The 2026 regular season is officially in the books. Game 162 saw the final two playoff spots decided; Philadelphia held on to the final National League Wild Card spot, while the Astros clinched another AL West title.
Here are the dates, times and venues for all four Wild Card Series:
Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves
- Game 1: Sept. 29, 2 p.m. ET at Truist Park
- Game 2: Sept. 30, 2 p.m. ET at Truist Park
- Game 3: Oct. 1, 2 p.m. ET at Truist Park
Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros
- Game 1: Sept. 29, 5 p.m. ET at Daikin Park
- Game 2: Sept. 30, 5 p.m. ET at Daikin Park
- Game 3: Oct. 1, 5 p.m. ET at Daikin Park
Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees
- Game 1: Sept. 29, 8 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium
- Game 2: Sept. 30, 8 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium
- Game 3: Oct. 1, 8 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium
Chicago Cubs @ San Diego Padres
- Game 1: Sept. 29, 10 p.m. ET at Petco Park
- Game 2: Sept. 30, 10 p.m. ET at Petco Park
- Game 3: Oct. 1, 10 p.m. ET at Petco Park
The slate features a pair of East Coast rivalries and two more intriguing meetings between teams with unique stories.
Here’s who we think is moving on to the Division Series:
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves
Pick: Braves defeat Phillies, 2-1
A tough start, for sure. Philadelphia boasts a nightmare pitching trio up front, consisting of Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo. However, availability is the issue at hand.
Sánchez threw 100 pitches on Friday, so he’s unlikely to make the Game 1 start. Wheeler threw 97 pitches Sunday and may not pitch in the Wild Card round at all. Finally, Luzardo returned from left elbow inflammation Sunday, tossing just four pitches out of the bullpen.
It’s unclear how the Phillies will handle Game 1. Starting Sánchez on three days’ rest seems bold, and Philadelphia’s only other feasible option would be rookie Andrew Painter. The 23-year-old went 3-10 in the regular season with a 5.40 ERA.
Painter could piggyback with Luzardo, but against Chris Sale, Philadelphia feels almost doomed to fall behind 1-0 in the series.
Assuming Sánchez starts Game 2 on four days’ rest, this is where I see Philly evening the series. The Phillies’ offensive pedigree is just too strong to go quietly in two games. Even without Luis Arraez, they should be able to cash in against Tyler Mahle or Grant Holmes.
However, without Luzardo or Sánchez available for a potential Game 3, the Phillies would find themselves in a tough spot. Don Mattingly would have his choice of throwing 33-year-old Aaron Nola on four days’ rest, or 36-year-old Zack Wheeler on three days’ rest. Wheeler is obviously the stronger option, but “36 years old” and “three days’ rest” do not belong in the same sentence.
Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros
Pick: Astros defeat White Sox, 2-0
It’s the no-fun pick, but it’s too clear-cut to pass up. Chicago was the feel-good turnaround story, and Houston is just about the opposite. The Astros are now winners of the AL West for the eighth time in 10 seasons.
The Astros’ bats are on fire right now, to put it mildly. They lead the majors with a .460 slugging percentage over the last 30 days. In that time, they’ve mashed 46 home runs. The White Sox — who also rely heavily on the long ball — hit just 31 over the same span.
On the pitching side, the Astros hold two key advantages. They boast an established ace (Hunter Brown) and a perennial lockdown closer (Josh Hader). While they couldn’t even muster a winning record in the regular season, none of that matters now.
The team with the most home runs in baseball is hosting a young squad with 18 active players who have never appeared in a postseason game. Don’t overthink this one — that’s the nature of October baseball.
Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
Pick: Red Sox defeat Yankees, 2-1
In a rematch of last year’s Wild Card Series in the Bronx, the Red Sox look better equipped to get past New York this time around. The vibe heading into this series is much different from last October.
New York has been a bottom-five offense in baseball since the All-Star break. They’re pitching exceptionally well, but no realistic level of run prevention can prop up this version of the Yankees’ offense.
The root of the struggles is Aaron Judge’s near-season-long absence, from which New York never truly recovered. A loud trade deadline didn’t move the needle far enough, and now the Yankees are left with a clubhouse full of platoons and inconsistency.
The No. 1 question, then, is obvious: Will Judge play? Manager Aaron Boone sounds less optimistic than Judge himself, who has stated his intent to start in right field in Game 1. That raises a follow-up question: Will Judge be at 100% if he does play?
Meanwhile, Boston has quietly been the second-best pitching staff since the break. The difference? The Red Sox rank sixth in OPS over that span — night and day compared to New York.
Both teams have pitching depth and plenty of ways to attack hitters. Right now, Boston simply has more momentum, even if the Red Sox have to go through Cam Schlittler at Yankee Stadium again.
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres
Pick: Padres defeat Cubs, 2-1
This is arguably the tightest matchup of the round. Both the Cubs and Padres surged in the second half but arrived in October with very different levels of momentum.
Chicago is the more talented team, plain and simple. The Cubs’ offense is nothing short of historic, led by runaway NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong. Alex Bregman and Seiya Suzuki are star-caliber right-handed sluggers, and Michael Busch and Ian Happ can slug from the left side, too. On a typical day, veteran and 2021 World Series champion Dansby Swanson hits ninth.
However, Chicago lost its last two series of the year and fumbled away the home-field advantage that helped it beat San Diego in the 2025 postseason. That late blunder opens the door for San Diego.
Since the first weekend of September, the Padres haven’t lost a single series. They swept three of those seven sets, finishing the season 18-4 to claim home-field advantage. Just a month prior, San Diego sat on the outside looking in, below the Diamondbacks.
Since the franchise’s turnaround in 2020, the Padres are 8-3 in postseason games at Petco Park — and they’ve done it without winning the NL West once.
San Diego’s offense is humming, with seven hitters posting a wRC+ above 106 in September (100 is league average). Pitching is the Cubs’ well-documented weak spot, and San Diego should be able to exploit their lack of quality arms.
