MLB Wild Card Series 2026 Calendar: Dates and teams for every game in the first round of the postseason

The 2026 MLB postseason is almost here, with four best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning September 29 and several matchups already set for the opening round of October. Even though the regular season is entering its final weekend, but much of the postseason picture is already clear as ten teams have secured playoff spots – but key seeds and division races remain unresolved.

The Tampa Bay Rays have secured the Americal League 's No. 1 seed, while the Milwaukee Brewers own the MLB 's best record and will enter October as the National League 's top seed. The Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Yankees , Atlanta Braves , Boston Red Sox , Chicago Cubs , Chicago White Sox , Cleveland Guardians and San Diego Padres have also secured postseason berths. Heading into the final day, the Philadelphia Phillies are still battling for position in the National League, while the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers remain locked in the race for the AL West pennant. And the first confirmed Wild Card matchup features one of baseball's most recognizable rivalries, with the Red Sox and Yankees set to meet in a best-of-three series. The series begins Tuesday, September 29, at Yankee Stadium , with Game 2 scheduled for Wednesday, September 30. A decisive Game 3 will be played Thursday, October 1, if necessary. The two teams have played 13 times during the regular season, with New York narrowly winning the series 7-6. The Yankees also went 4-2 against Boston at home. The rivalry returns to the postseason after the Yankees defeated Boston 2-1 in the 2025 AL Wild Card Series before advancing to the AL Division Series . Aaron Judge is also expected to be a major storyline after indicating that he wants to return for October, but he is facing a race against time if he aims to get back onto the field for New York . Meanwhile Boston will turn to rookie left-hander Payton Tolle , who posted a 3.03 ERA during his debut season. Tolle recorded a 0.69 ERA with 18 strikeouts across 13 innings against New York .

2026 MLB Wild Card Series schedule

The other Wild Card matchups will be determined by the final standings, with the remaining division and playoff races still capable of changing the opening-round bracket. The 2026 MLB postseason will eventually build toward the World Series , with the Wild Card round providing the first opportunity for teams to begin their October championship run. Below is the schedule you need to follow: Tuesday, September 29 – Game 1 AL Wild Card Series A Game 1 AL Wild Card Series B, Game 1 NL Wild Card Series A, Game 1 NL Wild Card Series B, Game 1 Wednesday, September 30 AL Wild Card Series A, Game 2 AL Wild Card Series B, Game 2 NL Wild Card Series A, Game 2 NL Wild Card Series B, Game 2 Thursday, October 1 (Game 3 will only be played if necessary) AL Wild Card Series A, Game 3 AL Wild Card Series B, Game 3 NL Wild Card Series A, Game 3 NL Wild Card Series B, Game 3