

Major League Baseball is nearing the conclusion of an unprecedented shortened regular season amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, and it is set to embark on a postseason which will seem unlike any other.
MLB has enlarged the postseason out of 10 into 16 teams in 2020, providing over half the teams an opportunity at a World Series crown.
Some facets of this 2020 postseason will appear familiar, however there are large changes this season.
Here’s everything you want to understand going into the postseason.
When perform exactly the playoffs start?
The Wild-Card Series begins on Sept. 29. The complete postseason program and tv details are seen below.
[MLB’s shortened season ends with a chaotic sprint to sort out 16-team playoff field]
How many clubs can make the playoffs? )
Sixteen teams — eight in the American League and eight in the National League. Each of this league’s three division winners and second-place finishers will earn a berth.
Then, the last two wild-card berths in each league have been dependent on the groups using all the next-best records. Tiebreakers will be determined mathematically, without the additional extra play-in matches required.
Standings | Scoreboard | Stats
Where will games be playedwith?
The Division Series, League Championship Series and World Series will be performed at neutral sites in Southern California and Texas. When that the World Series starts Oct. 20 in Globe Life Field at Arlington, Tex. , it is going to indicate the initial Fall Classic played in a neutral site as 1944.
[MLB postseason will feature bubbles in Southern California and Texas — and might include fans]
How will groups be seeded?
The division winners in each league will probably make the Nos. 1-3 seeds, although the second-place teams will probably be slotted Nos. 4-6. The two groups together with the remaining best documents will be seeded Nos. 7-8.
The first-round matchups, a best-of-three show called the Wild-Card Series, will be held in the higher-seeded group’s ballpark. There will undoubtedly be no byes for almost any staff.
How will the mount function?
The brand new postseason format with attribute four rounds, starting with the Wild-Card Series.
Wild-card collection (best-of-three in each league):
- No. 1 vs. No. 8
- No. 2 vs. No. 7
- No. 3 vs. No. 6
- No. 4 vs. No. 5
All matches will be played in the home ballpark of the seed.
[Baseball has never been so lonely, and players are feeling the strain]
Division series (best-of-five): In every league, the winners of 1 vs. 8 may perform winners of 4 , whereas the winners of two vs. 7 may play the winners of 1.
American League Division Series teams may perform Dodger Stadium at Los Angeles and Petco Park at San Diego, whereas National League Division Series teams may perform Globe Life Field at Arlington, Tex. , also Minute Maid Park in Houston.
League championship show (best-of-seven): The ALDS winners will meet the American League Championship Series in Petco Park, whereas the NLDS winners will perform National League Championship Series in Globe Life Field.
Like the division collection, which is held over five consecutive days, the tournament set at the two leagues won’t feature traveling days and will probably be played more than seven successive days.
World Series (best-of-seven): The American League winner and National League winner will meet at Globe Life Field, with Game 1 slated for Oct. 20. The higher-seeded staff — not always the group with the best record — will reportedly have last at-bats in Games 2 and 1 and then in Games 7 and 6, if needed.
What does exactly the playoff picture look like?
In that the National League, that the Los Angeles Dodgers have sewn up the No. 1 seed after winning its eighth successive NL West name ) The Atlanta Braves hold the No. 2 seed after winning the NL East for a third successive year, and also the Chicago Cubs maintain the No. 3 seed. The San Diego Padres have also clinched a postseason berth. Things seem bleak for its Washington Nationals, the defending World Series champions.
In that the American League, that the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox, Oakland A’s, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees have clinched postseason berths.
Will you will find lovers?
Commissioner Rob Manfred told USA Today on Tuesday the game was moving ahead with plans to own fans in the NLCS and World Series, although the movement is pending final acceptance from government officials and MLB hasn’t yet officially announced any such programs.
Texas is now in Phase 3 of its reopening,, allowing for open minded venues to chair around 50 percentage capacity.
[What does baseball sound like during a pandemic? Loneliness — and hope.]
What else will appear different?
Several new rules presented 2020 will stay throughout the postseason — such as the worldwide designated hitter and also the three-batter minimal for pitchers. But the normal season rule that places a runner on second base to start each excess inning won’t be in effect throughout the postseason.
Will the enlarged structure become the new standard?
While that the 16-group format covers only the pandemic-shortened season, Manfred remains a proponent of adding more teams into the postseason past this season. He said earlier this month “an overwhelming majority” of owners had supported an enlarged postseason format before the pandemic struck. Any growth would finally must be settled through collective bargaining with the players’ union; the game’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire following the 2021 season.
[Cardboard cutouts, a quirk of pandemic baseball, let grieving fans honor loved ones]
Complete program
Wild-card string
Best-of-three; TV: ESPN and TBS.
Tuesday, Sept. 29
AL Wild-Card Series A (No. 1 vs. No. 8) Game 1
AL Wild-Card Series B (2 vs. 7) Game 1
AL Wild-Card Series C (3 vs. 6) Game 1
AL Wild-Card Series D (4 ) 5) Game 1
Wednesday, Sept. 30
AL Wild-Card Series A (1 / 2 ) Game two
AL Wild-Card Series B ) (2 vs. 7) Game two
AL Wild-Card Series C (3 vs. 6) Game two
AL Wild-Card Series D (4 ) 5) Game two
NL Wild-Card Series A (1 vs. 8) Game 1
NL Wild-Card Series B ) (2 vs. 7) Game 1
NL Wild-Card Series C (3 vs. 6) Game 1
NL Wild-Card Series D (4 ) 5) Game 1
Thursday, Oct. 1
AL Wild-Card Series A (1 / 2 ) Game 3 — if required
AL Wild-Card Series B ) (2 vs. 7) Game 3 — if required
AL Wild-Card Series C (3 vs. 6) Game 3 — if required
AL Wild-Card Series D (4 ) 5) Game 3 — if required
NL Wild-Card Series A (1 vs. 8) Game two
NL Wild-Card Series B ) (2 vs. 7) Game two
NL Wild-Card Series C (3 vs. 6) Game two
NL Wild-Card Series D (4 ) 5) Game two
Friday, Oct. Two
NL Wild-Card Series A (1 / 2 ) Game 3 — if required
NL Wild-Card Series B ) (2 vs. 7) Game 3 — if required
NL Wild-Card Series C (3 vs. 6) Game 3 — if required
NL Wild-Card Series D (4 ) 5) Game 3 — if required
Division series
Best-of-five; ALDS at San Diego and Los Angeles, NLDS in Arlington, Tex. , also Houston; TV: TBS, Fox Sports 1 and MLB Network.
Oct. 5-10
TBD
League championship series
Best-of-seven; ALCS at San Diego, NLCS at Arlington, Tex.
Oct. 11
ALCS Game 1, TBS
Oct. 12
ALCS, Game 2, TBS
NLCS Game 1, Fox or FS1
Oct. 13
ALCS Game 3, TBS
NLCS Game 2, Fox or FS1
Oct. 14
ALCS Game 4, TBS
NLCS Game 3, Fox or FS1
Oct. 15
ALCS Game 5, TBS — if required
NLCS, Game 4, Fox or FS1
Oct. 16
ALCS Game 6, TBS — if required
NLCS, Game 5, Fox or FS1 — if required
Oct. 17
ALCS Game 7, TBS — if required
NLCS Game 6, Fox or FS1 — if required
Oct. 18
NLCS Game 7, Fox or FS1 — if required
World Series
Best-of-seven; Arlington, Tex.
Oct. 20
Game 1, Fox
Oct. 21
Game 2, Fox
Oct. 23
Game 3, Fox
Oct. 24
Game 4, Fox
Oct. 25
Game 5, Fox — if required
Oct. 27
Game 6, Fox — if required
Oct. 28
Game 7, Fox — if required


