When do MLB playoffs start? Full postseason schedule through World Series

The 2025 Major League Baseball postseason gets underway on Tuesday, Sept. 30 with 12 teams battling to end up the World Series champion about a month from now.

The playoffs begin with the best-of-three wild card series, with games scheduled for Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2. The winner-take-all Game 3s will be played on Thursday if the series get that far.

The winners of the wild card series advance to the best-of-five Division Series, where they will meet the division winners in each league who earned a bye. The LDS is scheduled to begin on Saturday, Oct. 4 before the best-of-seven League Championship Series start up on Sunday, Oct. 12.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the reigning World Series champions and the 2025 Fall Classic begins on Saturday, Oct. 24.

MLB playoffs schedule 2025

MLB wild card series schedule

Tuesday, Sept. 30

• AL wild card tbd Game 1: 1:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
• Padres at Cubs – Game 1: 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
• AL wild card tbd Game 1, 6:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
• Mets/Reds at Dodgers, Game 1: 9:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

Wednesday, Oct. 1

• AL wild card Game 2: 1:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
• Padres at Cubs – Game 2: 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
• AL wild card Game 2: 6:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
• Mets/Reds at Dodgers – Game 2: 9:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

Thursday, Oct. 2

• Schedule will be announced Sunday

Division Series schedule

(Best-of-five)

Saturday, Oct. 4

• NLDS1 Game 1
• NLDS2 Game 1
• ALDS1 Game 1
• ALDS 2 Game 1

Sunday, Oct. 5

• ALDS1 Game 2
• ALDS2 Game 2

Monday, Oct. 6

• NLDS1 Game 2
• NLDS2 Game 2

Tuesday, Oct. 7

• ALDS1 Game 3
• ALDS2 Game 3

Wednesday, Oct. 8

• ALDS1 Game 4 *if necessary
• ALDS2 Game 4 *if necessary
• NLDS1 Game 3
• NLDS2 Game 3

Thursday, Oct. 9

• NLDS1 Game 4 *if necessary
• NLDS2 Game 4 *if necessary

Friday, Oct. 10

• ALDS1 Game 5 *if necessary
• ALDS2 Game 5 *if necessary

Saturday, Oct. 11

• NLDS1 Game 5 *if necessary
• NLDS2 Game 5 *if necessary

League Championship Series schedule

(Best-of-seven)

Oct. 12

• ALCS Game 1

Oct. 13

• ALCS Game 2
• NLCS Game 1

Oct. 14

• NLCS Game 2

Oct. 15

• ALCS Game 3

Oct. 16

• NLCS Game 3
• ALCS Game 4

Oct. 17

• NLCS Game 4
• ALCS Game 5 *if necessary

Oct. 18

• NLCS Game 5 *if necessary

Oct. 19

• ALCS Game 6 *if necessary

Oct. 20

• NLCS Game 6 *if necessary
• ALCS Game 7 *if necessary

Oct. 21

• NLCS Game 7 *if necessary

World Series schedule 2025

• Friday, Oct. 24: Game 1
• Saturday, Oct. 25: Game 2
• Monday, Oct. 27: Game 3
• Tuesday, Oct. 28: Game 4
• Wednesday, Oct. 29: Game 5 *if necessary
• Friday, Oct. 31: Game 6 *if necessary
• Saturday, Nov. 1: Game 7 *if necessary