The Atlanta Braves are headed back to the MLB postseason for the first time since 2013 and here is what the playoff schedule looks like. The postseason officially gets underway on October 2 with the National League Wild Card Game. The AL Wild Card will take place the next night on October 3. The NL game will be televised by ESPN while the AL will be on TBS. The NL Division series gets underway on October 4 with the NLCS slated to begin on Friday, October 12. The World Series will begin on Tuesday, October 23 with a potential Game 7 scheduled for Halloween night on October 31. Wild Card Games League Date Television League Date Television National League Tuesday, October 2 ESPN Americal League Wednesday, October 3 TBS NLDS Game Date Television Game Date Television Game 1 Thursday, October 4 FS1 or MLB Network Game 2 Friday, October 5 FS1 or MLB Network Game 3 Sunday, October 7 FS1 or MLB Network Game 4* Monday, October 8 FS1 Game 5* Wednesday, October 10 FS1 *if necessary ALDS Game Date Television Game Date Television Game 1 Friday, October 5 TBS Game 2 Saturday, October 6 TBS Game 3 Monday, October 8 TBS Game 4* Tuesday, October 9 TBS Game 5* Thursday, October 11 TBS *if necessary NLCS Game Date Television Game Date Television Game 1 Friday, October 12 Fox or FS1 Game 2 Saturday, October 13 Fox or FS1 Game 3 Monday, October 15 Fox or FS1 Game 4 Tuesday, October 16 Fox or FS1 Game 5* Wednesday, October 17 Fox or FS1 Game 6* Friday, October 19 Fox or FS1 Game 7* Saturday, October 20 Fox or FS1 *if necessary ALCS Game Date Television Game Date Television Game 1 Saturday, October 13 TBS Game 2 Sunday, October 14 TBS Game 3 Tuesday, October 16 TBS Game 4 Wednesday, October 17 TBS Game 5* Thursday, October 18 TBS Game 6* Saturday, October 20 TBS Game 7* Sunday, October 21 TBS *if necessary<doc-sep>Happy “morning after the Braves clinched their first division title in five years,” Braves Country! Atlanta Braves Playoff Clinching Coverage Atlanta clinches NL East title with 5-3 win over Philadelphia The big news of the day, and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard already. Congrats, Braves. Congrats, Brian Snitker. You did it. Mike Foltynewicz took a no-hitter into the seventh as the Braves scored four runs early and barely looked back. Braves clinch playoff spot for the first time in five years In fitting fashion, the Braves’ clinching victory came exactly five years after they did the same thing back in 2013. The Braves’ opponent in that playoff appearance? The Los Angeles Dodgers — the same team that they’re currently lined up to face in this season’s NL Division Series. All sorts of video on the Braves celebrating their division championship So much celebration. So much fun. And of course Ender Inciarte would be parading the banner around SunTrust Park. Brian Snitker, Freddie Freeman, and others on returning to the postseason Brian Snitker tearing up during his interview is a must-watch. Great stuff from Mike Foltynewicz in here, too. 2018 MLB Postseason Schedule: NLDS begins October 4 The Braves have some more games to play before the playoffs begin — but for those wanting a look ahead, the schedule for postseason action is here. Note that game times are still TBD, based on who the Braves end up matching up with. Playoff action starts October 2 with the Lightning Round games, and the World Series kicks off on Tuesday, October 23. Acuña’s 15th stolen base puts him in elite company Mark Bowman of MLB.com notes that the young phenom is only the fourth player all-time to have 25 home runs and 15 stolen bases in an age-20 season. MLB News Yankees walk off in 11, clinch playoff berth The Braves weren’t the only team to sew up a playoff spot on Saturday. Aaron Hicks hit a walkoff double in the 11th to defeat the Orioles. The Yankees will be making their second consecutive playoff appearance, though they’ll need to survive the Lightning Round game to advance. In the victory, the Yankees became the sixth team in history with 250+ homers, also courtesy of Hicks. Cleveland Indians the first team in history to have 4 starters with 200 Ks Speaking of historic happenings, get this: Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer were joined by teammate Mike Clevinger in the 200 strikeout club. Strikeouts have definitely been on the rise, so it was potentially just a matter of time until this happened, but apparently that time is now. No other team has more than two such pitchers so far this year (Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander, Astros) — though, surprisingly, the Astros have a higher rotation strikeout rate (28.3%) than the Indians (26.2%). So, counting stats aren’t everything. MLB, Yankees host stickball tournament in the Bronx Here’s something completely different: the Yankees and MLB put on a stickball event on Saturday. It’s not quite baseball, but it was still dramatic, as the final game came down to 10 innings and a 5-4 score.<doc-sep>The Atlanta Braves' grand rebuild came to fruition earlier than expected, as the team clinched the National League East title Saturday with a 5-3 win against the Philadelphia Phillies – the club's first trip to the postseason since 2013. Atlanta outlasted the Phillies, taking the division lead for good on Aug. 12. Meanwhile, the two-time defending division champion Washington Nationals suffered through a disastrous season, giving the young Braves plenty of room for error. It has been a long process for the Braves, who started selling off their assets after a 79-83 season in 2014. Over time, Atlanta built up one of the best farm systems in baseball. That group of prospects started paying off this season, as the Braves got enormous contributions from outfielder Ronald Acuna, 20, a front-runner for NL rookie of the year, and second baseman Ozzie Albies, 21, who played in the All-Star Game. Some of the team's most important pieces were acquired in those trades over the past four years, including All-Star starter Mike Foltynewicz (for Evan Gattis in January 2015), everyday players Dansby Swanson and Ender Inciarte (for Shelby Miller in December 2015) and lefty starter Sean Newcomb (for Andrelton Simmons in November 2015). During the Braves' clinching win on Saturday, Foltynewicz pitched six scoreless innings, Inciarte scored three runs and Acuna scored two runs, plus caught a Maikel Franco fly ball for the final out. Atlanta lost 95 games in 2015, 93 in 2016 and 90 in 2017, finishing 25 games behind the division-winning Nationals last season. With plenty more talent in the pipeline, 2018 might just be the tip of the iceberg as the Braves appear primed for a sustained period of success.<doc-sep>
The Atlanta Braves have punched their ticket to the playoffs, and have clinched the NL East division. The Braves will play in their first postseason series since 2013. Atlanta is headed to the NLDS, but their opponent has yet to be determined. Atlanta will begin their postseason quest on October 4th, and will wait to see who they will face. As of now, the Braves sit as the No. 2 seed in the National League and would face the NL West winner if the playoffs were to start today. The Dodgers hold a slight lead over the Rockies and are the favorites to face the Braves in the NLDS come October. The Braves still have a chance at the No. 1 seed if they are able to continue winning and receive some help from the Cubs. The specific times will not be announced until the MLB playoff matchups are finalized, but both NLDS series will begin on October 4. Here is a look at what we know so far. Braves NLDS Playoff Schedule DATES SERIES TV October 4, 2018 NLDS A Game 1 (early) FS1 or MLB Network October 4, 2018 NLDS B Game 1 (late) FS1 or MLB Network October 5, 2018 NLDS A Game 2 FS1 or MLB Network October 5, 2018 NLDS B Game 2 FS1 or MLB Network October 7, 2018 NLDS A Game 3 FS1 or MLB Network October 7, 2018 NLDS B Game 3 FS1 or MLB Network October 8, 2018 NLDS A Game 4 (if necessary) FS1 October 8, 2018 NLDS B Game 4 (if necessary) FS1 October 10, 2018 NLDS A Game 5 (if necessary) FS1 October 10, 2018 NLDS B Game 5 (if necessary) FS1 Braves Playoff Tickets The Braves have already begun selling postseason tickets for as many as three NLDS home games (if necessary games). On the Braves website, these are referred to as Game 1, Game 2 and Game 3. The number correlates to the home game, but not necessarily the game in the series. Atlanta still has some work to do to secure home field for the NLDS. As it stands now, they have a slight lead over both the Dodgers and Rockies, their two most likely opponents. The remaining tickets range from $40 to $200. Click here for more information on Braves playoff tickets. Young Bats Helped the Braves Outperform Preseason Expectations The Braves have veterans like Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis that have played a role in Atlanta’s 2018 success. However, it has been the emergence of young players like Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies that helped propel the Braves postseason hopes. Freeman admits this season feels a lot different than it has in years past. “When I came up, we were winning,” Freeman told MLB.com. “Then to go through four years of not winning, it makes you appreciate this kind of baseball again. It’s fun. It really is. You shouldn’t be pressing at all. This is what you work for, for six or seven months. For us to be in this situation this year, it’s the greatest feeling there is.”