When Does the Championship Series Start in the MLB Playoffs?

Ryan Phillips | Oct 3, 2024

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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