Major League Baseball’s playoffs now move into the Division Series, which will include Shohei Ohtani's postseason pitching debut, an unwelcome reunion in Milwaukee, a matchup of teams that tied for the most wins in the American League, and a switch-hitting catcher who finished the season with 60 home runs.
All four series begin Saturday, when two-way star Ohtani — already with two home runs this postseason after hitting a career-high 55 in the regular season — starts on the mound for the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 at Philadelphia. He was recovering from elbow surgery while appearing only as a designated hitter last season, but has a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts since returning to pitching in mid-June.
In the other National League series, the 97-win Brewers open at home against former manager Craig Counsell and the Chicago Cubs. Counsell has been booed lustily in Milwaukee ever since he left two years ago for the NL Central rival Cubs.
AL East rivals Toronto and the New York Yankees both won 94 regular-season games. Star slugger Cal Raleigh and Seattle take on Detroit in the other American League series.
The Dodgers were the only team to sweep its best-of-three Wild Card Series, winning at home against Cincinnati. The rest were decided Thursday, the first time MLB had three postseason elimination games on the same day: the Cubs beat San Diego; Detroit knocked out Cleveland; and the Yankees eliminated Boston.
What to know about the Division Series
What is the MLB playoff format?
There were 12 teams that qualified for MLB’s postseason, six teams from both the AL and NL. That is down to eight still alive.
The two teams with the best records in both the AL and NL advanced directly to the Division Series with home-field advantage. Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Seattle and Toronto haven't played since Sept. 28, the last day of the regular season.
Division Series winners move on to the best-of-seven League Championship Series, with the AL and NL pennant winners then playing in the best-of-seven World Series.
What is the MLB postseason schedule?
Division Series: Oct. 4-11 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1)
Championship Series: Oct. 12-21 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1)
World Series: Oct. 24-Nov. 1 (FOX)
Who are the favorites to win the World Series?
The Dodgers (+360) are the favorite to win the World Series, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. After that, it’s the Yankees (+475), Phillies (+500), Mariners (+550), Cubs (+750), Brewers (+750), Blue Jays (+800) and Tigers (+1000).
The Blue Jays opened the season at +6000 odds.
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