Postseason play begins for most of the 2024 MLB playoff field on Tuesday. But a handful of clubs will have to wait a little longer to begin their chase for the World Series title.
The top two seeds in the American League and National League earned a bye into the Division Series. The No. 1 New York Yankees and No. 2 Cleveland Guardians bypassed the AL Wild Card Series, while the No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers and No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies earned byes to the NLDS.
While those teams don't have a set Division Series matchup just yet, they do know which Wild Card Series their respective opponents will come from. That's because the MLB playoffs follow a bracket format and don't reseed teams following the opening round.
So the No. 1 seed in each league will face the winner of the 4-5 matchup, while the No. 2 seed draws the winner of the 3-6 matchup.
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MLB playoff bracket: What are the Division Series matchups in 2024?
With that said, here's a preview of what the Division Series matchups could look like:
American League
- No. 1 New York Yankees vs. No. 4 Baltimore Orioles/No. 5 Kansas City Royals (Kansas City leads Baltimore 1-0 in series)
- No. 2 Cleveland Guardians vs. No. 3 Houston Astros/No. 6 Detroit Tigers (Detroit leads Houston 1-0 in series)
National League
- No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. No. 4 San Diego Padres/No. 5 Atlanta Braves
- No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies vs. No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers/No. 6 New York Mets (New York leads Milwaukee 1-0 in series)
When does the Division Series start?
The Division Series is slated to begin on Saturday, Oct. 5.
How many games are in the Division Series?
The Division Series features a best-of-five format where the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2 and 5.
