The MLB Division Series begin today, Saturday, October 3, 2026, with all eight remaining teams in action in a four-game opening-day slate that runs from early afternoon into late night Eastern. The best-of-five rounds will cut the field from eight to four, and every series pits a team that played in the Wild Card round this week against a rested top-two seed.
Here is what happened to set the bracket, today’s Game 1 schedule, the pitching matchups that have been announced, and what fans should watch.
MLB Division Series Game 1 schedule (Saturday, Oct. 3)
Verified schedule information per MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area. All times Eastern.
| Time (ET) | Series | Matchup | TV | Announced Game 1 starters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 p.m. | ALDS | (6) White Sox at (2) Guardians | TBS / HBO Max | CLE: Parker Messick |
| 4:00 p.m. | NLDS | (3) Braves at (2) Dodgers | FOX | LAD: Tarik Skubal · ATL: TBD |
| 6:30 p.m. | ALDS | (4) Yankees at (1) Rays | TBS / HBO Max | NYY: Gerrit Cole · TB: Drew Rasmussen |
| 8:30 p.m. | NLDS | (4) Padres at (1) Brewers | FS1 | SD: Robbie Ray · MIL: Jacob Misiorowski |
How the Wild Card round set the bracket
Three of the four Wild Card Series ended in two-game sweeps on Wednesday, Sept. 30; only the National League series between Philadelphia and Atlanta needed a third game. Results verified via Reuters/740 The Fan and WABE/AP.
- Yankees over Red Sox, 2-0. New York closed it out 9-2 in Game 2. Cody Bellinger went 4-for-4 with a three-run homer, and Max Fried allowed one run on three hits over six innings.
- White Sox over Astros, 2-0. Chicago won Game 2, 7-3, scoring four runs in the first inning off Hunter Brown. Chase Meidroth added a three-run homer in the sixth.
- Padres over Cubs, 2-0. San Diego won Game 2, 4-1, behind a pinch-hit two-run homer from Gavin Sheets and 5⅔ scoreless innings from the bullpen.
- Braves over Phillies, 2-1. Atlanta won Game 1 (5-3), lost Game 2 (4-3 in 10 innings) and won Thursday’s Game 3, 6-2, before a sellout crowd of 41,731. Michael Harris II hit a three-run homer in the first, Ozzie Albies a two-run shot and Matt Olson a solo homer. Chris Sale, in his first relief appearance of the season, struck out Bryce Harper and two more Phillies hitters on 21 pitches to finish it.
Series-by-series: what to watch
NLDS: Braves vs. Dodgers
The Dodgers, a 100-win team, are chasing the fifth World Series three-peat in history and the first since the 1998-2000 Yankees, according to MLB.com. Los Angeles is starting deadline acquisition Tarik Skubal, who carries a career 2.04 postseason ERA through six starts, ahead of Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Atlanta won five of six regular-season meetings, but its rotation is stretched after the Wild Card round: MLB.com reports Sale is unavailable before Game 2 and Tyler Mahle before Game 3, and the Braves had not named a Game 1 starter.
NLDS: Padres vs. Brewers
Milwaukee finished an MLB-best and franchise-record 103-59. Game 1 starter Jacob Misiorowski (16-5, 1.80 ERA) led the majors in ERA, strikeouts (252) and WHIP (0.80); MLB.com notes his .157 opponents’ batting average is the lowest on record for a starter. San Diego counters with Robbie Ray (13-8, 3.59) and arrives as one of the hottest teams in baseball after an 18-6 September. The Padres took four of six from Milwaukee in the regular season. (MLB.com)
ALDS: Yankees vs. Rays
Top-seeded Tampa Bay won 98 games in the AL East and took seven of 13 from New York. The Yankees turn to Gerrit Cole against Drew Rasmussen in Game 1 (MLB.com). Per Yahoo Sports, New York swept Boston without Aaron Judge on the roster.
ALDS: White Sox vs. Guardians
Chicago edged Cleveland 7-6 in the season series, with six of the 13 games decided by one run. The contrast is power: the White Sox ranked fifth in MLB with 211 home runs, while the Guardians ranked 27th with 162, according to Yahoo Sports. Cleveland starts Parker Messick in Game 1.
Why it matters to fans
- Short series, high variance. Best-of-five rounds give a hot pitcher or lineup outsized influence, which is why Game 1 starters matter.
- Rest vs. rhythm. The top two seeds in each league skipped the Wild Card round, so all four Game 1s pit a rested team against one that played this week.
- Dodgers history watch. A Los Angeles title would be the first three-peat in a quarter century.
What comes next
Game 2s begin Sunday (Padres-Brewers at 4 p.m. ET and Braves-Dodgers at 8 p.m. ET on FS1); the AL Game 2s follow Monday. If needed, the NLDS Game 5s are Friday, Oct. 9, and the ALDS Game 5s are Saturday, Oct. 10. Winners advance to the League Championship Series. Full schedule: MLB.com Postseason.
Developing: Atlanta’s Game 1 starter and final lineups had not been announced at the time of writing. Scores will be final later today.
Related coverage on Vanderbilt Report
- MLB Final Weekend: Astros-Rangers Tie Guarantees a Historic AL West Champ
- Sports News Today: Dodgers Clinch NL West and More
- More Professional Sports
Sources
- MLB.com — 2026 Division Series matchups
- MLB.com — Braves vs. Dodgers NLDS Game 1
- MLB.com — Padres vs. Brewers NLDS Game 1
- MLB.com — Yankees tab Cole for ALDS Game 1
- NBC Sports Bay Area — ALDS/NLDS schedule
- WABE (AP) — Braves beat Phillies 6-2
- 740 The Fan (Reuters) — Wild Card sweeps roundup
- Yahoo Sports — Division Series preview
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