October is Set!

10/04/2021

By: Jeff Yoder

Giants Win, Yankees & Red Sox Grab AL Wild Cards — The MLB Playoff Bracket is Officially Set After Drama on Final Day of Regular Season

Here. We. Go. The final day of the regular season brought plenty of drama with four teams aiming for the last two Wild Card spots in the American League. All four teams alive in the Wild Card race — Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays and Mariners — won their Sunday games, but it’s the Red Sox and Yankees who secured the bids. Both Boston and New York won in dramatic fashion. The Yankees got a walk-off single from Aaron Judge to beat the Rays (1-0) while the Red Sox overcame a 5-1 deficit to beat the Nationals (7-5).

 

The NL West race also saw the Giants edge the Dodgers for the No. 1 overall seed. Los Angeles, with 106 wins, will end up hosting the Wild Card matchup against the Cardinals. Thirty teams entered in March, but only 10 remain in October. Here’s a look at this week’s MLB Playoff schedule.

 

MLB Playoff Schedule

 

AL Wild Card

#5 Yankees at #4 Red Sox (Tues. 8:08 pm ET, ESPN)

Pitchers: G. Cole (NYY) vs. N. Eovaldi (BOS)

 

NL Wild Card

#5 Cardinals at #4 Dodgers (Wed. 8:10 pm ET, TBS)

Pitchers: A. Wainwright (STL) vs. TBD (LAD)

 

ALDS: Begins Thursday (Oct. 7)

NLDS: Begins Friday (Oct. 8)

 

October has arrived. It’s do-or-die time, baseball fans.

 

Additional Storylines

ESPN: 2021 MLB Playoffs — What We Can’t Wait to See in October

MLB: Rafael Devers’ Heroics Clinch Top Wild Card Spot for Red Sox

Yahoo!: Yankees Win in Walk-Off Fashion to Stroll Into Playoffs

CBS Sports: Giants Clinch NL West With 107th Win to End Dodgers Streak of 8 Division Titles