When Does the Championship Series Start in the MLB Playoffs?

Shohei Ohtani will be playing in the first postseason games of his MLB career.
Shohei Ohtani will be playing in the first postseason games of his MLB career. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The 2024 Major League Baseball playoffs are in full swing as the division series in each league are set. That is the next round of the playoffs and will take place this weekend. After the second round wraps, the league will be down to its final four teams who will do battle in the American and National League championship series.

What does the National League Championship Series start?

The NLCS will begin on Sunday, October 13, with the higher-seeded team hosting. The game will be broadcast on Fox, with a time to be determined. The final NLDS games will take place on Friday, October 11 if the two series go the full five games, which will give one day off between rounds. It would be a quick turnaround for the surviving squads.

The NLCS is set for Game 2 on October 14, Game 3 on October 16 and Game 4 on October 17. If necessary, Game 5 is scheduled for October 18, Game 6 would be on October 20 and Game 7 would take place on October 21.

NLCS Game

Date

Game 1

Sunday, October 13

Game 2

Monday, October 14

Game 3

Wendesday, October 16

Game 4

Thursday, October 17

Game 5* (if necessary)

Friday, October 18

Game 6* (if necessary)

Sunday, October 20

Game 7* (if necessary)

Monday, October 21

When does the American League Championship Series start?

The ALCS is set to start on Monday, October 14, with the higher-seeded team hosting. The entire series will be broadcast on TBS. The final ALDS games would happen on Saturday, October 12 if either (or both) series goes five games. Like the NL, the AL teams would get one day off in that scenario.

Game 2 will take place on October 15, Game 3 is set for October 17, and Game 4 is schedule for October 18. If necessary, Game 5 will be on October 19, Game 6 will happen on October 20 and Game 7 would occur on October 22.

ALCS Game

Date

Game 1

Monday, October 14

Game 2

Tuesday, October 15

Game 3

Thursday, October 17

Game 4

Friday, October 18

Game 5* (if necessary)

Saturday, October 19

Game 6* (if necessary)

Monday, October 21

Game 7* (if necessary)

Tuesday, October 22

When does the World Series begin?

The 2024 World Series will start on Friday, October 25 and, if it goes seven games, will last until November 2. The start date will give both the NL and AL champion teams plenty of rest. A seven-game NLCS would end on October 21, while a seven-game ALCS would be over on October 22. That will leave plenty of time for players on both teams to rest and recover before the Fall Classic begins.


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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.