How to watch the 2018 mlb playoffs on any device

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Now that the Major League Baseball tiebreaker and Wild Card games are completed, the 2018 MLB playoff series can get fully underway.

In the National League, two best-of-five series determine which team will play for the division championship: Colorado Rockies vs. Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers. In the American League, it’s the Cleveland Indians vs. Houston Astros and New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox.

If you’re wondering how to watch the 2018 MLB playoffs, the answer isn’t that simple. The TV broadcasts for the four division series are on at least three different channels, and none of them are free, over-the-air major networks.

Still, there are a few different ways to catch the action on TV or via live stream, and yes, there are possible ways to watch the MLB playoffs online for free — at least some of the games.

Here is the 2018 MLB playoff game schedule as we now know it, and everything you need to know about how to watch the Rockies vs. Brewers, Braves vs. Dodgers, Indians vs. Astros, and Yankees vs. Red Sox online for free.

What Channel Is the 2018 MLB Playoffs On?

The 2018 MLB division series games are being broadcast on a mix of the following channels: FS1, MLB Network, and TBS.

These are all pay TV channels, and some if not all of them are probably included in your package if you subscribe to satellite or cable TV, or have a live streaming TV service. If you don’t have cable, you could watch at least a few days worth of the MLB playoffs for free online by registering for a free trial of a streaming TV service with one or more of the channels airing games. The options include Fubo TV, Hulu Live, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV, and Sling TV.

As you can see below, YouTube TV is the only streaming TV that includes all three of these channels in its base package. Here’s a breakdown of the channels broadcasting the 2018 MLB playoffs available on each service:

• DirecTV Now: FS1, TBS (and MLB Network only with packages that cost $55 and up per month)

• PlayStation Vue: FS1, TBS (and MLB Network only with packages that cost $50 and up per month)

• Sling TV: TBS with “Orange” package, FS1 and TBS with “Blue” package (but no MLB Network with either)

All of these streaming TV services offer free trials of five to seven days for new subscribers. So it’s possible to sign up and live stream the 2018 MLB playoffs online for free for a few days before deciding if you actually want to become a paying subscriber. If you only want to watch baseball online for free, you must remember to cancel the service before the trial period ends.

If you don’t cancel in time, you’ll be billed in full for the first month. Sling TV is the cheapest streaming TV service, with its “Orange” or “Blue” package running $25 per month; you can also get all of the channels included in both packages for a total of $40 per month. Speaking of which, $40 per month is about what you can expect to pay for the base packages for all of the other streaming TV services highlighted above.

What’s the 2018 MLB Playoff Game Schedule Today?

Here is the 2018 MLB playoff schedule for each game in the National League Division Series and the American League Division Series, along with what channel is broadcasting baseball playoff games on each day:

Game 1: Thursday, October 4, 5:07 p.m. ET on FS1
Game 2: Friday, October 5, 4:15 p.m. ET on FS1
Game 3: Sunday, October 7, 4:37 p.m. ET on MLB Network
Game 4 (if necessary): Monday, October 8, Time TBD on FS1
Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, October 10, Time TBD on FS1

Game 1: Thursday, October 4, 8:37 p.m. ET on MLB Network
Game 2: Friday, October 5, 9:37 p.m. ET on FS1
Game 3: Sunday, October 7, 8:07 p.m. ET on FS1
Game 4 (if necessary): Monday, October 8, Time TBD on FS1
Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, October 10, Time TBD on FS1

Game 1: Friday, October 5, 2:05 p.m. ET on TBS
Game 2: Saturday, October 6, 4:37 p.m. ET on TBS
Game 3: Monday, October 8, Time TBD on TBS
Game 4 (if necessary): Tuesday, October 9, Time TBD on TBS
Game 5 (if necessary): Thursday, October 11, Time TBD on TBS

Game 1: Friday, October 5, 7:32 p.m. ET on TBS
Game 2: Saturday, October 6, 8:15 p.m. ET on TBS
Game 3: Monday, October 8, Time TBD on TBS
Game 4 (if necessary): Tuesday, October 9, Time TBD on TBS
Game 5 (if necessary): Thursday, October 11, Time TBD on TBS

Can I Live Stream MLB Playoff Games Any Other Way?

Yes, there are still other ways to live stream 2018 MLB playoff games. But they require you to pay in some form.

The MLB.TV live stream will have a simulcast of the National League games being broadcast on TV on the MLB Network. Live streams of the entire Yankees vs. Red Sox and Astros vs. Indians series are also available online at MLB.TV, as well as the TBS app.

Note, however, that to get these live streams, you must log in with a participating pay TV account. In other words, you generally have to be a subscriber to a satellite or cable TV service that includes the corresponding pay channels in your package.

The MLB.TV live stream costs extra on top of your monthly bill, too — you’ll pay $24.99 to access its live streams for the 2018 postseason. As for the TBS app, subscribers don’t pay extra to live stream the AL division series, but many fans complained that the app didn’t work well when they tried to use it to watch the Yankees Wild Card game against the A’s this week.

We’ve included affiliate links into this article. Click here to learn what those are.

It’s time for the baseball playoffs. If you’re lucky, your team is still in the thick of things and could be on their way to the World Series. Whether they are or not, the playoff season is an exciting time for any baseball fan. It’s a time to see teams we once thought were cursed win the big game (I’m looking at you Cubs) or teams we thought were a shoo-in, lose in the first rounds in shocking defeat.

Any way you cut it, the MLB playoffs are something most fans don’t want to miss. After all, once they are over, we’ll only have baseball movies to tide us over until the new season starts.

If you’re planning to stream the playoffs, you’ll have more options than you could imagine. Whether you have cable or not, you will be able to stream the games to your TV or your mobile devices with little to no effort. As long as you know where the game is being aired, you’ll be able to find a place to watch it. Speaking of which, the MLB playoffs will be airing on local channel FOX, FS1, MLB Network, TBS, and ESPN.

Cable Streaming

Cable streaming really couldn’t be easier. The most obvious choice is to watch through your cable providers app. Most cable providers offer their own apps that you can use to stream on most devices. Of course, you can also use apps like FOX Sports Go, TBS, or WatchESPN to watch the games live this way. For big sports fans, these apps might even be a better option, as you’re more likely to find additional content from the games you might not get with your cable provider.

If you have cable, as long as you have all of the channels in your package, you shouldn’t have any trouble streaming the playoffs. Just download the apps you need ahead of time and you’ll be good to go.

Streaming the Playoffs without Cable

You might be thinking it will be difficult to stream the playoffs without cable, but you’d be wrong. In fact, as long as you know what service or services you plan to use and get your apps setup in advance, you won’t have any problem. In fact, many of these services offer DVR access so you might even be able to record a game if you’re not able to watch it live!

Given the channels you need, your best option might just be YouTube TV. All of the necessary channels are included, and the service works on most streaming devices except Fire TV devices. The monthly fee is $40 per month, but they offer a one-week trial. Another good option is Hulu Live. They have everything but MLB Network. You get Hulu’s on-demand service for free and you should be able to stream on all of the major streaming devices. Hulu Live is also $40 with a one-week trial.

Some other solid options are DIRECTV NOW, which offers a $55 monthly package that includes all you’ll need for playoff watching, PlayStation Vue (packages start at $45), and Sling TV (packages start at $25), though if you want a DVR with Sling, you’re going to have to pay extra. Keep in mind, no matter which service you choose you should also be able to use TV Everywhere apps, like the ones mentioned above, to watch the games, as well.

It’s also worth noting that each of these services offers a free trial. In every case but PlayStation Vue you’ll be able to watch free for one week. PS Vue gives you 5-days free. With this in mind, if you choose to be creative and don’t mind service-bouncing you could watch the majority of playoffs at no cost to you!

You can get more information on all the various services that will stream the MLB Playoffs.

Hopefully, your team is in the playoffs. Good luck to them, if they are! May the best team win!

Major League Baseball makes it hard to consume its product, but we’re here to help.

Timothy Burke

Stacy Revere

Major League Baseball’s byzantine postseason is underway—as are the annual queries about how to watch playoff games (that MLB has inconveniently spread across four different networks.)

Last night, the Rockies earned the chance to take on Milwaukee after a five-hour thriller against the Cubs, and the Braves take on the Dodgers on the other side of the NL bracket.

In the American League, Cleveland faces Houston while the Red Sox wait to find out if they’ll be taking on Oakland or their hated rivals from the Bronx.

Here’s a breakdown of how you can ensure you don’t miss a single playoff game.

Option 1: Have a cable or satellite package that includes TBS, Fox Sports 1, and MLB Network.

This is the easiest—albeit most expensive—option. Being a TBS subscriber ensures you can watch every AL divisional and league championship game live online at TBS.com, every game on Fox or FS1 at Fox Sports Go, and the remainder on MLB Network online.

All three options will require you to authenticate with your provider.

Option 2: Subscribe to an online TV package.

Hulu, Sling TV, Playstation Vue, and DirecTV Now all offer packages featuring the necessary channels to watch most games, though not all of them will offer your local Fox affiliate; you may need to get a cheap TV antenna to tune those in if you don’t have a Fox station available in your regional lineup.

Costs range from $25-$50/month for these packages.

Option 3: MLB.tv

Here’s where things start to get complicated.

For $24.99, MLB is willing to sell you a postseason MLB.tv subscription that allows you to watch live or archived games through the World Series. However, that package does not include games aired on FS1, and the league won’t determine which games it puts on that network until the divisional round is over.

If you aren’t interested in the National League, MLB.tv is your best bet.

Option 4: Theft

MLB has an official, and active, Reddit account. That account is not, we imagine, active in the very unofficial MLBstreams subreddit, where piracy runs rampant. Though these streams exist, we strongly discourage the use of them, given that they’re likely to infect your computer with digital MRSA.

By Guest Post • 9:00 am, October 1, 2018

• How-To
• Top stories

Get ready to watch some baseball.
Photo: Paul Lim/Flickr CC

By Chris Brantner

With the Major League Baseball playoffs starting Tuesday, fans will be anxiously watching to see if their team advances and, eventually, who will bring home the World Series title.

Whether you have cable or not, you can still watch the entire MLB playoffs season from the Apple device of your choice. Here’s how to catch all the action on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, etc.

How to stream MLB playoffs

Whether you plan to stream the games on your new iPhone XS or your Apple TV, you won’t have a problem finding the game and being able to stream it. Cable operators and streaming services will offer TV Everywhere apps, along with their own viewing methods, to ensure that you have the most ways to stream available to you.

The games start Tuesday, October 2, so it’s just a matter of finding out who is playing when (you can check the schedule) and deciding what app to use on the device of your choosing.

Watching the MLB playoffs with cable

The main channels you’ll need to stream the playoffs include FS1, Fox and TBS. Depending on your cable company, you should have an app that will allow you to watch the channels in your package. Even if your provider doesn’t, you’ll be able to log in to TV Everywhere apps like Fox Sports Go and the TBS app with your cable info.

Once you’re logged in, you can watch what’s currently on television and they also include a number of their previous shows on-demand.

App availability for your cable company will vary depending on who handles your TV subscription. That’s what makes TV Everywhere apps so handy. Not only are they readily available and usually only make you log in to your device sporadically, they also are designed for live viewing on a variety of devices.

Watching without cable

If you don’t have cable, you still have plenty of options. Most streaming services are going to give you the channels they need, and the majority are compatible with most Apple devices. The important thing to remember is that it will be possible to watch the playoffs for free, even if you aren’t currently a member of any of these services.

All of them offer free trials, so if you were to sign up for the trial, you’d be able to watch games for free. If you bounced from trial to trial, you’d be able to watch the entire playoff season for free.

Sling TV is your cheapest option, with packages starting at $25 per month. However, local Fox coverage isn’t as expansive as the other services mentioned below. That said, you can still use it to log into the Fox Sports Go app to watch live games there. It’s just a couple of extra steps.

YouTube TV and PlayStation Vue also offer all the channels you’ll need (along with access to TV Everywhere apps, so you can watch through the apps you like the most). YouTube TV is the cheapest option at $40 a month. PlayStation Vue starts at $45. Both of them allow access on multiple Apple devices including phones, tablets and Apple TV.

Some other good choices include Hulu Live and fuboTV (which is an especially fun choice for sports fans). These are both in the same price range as the previously mentioned services.

Lots of ways to stream baseball playoffs

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to watch the playoffs on the device of your choice, whether you have cable or not. And, as more companies allow for better streaming offerings, you can bet that next year there will be even more options.

Good luck to your favorite team!

Chris Brantner founded Streaming Observer, a website for cord cutters.

LiveAbout / Alex Dos Diaz

The Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs mark the end of the sport’s 162-game regular season, typically beginning the first full week of October. It’s a time of excitement for baseball fans when league leaders can collapse and wild-card teams can surprise everyone.

Ten teams make the playoffs—five each in the American and National Leagues. The playoffs for each league consist of a one-game playoff between two wild-card teams, two best-of-five Division Series playoffs (DS) featuring the wild-card winner and the winner of each division, and finally the best-of-seven ​League Championship Series (LCS).​

The winners of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and the National League Championship Series (NLCS) play each other in the best-of-seven World Series.

Wild Cards

The wild card rule was first introduced in 1994 when Major League Baseball expanded the American and National Leagues from two divisions to three each. One wild-card team—each with the best record that didn’t win its division—was added to the playoffs in each league.

Beginning in 2012, a second wild-card team was added. The two wild-card teams play each other in a winner-take-all game two days after the regular season ends. The winner of that game advances to the Division Series to face the No. 1 seed.

Wild cards have been a force to reckon with in recent World Series playoffs. In 2014, the wild-card San Francisco Giants went all the way to the title series, beating the Kansas City Royals (also wild-card winners) in the seventh and decisive game of the World Series.

Tiebreakers

Within the Division: If there is a tie at the conclusion of the regular MLB season for any of the divisional or wild-card positions, a one-game playoff will be held the day after the season to determine the team that advances. If there is a tie for a division and the losing team is assured of winning a wild card, there is no one-game playoff. The team that won the season series between the two is named the division champion.

Within the Series: If the teams split their seasonal series equally, the team with the better record overall within the division wins the title. And if they’re still tied, the team with the better record in the final 81 games is declared the winner. If they’re still tied, that scenario is extended back to 82 games, 83 games, 84 games, and so on.

Division Series (ALDS and NLDS)

The Division Series is a best-of-five series. The team with the best overall record gets the top seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs. It hosts Games 1, 2, and 5 in the Division Series round and faces off against that league’s wild-card team.

The remaining two divisional champs also square off against one another in a best-of-five matchup. Home-field advantage in that series is given to the team with the second-best season record; it hosts Games 1, 2, and 5 in its series. The two winning teams advance to the League Championship Series.

League Championship Series (ALCS and NLCS)

The winners of the Division Series then advance to the best-of-seven American League and National League Championship Series. The team with the best record in each league will have home-field advantage.

In the event that a wild-card team has the better record than the other qualifying team that is a division champion, the division champion still gets the advantage and hosts Games 1, 2, 6, and 7.

The Milwaukee Brewers, who moved from the American to the National League in 1998, and the Houston Astros, who moved to the American League from the National League in 2013, are the only teams to have appeared in both the ALCS and NLCS.

The World Series

The winners of the ALCS and NLCS advance to the World Series, the best-of-seven-game playoff. Prior to the 2002 season, a home-field advantage (games 1, 2, 6, and 7) alternated every year between the leagues. A rule change that year altered that approach, giving home-field advantage to the league that won that year’s All-Star Game. MLB changed the rules again in 2017. Now, the home-field advantage goes to the team that has the better overall regular-season record.

The first team to win four games in the best-of-seven-game series becomes the Major League champion. The 2016 World Series, pitting the Chicago Cubs against the Cleveland Indians, was noteworthy because it was the first time those two teams had met in the championship. It was also Chicago’s first World Series title since 1908. 2017 was the Houston franchise’s first-ever World Series win.

History of the Playoffs

The first World Series was played in 1903, and the winners of the American League and National League met in what was then a best-of-nine series. That year, the Boston Americans (who later became the Red Sox) won the title. Two years later, the World Series was pared back to a best-of-seven contest.

When the AL and NL split into separate divisions in 1969, the ALCS and NLCS were formed, and four teams made the playoffs. When the leagues adopted a six-division alignment in 1994, another round of playoffs was created with the Division Series.

A fifth team was added from each league to the playoffs before the 2012 season.

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred in 2018 said he is kicking around ideas to expand to 32 teams, 16 in each league, enabling each to have four divisions. That alignment could potentially eliminate the wild card and winner-take-all one-game playoff rounds.

Remember back in the 2015 playoffs, New York Mets infielder Daniel Murphy wreaked havoc in the month of October, hitting a home run in six consecutive postseason games? He would later be named the National League Championship Series MVP, as he catapulted the Mets into the World Series. A hot streak like Murphy’s is a crucial component for any team’s successful playoff run. With the 2018 season winding down and teams finally clinching their playoff berths, let’s look at who can show out for their ball clubs in the American League.

1. Boston Red Sox: OF J.D. Martinez

This is the team to beat in the American League based off of their incredible 105 wins at this point of the season. They have three of the best players in all of baseball in Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and Chris Sale. But their past two playoff runs, with a dominant group of guys, ended early in the divisional round against the past two AL champions. That’s where J.D. comes along. The MVP candidate was signed late this offseason, has exceeded expectations as just a power bat. He leads all of baseball with 124 runs batted in, while also ranking second in home runs and batting average. This is the kind of bat that the Red Sox needed in the middle of that line up. If they want to keep playing ball into late October, their offense, led by Martinez, needs to give their pitching staff plenty of breat

2. Houston Astros: 3B Alex Bregman

This man is an absolute stud. Really, most of the Astros are bonafide stars. But with guys like Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Carlos Correa making separate disabled list appearances, Bregman carried the defending champs throughout the summer. The third baseman not only leads his team in RBIs, HRs, and runs, but also in all of the advanced stats categories. He’s slashing an impressive .288 AVG/.396 OBP/.535 SLG. He ranks seventh in the majors with an even more impressive .931 OPS. In the month of June alone, he smashed 11 home runs, while driving in 30 runs. If Alex can go into October as hot as he was this summer, the Astros will be a tough team to beat behind that offense and their league-best pitching staff.

3. Cleveland Indians: OF Michael Brantley

3B Jose Ramirez, SS Francisco Lindor, DH Edwin Encarnacion, and even former MVP 3B Josh Donaldson can each be considered for this list for their respected Cleveland Indians. But none of them has been more impressive this September than Michael Brantley . The 10-year vet is finally having a healthy season. Before shoulder problems hindered parts of the three past seasons, he was Mr. Consistency for the Indians. He’s played in more games this season than any season since 2015 and he’s had a very consistent, impressive 2018 season. The Cleveland Indians desperately need to score their runs in bunches in October, as their bullpen ranks 23rd in earned runs allowed with 4.50. If Michael Brantley can continue getting on base at a great clip, he will be the guy that scores when guys like Ramirez, Encarnacion, or Donaldson get a game-changing swing.

4. New York Yankees: OF Aaron Judge

Speaking of game-changing swings, the New York Yankees are dubbed the Bronx Bombers for a reason. The Yanks lead the MLB in HRs by a lot. They even recently broke their franchise record in home runs and the record for most players with double-digit home runs last Thursday . Last year’s National League MVP OF Giancarlo Stanton leads the pack in homers, but the guy to watch in this year’s playoffs is the guy opposite of Stanton in the outfield, Aaron Judge. The man recently returned from a DL stint that saw him missing all of August and most of September. Right now, the Yankees are easing Judge back into the lineup, preparing him for the postseason. Don’t be surprised when he’s back to his MVP form, when he’s smashing moon shots for New York in October.

5. Oakland Athletics: OF Khris Davis

Similar to the Minnesota Twins last postseason, the Oakland A’s are the biggest surprise team to make it into the playoffs. They gave the defending champs a run for their money in the AL West division. But in order for them to continue their Cinderella story, Oakland has to get through the powerhouse New York Yankees in the Wild Card round. Their impressive offense is led by the home run leader Khris Davis, along with young studs Matt Chapman and Matt Olson. Also 10-year veteran Jed Lowrie has rejuvenated his career with his second stint with Oakland. But the heart of this team beats through Khris “KD” Davis. In his only three seasons with the A’s, KD has joined the 40+ home runs and 100+ RBIs club each year. His power surge could be a central piece for a deep playoff run for the Oakland A’s.

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**** 2021 FEATURES ****
(NOTE: Additional features and functionality will be available in regular app updates throughout the season. Make sure to keep the MLB App updated to take advantage of these as you follow your favorite team and players.)

— Watch and Listen Live —
• Watch the MLB.TV Free Game of the Day (subject to blackout restrictions; no subscription required)
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• Multitasking split view (select iPads)
• New playlist video screen with autoplay video
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• Picture-in-Picture streaming for live video and highlights
• Multi-platform live audio access for MLB Audio subscribers (portable to Mac/PC and to the MLB skill on voice activated platforms with a valid MLB.com account)
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Access MLB Audio for $2.99 per month or $19.99 annually. You will be automatically billed $2.99 through iTunes every 30 days or $19.99 every 365 days until you cancel your subscription.

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Share All sharing options for: How can MLB make it easier for fans to watch the playoffs?

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The month of October is always a favorite for baseball fans. October is when baseball gets the main stage, showing the rest of the sports world why it is still ‘America’s Pastime’. There is nothing quite like the MLB playoffs and every year that point is driven home with a month of skill, finesse and drama.

But one pervasive question keeps popping up the last few October’s and it is a question that for our sake I hope Major League Baseball is paying attention to. The question that just doesn’t seem to go away (and the one I get asked the most) is ‘why is it a chore to find the playoffs?’.

The easy answer is that Major League Baseball spread their deal around for the postseason to make them the most money. To be honest, for the most part I don’t fault them. At the end of the day, MLB is a business and the primary goal is to make money. MLB did just that back in 2012, as they worked out a deal that would reach over a number of major networks, including ESPN, TBS and FOX. They also made sure that their own channel, MLB Network, would get a few of the games as well.

This is where a number of the complaints start filtering in. Many people do not have access to MLB Network on their cable/satellite packages and therefore miss out on games every October. Besides the whole money aspect of the playoffs, the other main goal for MLB is to have as many eyes as possible on their product. The more people who can watch your games, the more who will spend money at your games, buy the merchandise and eventually bump up the prices of any television deal moving forward.

While many don’t have MLB Network, you can say the same for those that don’t get FS1 and even to a smaller degree, TBS. While I understand the plight of those who might not have one or more of these channels, the truth is that if you are a big enough baseball fan you will find a way to watch these games.

For instance, I needed to cut down my satellite bill last year but dreaded the idea of losing MLB Network. Luckily, I was able to work out a deal with the satellite company that knocked my bill noticeably down while keeping the network on my package. Most cable and satellite companies are losing customers at an alarming rate and are willing to work out a deal with their customers if it means they stick around. If you are in this situation, I highly recommend going that route.

But what if you are someone who has cut the cord? The truth is that more and more people are moving in this direction and it is actually easy to see a world where cable and satellite companies no longer exist, at least in their current incarnation. MLB has worked on improving their streaming outlets these last few seasons and while it’s noticeably better, there is still some room for improvement.

There are a few streaming possibilities out there, most of them listed right here. A number of these outlets have restrictions, but most also have a free trial for five to seven days. In other words, you could spend a week watching the games on something like YouTube TV or Playstation Vue and decide at that point if you want to pay to watch the rest or pass. It’s not a perfect situation, but it is improving for those that are strictly streaming and should continue to get better as time goes on.

Unfortunately, MLB.TV really should be the better way to go here but it is lacking. They have it setup to where you can watch the entire playoffs for the cost of $24.99, but there a couple of catches. For one, they want you to already have a participating pay TV account. This would mean that whatever you are already paying, you would have to tack on another $25 to watch the playoffs online. That is a rough pill to swallow if you are a big baseball fan but need to watch the playoffs.

The other issue is blackouts. For those that have contemplated getting MLB.TV in the past, the blackouts have long been a thorn in the side of anyone wanting to sign up. Go ask any Royals fan that lives in Iowa about the blackouts despite living sometimes well over 200 miles away. This is obviously a major issue that baseball needs to fix and it surprises me they haven’t considering how much more money they would make simply by lifting the blackout ban.

So what can Major League Baseball do to make the playoffs more accessible? One solution might be to do a free preview of the channels that air the playoff games for a one or two-week period. The real issue at hand is the divisional series, since there a few occasions where all four games could air on the same day. Give people the preview for a week and it might just be enough to entice them to up their package for a month.

Another solution might be to air the same game on multiple channels. We saw this just last week, as the National League Wild Card Game had the original broadcast on ESPN and an “alternate broadcast” that gave the viewer Statcast information on ESPN2. This could be done for some of the other games, on stations that would be more accessible. This way, your game has a farther reach for a larger chunk of the fanbase.

There is obviously demand in the playoffs and not just by”Seamheads”. From last Friday, baseball held five of the top six spots in the cable ratings, with the Yankees/Red Sox contest on TBS being the most watched. It is very apparent that baseball still brings in dollars and when there is demand, as a business you should try everything possible to meet that.

The truth is that while MLB is in a bit of a ‘Golden Age’ right now, they don’t have quite the same pull as the NFL does. The NFL is able to get their playoff games on the major networks, like FOX, CBS and NBC. MLB’s deal runs out after the 2021 season and will hopefully be in a position of leverage at that time to do the same.

The playoffs are a magical time of year and in many ways illuminates what is great about this game. It’s unfortunate that some of these smaller issues make it harder to take in all the action. While television ratings and advertising dollars are a large part of baseball’s bigger picture, there honestly should be more thought put into making sure the playoffs are an easy, joyful experience for its fans. Instead, for some it is a constant search just to find when and where they can watch a baseball game.

October baseball is here.

After six months and 162 regular-season games, the 2018 MLB playoffs are upon us and this means that it is time to get your schedule in order so you can catch all of the action.

According to MLB’s schedule, the 2018 playoffs will feature no November baseball, even if the World Series goes for seven games. A new champion can be crowned as early as Oct. 27.

Here’s everything you need to know for the upcoming postseason.

2018 MLB Postseason Schedule

TUESDAY, OCT. 2
NL Wild Card: Colorado Rockies def. Chicago Cubs (H), 2-1 (F/13)

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3
AL Wild Card: New York Yankees (H) def. Oakland Athletics, 7-2

THURSDAY, OCT. 4
NLDS Game 1: Milwaukee Brewers (H) def. Colorado Rockies, 3-2 (F/10)
NLDS Game 1: Los Angeles Dodgers (H) def. Atlanta Braves, 6-0

FRIDAY, OCT. 5
ALDS Game 1: Boston Red Sox (H) def. New York Yankees, 5-4
ALDS Game 1: Houston Astros (H) def. Cleveland Indians, 7-2
NLDS Game 2: Milwaukee Brewers (H) def. Colorado Rockies, 4-0
NLDS Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers (H) def. Atlanta Braves, 3-0

SATURDAY, OCT. 6
ALDS Game 2: New York Yankees def. Boston Red Sox (H), 6-2
ALDS Game 2: Houston Astros (H) def. Cleveland Indians, 3-1

SUNDAY, OCT. 7
NLDS Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers def. Colorado Rockies (H), 6-0
NLDS Game 3: Atlanta Braves (H) def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5

MONDAY, OCT. 8
ALDS Game 3: Boston Red Sox def, New York Yankees (H) 16–1
ALDS Game 3: Houston Astros def. Cleveland Indians (H), 11-3
NLDS Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Atlanta Braves (H), 6-2

TUESDAY, OCT. 9
ALDS Game 4: Boston Red Sox def. New York Yankees (H), 4–3

FRIDAY, OCT. 12
NLCS Game 1: Milwaukee Brewers (H) def. Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5

SATURDAY, OCT. 13
ALCS Game 1: Houston Astros def. Boston Red Sox (H) 7-2
NLCS Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Milwaukee Brewers (H) 4-3

SUNDAY, OCT. 14
ALCS Game 2: Boston Red Sox (H) def. Houston Astros 7–5

MONDAY, OCT. 15
NLCS Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers def. Los Angeles Dodgers (H) 4–0

TUESDAY, OCT. 16
ALCS Game 3: Boston Red Sox def. Houston Astros (H) 8-2
NLCS Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers (H) def. Milwaukee Brewers 2-1

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17
NLCS Game 5: Los Angeles Dodgers (H) def. Milwaukee Brewers 5-2

ALCS Game 4: Boston Red Sox def. Houston Astros (H) 8-6

THURSDAY, OCT. 18
ALCS Game 5: Boston Red Sox def. Houston Astros (H) 4-1

FRIDAY, OCT. 19
NLCS Game 6: Milwaukee Brewers (H) def. Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2

SATURDAY, OCT. 20
NLCS Game 7: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Milwaukee Brewers (H) 5-1

TUESDAY, OCT. 23
WS Game 1: Boston Red Sox (H) def. Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24
WS Game 2: Boston Red Sox (H) def. Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2

FRIDAY, OCT. 26
WS Game 3: Los Angeles Dodgers (H) def. Boston Red Sox 3-2

SATURDAY, OCT. 27
WS Game 4: Boston Red Sox def. Los Angeles Dodgers (H) 9-6

SUNDAY, OCT. 28
WS Game 5: Boston Red Sox clinch World Series over Los Angeles Dodgers (H) 5-1