After an expanded Wild Card round that included 16 teams with the eight higher seeds hosting best-of-three series, Major League Baseball is moving to a bubble format similar to the NBA playoffs for the remainder of its postseason, with games played at neutral sites. American League teams will play in Los Angeles and San Diego; National League teams will play in Houston and Arlington, Texas. The World Series will be played in Arlington at Globe Life Park, the new home of the Texas Rangers.
In the American League Division Series, the Tampa Bay Rays play the New York Yankees in San Diego, and the Oakland A’s play the Houston Astros in Los Angeles. The Astros will look for the sweep on Wednesday, while the Rays evened their series with the Yankees on Tuesday night and look to take a series lead on the Bronx Bombers tonight.
In the National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers play the San Diego Padres in Arlington, and the Atlanta Braves play the Miami Marlins in Houston. Travis d’Arnaud led the way for the Braves in a 9-5 win Tuesday afternoon, while a four-run sixth inning propelled the Dodgers to a Game 1 win.
Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers continue the NLDS against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas.
Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News/Getty Images
Postseason games on Wednesday, Oct. 7
- Marlins vs. Braves, Game 2 at 2:08 p.m. ET (11:08 a.m. PT) on MLB Network
- Astros vs. A’s, Game 3 at 3:35 p.m. ET (12:35 p.m. PT) on TBS
- Yankees vs. Rays, Game 3 at 7:10 p.m. ET (4:10 p.m. PT) on TBS
- Padres vs. Dodgers, Game 2 at 9:08 p.m. ET (6:08 p.m. PT) on FS1
Read on for details on how you can watch today’s games along with the rest of the 2020 MLB playoffs without cable.
What are the ALDS and NLDS matchups?
The two top seeds in each league advanced past the Wild Card round, while the Padres were the only other team to avoid an upset. The Yankees, Astros and Marlins each won on the road in their Wild Card series to get to the divisional series round.
American League
- (1) Tampa Bay Rays vs. (5) New York Yankees
- (2) Oakland Athletics vs. (6) Houston Astros
National League
- (1) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (4) San Diego Padres
- (2) Atlanta Braves vs. (6) Miami Marlins
Read more: NFL streaming: How to watch the 2020 football season without cable
What’s the schedule for the rest of the Division series round?
Game times and the TV broadcast schedule have been announced through the best-of-five divisional round.
Thursday, Oct. 8
- Marlins vs. Braves, Game 3 at 2:08 p.m. ET (11:08 a.m. PT) on FS1
- Astros vs. A’s, Game 4* at 3:35 p.m. ET (12:35 p.m. PT) on TBS
- Yankees vs. Rays, Game 4* at 7:10 p.m. ET (4:10 p.m. PT) on TBS
- Padres vs. Dodgers, Game 3 at 9:08 p.m. ET (6:08 p.m. PT) on MLB Network
Friday, Oct. 9
- Marlins vs. Braves, Game 4* at 2:08 p.m. ET (11:08 a.m. PT) on FS1
- Astros vs. A’s, Game 5* at 3:35 p.m. ET (12:35 p.m. PT) on TBS
- Yankees vs. Rays, Game 5* at 7:10 p.m. ET (4:10 p.m. PT) on TBS
- Padres vs. Dodgers, Game 4* at 9:08 p.m. ET (6:08 p.m. PT) on FS1
Saturday, Oct. 10
- Marlins vs. Braves, Game 5* at 4:08 p.m. ET (1:08 a.m. PT) on FS1
- Padres vs. Dodgers, Game 5* at 8:08 p.m. ET (4:08 p.m. PT) on FS1
*If necessary.
The 2020 World Series begins Tuesday, Oct 20.
What channels do I need to watch the MLB playoffs?
The ALCS will be on TBS and the NLCS will be on MLB Network, Fox and FS1. The World Series will be broadcast on Fox.
How can I watch the MLB playoffs without cable?
You don’t need cable or satellite TV to watch the MLB postseason. All of the channels that show playoff games are offered on most major live TV streaming services, and all of them offer Fox for the World Series. Not every service carries your local Fox station, however, so check the links below to make sure it’s available in your area.
If you just want to watch the World Series on Fox, you can do so with an over-the-air digital antenna. We have a few cheap suggestions for the best indoor antennas.
YouTube TV costs $65 a month and includes all four channels required to watch the rest of postseason baseball. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Read our YouTube TV review.
AT&T TV Now’s basic $55-a-month Plus package includes all of the postseason baseball channels except MLB Network, which is part of the $110-per-month Choice package. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live.
Read our AT&T TV Now review.
Sling offers Fox only in a handful of areas. Otherwise its $45-a-month Blue/Orange package includes all the postseason baseball channels except for MLB Network. To get MLB Network, you must spring for the $10-a-month Sports Extra add-on.
Read our Sling TV review.
Hulu with Live TV costs $55 a month and includes all of the postseason baseball channels except MLB Network. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.
Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
FuboTV costs $65 a month and includes all of the postseason baseball channels except TBS. Click here to see which local channels you get.
Read our FuboTV review.
Other ways to watch postseason baseball online
MLB.TV is great for watching out-of-market baseball games during the regular season, but it’s less useful for tuning into baseball’s postseason because you must be a subscriber to a participating pay TV provider. The list is short and can be found here. If you are a subscriber to one of the pay TV providers listed, the MLB.TV Postseason Package will run you $25. To sweeten the deal, the Postseason Package includes spring training games next year.
Another option if you’re a cable subscriber is using the Fox Sports Go app. Unlike the MLB.com At Bat, you can watch the World Series for free — well, for no more than you’re already paying for cable. The Fox Sports Go app works with iOS devices, Android devices and the Amazon Kindle Fire as well as with Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Roku and Xbox. You can also access Fox Sports Go from a computer.
You can use the free Watch TBS app or TBS.com to watch the ALDS and ALCS but you’ll need to prove you pay for cable. The TBS app works with the Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku platforms.