgers have been clear division winners for some time — others, like the race for the AL West and the final NL wild card spots, have gone into the final week of MLB action to be decided.
But it won’t be long until the chase reaches its destination: the MLB postseason. In total, there will be 12 teams competing in the playoffs, six in each league, with three wild cards joining the three division winners in the field.
MORE: Watch select MLB games live on Fubo (free trial)
Looking forward to the start of the playoffs? Here’s everything you need to know about the MLB playoffs as the season winds down.
When do the MLB playoffs start in 2023?
The MLB playoffs will begin on Oct. 3, with several wild card games. If the World Series goes a full seven games, it can run until Nov. 4.
- Wild Card Series: Oct. 3-5
- Division Series: Oct. 7-14
- Championship Series: Oct. 15-24
- World Series: Oct. 27-Nov. 4
MORE: Updated MLB standings, magic numbers
MLB playoff bracket
If the postseason were to begin today, this is how the playoff field would shape up, as of Sept. 25. The division winners receive the top two seeds, followed by the three wild-card teams. The top two division winners earn byes to the division series.
American League
- Orioles (East leader)
- Rangers (West leader)
- Twins (Central champion)
- Rays (Wild card 1)
- Blue Jays (Wild card 2)
- Astros (Wild card 3)
National League
- Braves (East champion)
- Dodgers (West champion)
- Brewers (Central leader)
- Phillies (Wild card 1)
- Diamondbacks (Wild card 2)
- Cubs (Wild card 3)
AL Wild Card Series (Best of 3)
- No. 3 Twins vs. No. 6 Astros in Minneapolis
- No. 4 Rays vs. No. 5 Blue Jays in Tampa Bay
NL Wild Card Series (Best of 3)
- No. 3 Brewers vs. No. 6 Cubs in Milwaukee
- No. 4 Phillies vs. No. 5 Diamondbacks in Philadelphia
AL Division Series (Best of 5)
- No. 1 Orioles vs. No. 4 Rays or No. 5 Blue Jays
- No. 2 Rangers vs. No. 3 Twins or No. 6 Astros
NL Division Series (Best of 5)
- No. 1 Braves vs. No. 4 Phillies or No. 5 Diamondbacks
- No. 2 Dodgers vs. No. 3 Brewers or No. 6 Cubs
MLB playoff schedule 2023
Wild Card Series
| Date | Matchup | Network |
| Oct. 3 | AL Wild Card 3 at AL Division 3 | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 |
| AL Wild Card 2 at AL Wild Card 1 | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| NL Wild Card 3 at NL Division 3 | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| NL Wild Card 2 at NL Wild Card 1 | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| Oct. 4 | AL Wild Card 3 at AL Division 3 | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 |
| AL Wild Card 2 at AL Wild Card 1 | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| NL Wild Card 3 at NL Division 3 | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| NL Wild Card 2 at NL Wild Card 1 | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| Oct. 5 | AL Wild Card 3 at AL Division 3* | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 |
| AL Wild Card 2 at AL Wild Card 1* | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| NL Wild Card 3 at NL Division 3* | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| NL Wild Card 2 at NL Wild Card 1* | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 |
*If necessary
Division Series
| Date | Matchup | Network |
| Oct. 7 | AL WC 4/5 at AL Division 1 | Fox or FS1 |
| AL WC 6/Division 3 at AL Division 2 | Fox or FS1 | |
| NL WC 4/5 at NL Division 1 | TBS | |
| NL WC 6/Division 3 at NL Division 2 | TBS | |
| Oct. 8 | AL WC 4/5 at AL Division 1 | Fox or FS1 |
| AL WC 6/Division 3 at AL Division 2 | Fox or FS1 | |
| Oct. 9 | NL WC 4/5 at NL Division 1 | TBS |
| NL WC 6/Division 3 at NL Division 2 | TBS | |
| Oct. 10 | AL Division 1 at AL WC 4/5 | Fox or FS1 |
| AL Division 2 at AL WC 6/Division 3 | Fox or FS1 | |
| Oct. 11 | AL Division 1 at AL WC 4/5* | Fox or FS1 |
| AL Division 2 at AL WC 6/Division 3* | Fox or FS1 | |
| NL Division 1 at NL WC 4/5* | TBS | |
| NL Division 2 at NL WC 6/Division 3* | TBS | |
| Oct. 12 | NL Division 1 at NL WC 4/5* | TBS |
| NL Division 2 at NL WC 6/Division 3* | TBS | |
| Oct. 13 | AL WC 4/5 Winner at AL Division 1* | Fox or FS1 |
| AL WC 6/Division 3 at AL Division 2* | Fox or FS1 | |
| Oct. 14 | NL WC 4/5 at NL Division 1* | TBS |
| NL WC 6/Division 3 at NL Division 2* | TBS |
*If necessary
League Championship Series
| Date | Matchup | Network |
| Oct. 15 | AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed | Fox or FS1 |
| Oct. 16 | AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed | Fox or FS1 |
| NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed | TBS | |
| Oct. 17 | NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed | TBS |
| Oct. 18 | AL Higher Seed at AL Lower Seed | Fox or FS1 |
| Oct. 19 | AL Higher Seed at AL Lower Seed | Fox or FS1 |
| NL Higher Seed at NL Lower Seed | TBS | |
| Oct. 20 | AL Higher Seed at AL Lower Seed* | Fox or FS1 |
| NL Higher Seed at NL Lower Seed* | TBS | |
| Oct. 21 | NL Higher Seed at NL Lower Seed* | TBS |
| Oct. 22 | AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed* | Fox or FS1 |
| Oct. 23 | AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed* | Fox or FS1 |
| NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed* | TBS | |
| Oct. 24 | NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed* | TBS |
*If necessary
World Series
| Date | Matchup | Network |
| Oct. 27 | League Champ 2 at League Champ 1 | Fox |
| Oct. 28 | League Champ 2 at League Champ 1 | Fox |
| Oct. 30 | League Champ 1 at League Champ 2 | Fox |
| Oct. 31 | League Champ 1 at League Champ 2 | Fox |
| Nov. 1 | League Champ 1 at League Champ 2* | Fox |
| Nov. 3 | League Champ 2 at League Champ 1* | Fox |
| Nov. 4 | League Champ 2 at League Champ 1* | Fox |
*If necessary
How do MLB playoffs work?
The playoff structure in the league is as follows:
- No. 1 seed: Best league record
- No. 2 seed: Second-best division winner
- No. 3 seed: Third-best division winner
- No. 4 seed: Best record among non-division winners
- No. 5 seed: Second-best record among non-division winners
- No. 6 seed: Third-best record among non-division winners
The top seeds in each league receive byes for the wild-card round and wait to host the two division series matchups. The No. 3 seed will host the No. 6 seed in a best-of-three series, while the No. 4 seed will host the No. 5 seed. All games will be played at the higher seed.
In the divisional round, the No. 1 seed will play the winner of the series between the No. 4 team and No. 5 team. The No. 2 seed will play either the No. 3 or No. 6 seed. Those divisional matchups will be best-of-five series, with the first two games played at the higher seed, the next two played at the lower seed and the final game played at the higher seed.
The Division Series winners will meet in a best-of-seven League Championship Series, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2, 6 and 7, and the lower seed hosting Games 3, 4 and 5. The winners of the League Championship Series will then head to the World Series with the same hosting format, with the seeding based on regular-season records.
Regular-season tiebreakers
MLB eliminated Game 163s under its revised playoff format, meaning the league will turn to a tie-breaking system to resolve any teams with even records at the end of the year. Here’s how that tiebreaker shakes up:
- Head-to-head record
- Intradivision record
- Interdivision record
- Last half of intraleague games
- Last half of intraleague games plus one
MLB playoff picture
Through games completed as of Sept. 24, here’s a look at how the playoffs are shaping up.
American League
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched |
| 1 | Orioles | 97-59 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Rangers | 87-68 | — |
| 3 | Twins | 83-73 | AL Central |
| 4 | Rays | 95-62 | Playoffs |
| 5 | Blue Jays | 87-69 | — |
| 6 | Astros | 85-71 | — |
National League
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched |
| 1 | Braves | 100-56 | NL East |
| 2 | Dodgers | 96-59 | NL West |
| 3 | Brewers | 82-74 | Playoffs |
| 4 | Phillies | 87-69 | — |
| 5 | Diamondbacks | 82-73 | — |
| 6 | Cubs | 82-74 | — |
