MLB 2023 Postseason Schedule Set, Key Dates, Wild Card Matchups
It's Playoff Time, Baby...
That’s it. The 2023 Major League Baseball regular season is officially in the books.
And now we can say hello to the Postseason.
The 2023 MLB Playoffs begin on Tuesday, kickstarting a month-long marathon that will result in one team left standing, soaked in champagne and holding aloft the World Series Trophy.
Who that team will be remains to be seen. On that note, look out for my Playoff predictions on Tuesday.
With all the Postseason seedings now decided, I’m going to run you through all you need to know ahead of the start of the Wild Card Series.
But, first, let’s quickly recap the best action from the regular season finale on Sunday…
Sunday Recap
Heading into the regular season finale, there was only one major bit of business left to conduct and that was the American League West Title.
The Texas Rangers, having already secured their first Playoff berth since 2016, were looking to wrap up a fine first season under veteran manager Bruce Bochy by winning the Division. All they had to do was beat the Seattle Mariners.
However, indicative of a late season collapse, Texas couldn’t get the job done and their potent offense was shut out with Seattle starter George Kirby not allowing a run on three hits with seven strikeouts.
It was then over to the Houston Astros to do what they’ve done for years now - shut up every single critic by using their vast experience to come through in the clutch. They dismantled the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-1 to clinch the AL West Division Title for the sixth time in seven years.
Houston really is like that old crush you just can’t get over, no matter how hard you try. Or, maybe more apt, the Astros are just like Thanos in that they are inevitable. Except there is one major difference - the Astros are a lot more dangerous than the Marvel villain, especially in the postseason.
Outside of the AL West being settled and Playoff seeding being determined, there were some notable moments around the league on Sunday.
We bid a fond farewell to some absolute legends of the game with Miguel Cabrera playing his final game for the Detroit Tigers before retiring, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright also played the final game of his career, while Terry Francona brought his iconic managerial career to a close.
Buck Showalter was let go by the Mets, who are opting to head in a different direction under new president of baseball operations David Stearns. The Angels also made a change, informing manager Phil Nevin that he won’t be returning for the 2024 season. And the Angels have most likely seen two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani for the last time too.
There were also some notable milestones achieved. First baseman Matt Olson set a new Atlanta Braves franchise record with 54 home runs, surpassing Andruw Jones’ total of 51 in 2005. The Braves finished with 307 dingers on the year, tied with the 2019 Minnesota Twins for the highest-single team total in MLB history.
Tampa Bay’s Yandy DĂaz won the American League Batting Title with a .330 average, becoming the first Ray in franchise history to win a Batting Title. A familiar name won the National League Batting Title, with the Marlins’ Luis Arraez finishing the regular season with a stellar .354 mark. Arraez won his second consecutive Batting Title and became the second player to win a Batting Title in both leagues since 1901.
The Yankees can hang their hat on one thing in 2023. Gerrit Cole should be the AL Cy Young Award winner. If he isn’t, then something has gone horribly wrong. The ace posted a stellar 2.63 ERA to go along with a 15-4 record, a 7.5 WAR, and 222 strikeouts. In the National League, the Padres didn’t have a lot to shout about in a hot mess of a 2023 season, but their ace did absolutely ball out. Blake Snell finished the regular season with a 2.25 ERA, and he also led all qualifiers in hits per nine (5.8) and walks (99).
And I’ll finish with this gem. Look, it has been a tough ride for the A’s, okay. It started with ownership putting a garbage team on the field, and ended with ownership stiffing its fans by attempting to move the team to Vegas. The days of Moneyball seem a long, long time ago. However, for those long-suffering, beat up A’s fans who have been smacked in the mouth time and time and time again, they did have something to get a little excited about on Sunday. Rookie Esteury Ruiz, who has an absolute set of wheels on him, beat Kenny Lofton’s American League rookie record for stolen bases by swiping his AL-leading 67th bag in the third inning of Oakland’s game on Sunday. Lofton stole 66 bags while with Cleveland in 1992. At least A’s fans had that to celebrate.
With the regular season in the books, let’s now get you set for the Playoffs…
The Field
Here’s a quick reminder of the teams that make up the 2023 MLB Postseason bracket…
American League:
Baltimore Orioles (No. 1 seed)
Houston Astros (No. 2 seed)
Minnesota Twins (No. 3 seed)
Tampa Bay Rays (No. 4 seed)
Texas Rangers (No. 5 seed)
Toronto Blue Jays (No. 6 seed)
National League:
Atlanta Braves (No. 1 seed)
LA Dodgers (No. 2 seed)
Milwaukee Brewers (No. 3 seed)
Philadelphia Phillies (No. 4 seed)
Miami Marlins (No. 5 seed)
Arizona Diamondbacks (No. 6 seed)
Wild Card Schedule
As a reminder, the Wild Card Series is a Best-of-Three format, and the higher seed in each Series will have the advantage of playing all three games at their home field.
Here’s the full Wild Card Series schedule for your convenience:
American League
Blue Jays (6) At Twins (3)
Game 1: Tues, 4:38 P.M. ET (ESPN)
Game 2: Wed, 4:38 P.M. ET (ESPN)
Game 3 (if necessary): Thur, 4:38 P.M. ET (ESPN)
Rangers (5) At Rays (4)
Game 1: Tues, 3:08 P.M. ET (ABC)
Game 2: Wed, 3:08 P.M. ET (ABC)
Game 3 (if necessary): Thur, 3:08 P.M. ET (ABC)
National League
D-Backs (6) At Brewers (3)
Game 1: Tues, 7:08 P.M. ET (ESPN2)
Game 2: Wed, 7:08 P.M. ET (ESPN2)
Game 3 (if necessary): Thur, 7:08 P.M. ET (ESPN2)
Marlins (4) At Phillies (3)
Game 1: Tues, 8:08 P.M. ET (ESPN)
Game 2: Wed, 8:08 P.M. ET (ESPN)
Game 3 (if necessary): Thur, 8:08 P.M. (ESPN)
One thing that jumped out at me is that there is a lot of elite pitching power that will be on full display across the first day of the Wild Card Series. The Brewers have an insane staff, as do the Marlins, and you can always rely on the Rays to produce great starters year after year after year.
Here are the pitching matchups for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series…
Rangers At Rays
LHP Jordan Montgomery, Texas (10-11, 3.20 ERA) - RHP Tyler Glasnow, Tampa Bay (10-7, 3.53 ERA)
Blue Jays At Twins
RHP Kevin Gausman, Toronto (12-9, 3.16 ERA) - RHP Pablo LĂ³pez, Minnesota (11-8, 3.66 ERA)
Diamondbacks At Brewers
RHP Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona (3-9, 5.72 ERA) - RHP Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee (10-8, 3.39 ERA)
Marlins At Phillies
LHP JesĂºs Luzardo, Miami (10-9, 3.63 ERA) - RHP Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia (13-6, 3.61 ERA)
Full 2023 MLB Postseason Schedule
Get your diaries out and make note of these important dates.
In other words, don’t plan on leaving your house until the second week of November…
AL Division Series (Best-Of-Five)
Rays / Rangers Vs. Baltimore Orioles
Game 1: Sat, at Baltimore (FOX, FS1)
Game 2: Sun, at Baltimore (FOX, FS1)
Game 3: Oct, 10, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
Game 4 (if necessary): Oct, 11, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
Game 5 (if necessary): Oct, 13, at Baltimore (FOX, FS1)
Twins / Blue Jays Vs. Houston Astros
Game 1: Sat, at Houston (FOX, FS1)
Game 2: Sun, at Houston (FOX, FS1)
Game 3: Oct, 10, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
Game 4 (if necessary): Oct, 11, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
Game 5 (if necessary): Oct, 13, at Houston (FOX, FS1)
NL Division Series (Best-Of-Five)
Brewers / Diamondbacks Vs. LA Dodgers
Game 1: Sat, at LA (TBS)
Game 2: Oct, 9, at LA (TBS)
Game 3: Oct, 11, at TBD (TBS)
Game 4 (if necessary): Oct, 12, at TBD (TBS)
Game 5 (if necessary): Oct, 14, at LA (TBS)
Phillies / Marlins Vs. Atlanta Braves
Game 1: Sat, at Atlanta (TBS)
Game 2: Oct, 9, at Atlanta (TBS)
Game 3: Oct, 11, at TBD (TBS)
Game 4 (if necessary): Oct, 12, at TBD (TBS)
Game 5 (if necessary): Oct, 14, at Atlanta (TBS)
AL Championship Series (Best-Of-Seven)
Game 1: Oct, 15, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
Game 2: Oct, 16, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
Game 3: Oct, 18, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
Game 4: Oct, 19, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
Game 5 (if necessary): Oct, 20, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
Game 6 (if necessary): Oct, 22, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
Game 7 (if necessary): Oct, 23, at TBD (FOX, FS1)
NL Championship Series (Best-Of-Seven)
Game 1: Oct, 16, at TBD (TBS)
Game 2: Oct, 17, at TBD (TBS)
Game 3: Oct, 19, at TBD (TBS)
Game 4: Oct, 20, at TBD (TBS)
Game 5 (if necessary): Oct, 21, at TBD (TBS)
Game 6 (if necessary): Oct, 23, at TBD (TBS)
Game 7 (if necessary): Oct, 24, at TBD (TBS)
2023 World Series (Best-Of-Seven)
Game 1: Oct, 27, at TBD (FOX)
Game 2: Oct, 28, at TBD (FOX)
Game 3: Oct, 30, at TBD (FOX)
Game 4: Oct, 31, at TBD (FOX)
Game 5 (if necessary): Nov, 1, at TBD (FOX)
Game 6 (if necessary): Nov, 3, at TBD (FOX)
Game 7 (if necessary): Nov, 4, at TBD (FOX)
That’s all the scheduling and the logistics wrapped up.
Make sure to come back on Tuesday for our 2023 MLB Postseason Predictions & Picks!
