As soon as Sunday’s games were over, we knew who was going to be in the Major League Baseball postseason and what the Wild Card Series matchups would be. Now we know the schedule and who will be calling the games.
The Wild Card Series is a best-of-three matchup with the better-seeded team hosting all games. In the American League, that will be a pair of matchups between division rivals, with the Cleveland Guardians hosting the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees hosting the Boston Red Sox. In the National League, the Chicago Cubs will host the San Diego Padres, while the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the Cincinnati Reds.
All three series will be played on Tuesday, Sept. 30, Wednesday, Oct. 1 and, if necessary, Thursday, Oct. 2. Below are the scheduled start times.
Tuesday, Sept. 30
- Game 1, Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians: 1:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 1, San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs: 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 1, Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees: 6:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 1, Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers: 9:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
Wednesday, Oct. 1
- Game 2, Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians: 1:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 2, San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs: 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 2, Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees: 6:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 2, Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers: 9:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
Thursday, Oct. 2
- Game 3 (if necessary), Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians: 1:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 3 (if necessary), San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs: 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 3 (if necessary), Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees: 6:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 3 (if necessary), Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers: 9:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
*Start times for Game 3 are subject to change.
Your 2025 Wild Card matchups and game times for Games 1 and 2 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZcP8tAIe5A
— MLB (@MLB) September 28, 2025
As many as FOUR do-or-die games on Thursday 😱 https://t.co/ZVWb7NSbwP pic.twitter.com/amPmMOtqOA
— MLB (@MLB) September 28, 2025
Sports TV News & Updates also shared the announcing assignments for each series.
- Tigers vs. Guardians: Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Frazier (color commentary), Taylor McGregor (field reporter)
- Padres vs. Cubs: Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Jessica Mendoza (color commentary), Ben McDonald (color commentary), Jesse Rogers (field reporter)
- Red Sox vs. Yankees: Karl Ravech (play-by-play), Eduardo Pérez (color commentary), David Cone (color commentary), Buster Olney (field reporter)
- Reds vs. Dodgers: Jon Sciambi (play-by-play), Doug Glanville (color commentary), Alden Gonzalez (field reporter)
ESPN’s Wild Card broadcast teams:
DET-CLE: Sean McDonough, Todd Frazier, Taylor McGregor
SD-CHC: Kevin Brown, Jessica Mendoza, Ben McDonald, Jesse Rogers
BOS-NYY: Karl Ravech, Eduardo Pérez, David Cone, Buster Olney
CIN-LAD: Jon Sciambi, Doug Glanville, Alden Gonzalez— Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) September 29, 2025
As the top two seeds in each league, the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies will take on the winners of the Wild Card Series in the Divisional Series. Those schedules are expected to be announced after the matchups are known.
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