MLB Playoffs 2026 (incl. World Series)

The Game Room
1

From my post in the September thread:

So the field is set.

American League

On to the Divisional Round

  • Tampa Bay Rays (Best Record)
  • Cleveland Guardians

Wild Card Round

  • Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros (Division Winner) (and even this Cubs fans says, “Go Sox!”)
  • Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees

National League

On to the Divisional Round

  • Milwaukee Brewers (Best Record)*
  • Los Angeles Dodgers

Wild Card Round

  • Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves (Divisional Winner)
  • Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres - Go Cubs Go!!!
MLB September 2026
MLB September 2026
When Did / Will the Astros Outlive the Cheatstros Label for You
2

Yanks should beat Redsox but then we face Tampa. Yanks offense is weak and bullpen iffy. Only the starters are strong.

Brackets:

3

Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski had a fantastic season. He finished as the NL pitching leader in the following statistical categories:

  • ERA (1.80)
  • Strikeouts (252)
  • WHIP (0.802)
  • Opponent batting average (.157)
  • Strikeout percentage (37.9%)
  • fWAR (6.6)
  • ERA+ (232)
4

All times EDT

2pm on NBC: Phillies @ Braves.
5pm on Peacock: Whitesox @ Houston.

8:00pm on NBC & streams on Peacock. Yanks hosting Boston, likely AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler for the Yanks and Tolle for the Red Sox. He’s a lefty. Aaron Judge is not on the Roster.

10:pm on Peacock, Cubs @ San Diego

Yanks have the 8pm slot on NBC for all 3 games if needed.

5

Now that’s a shocker!

Seriously, though, Yankees/Red Sox is the most compelling series of the opening round.

(Apologies to fans of the other six franchises!)

6

If the Cubs had drawn the Dodgers, they would have needed to make a decision, but yes, Yanks vs Red Sox is going to draw the most views this year.

7

I live in the Boston area, and am equally as interested in watching the White Sox beat the Cheat-stro’s.

8

That is one data point.
The 4 top rated teams for pulling eyeballs are Yanks, Cubs, Red Sox & Dodgers, so Yanks vs Red Sox is a huge draw.

Rooting against the Cheatstro’s is popular, but White Sox have a smallish fan base and almost no national audience.

9

Aaron Judge won’t be playing in the Wild Card round, due to his calf injury, but Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham will be.

10

Frankly, as a Sox fan I’m glad that Stanton is in the lineup, that should work best for us all things considered.

This remark may come to burn me later this week.

11

Time for the 'Stros to break out the trash cans.

12

On the roster, but I think he’s expected to pinch hit.

13

Good start, White Sox beat Astros 6-3.

Also, Braves won 5-3 over Phillies.

14

And it could have been much, much worse.

ChiSox were 4-11 with runners in scoring position, which is okay. Not great, but okay. But they left 9 runners on base and grounded into 3 double plays.

Astros only had 6 hits and were 0-6 with RISP.

15

Ben Rice just greeted the reliever with a home run to the monuments, dead center.

2-0 lead now for Yankees.

Top of the 6th, probably Cam’s last inning.

16

And Cam got through 6 with 10 Ks, 1 walk and 1 hit. No runs. Hopefully the bullpen can hold it and hopefully yanks can add more runs.

ETA: Surprisingly Cam starts the 7th.
Career High pitches now 117 and a 2nd hit.

I hate these 8:00 starts.

17

Holy shit, Rice just hit his second 400’+ homer of the night. This one a grand salami!

4 for 5, 2 HRs, a double and a single with 6 RBIs.

Yanks up 9-0 in the 8th.

Sadly, Cubs down 0-3 to Padres.

18

Now down 0-7; the Cubs have been held hitless through the first five innings.

19

Braves and Phillies tied up at 3 in the 8th.

Bryce Harper misjudged a fly ball which led to 2 runs in the bottom of the seventh and a 3-1 lead for the Phillies.

But Schwarber and Harper opened the 8th with back-to-back dingers to tie the game, now going into the bottom of the inning.

20

Now top of the tenth. Nail biter…

Aaaaand, Bohm with a homer! 4-3 Phils!