The moment all baseball fans were waiting for is finally here. The 2020 MLB playoffs are finally upon us after a shortened season full of ups, downs, and countless incredible stories. At times, it felt like we’d never get to this point, let alone the World Series.
Then again, here we are. All teams made it through their 60-game schedule and now it’s all back from scratch. There will be no true home advantage, so for the first time ever, it feels like anything can happen.
But why is this year’s postseason so different from the rest? What makes the 2020 MLB playoffs so unique? Here, you’ll find everything there is to know about them and all the answers to those questions.
MLB Playoffs 2020 Format
Major League Baseball decided to expand its playoff pool for this season. For the first time ever, 16 teams (Brewers, Dodgers, Reds, Braves, Marlins, White Sox, Cardinals, Padres, Yankees, Rays, Indians, Twins, Cubs, Astros, Athletics, and Blue Jays) made it to the playoffs.
8 teams from each league qualified for the postseason, with all of them playing a best-of-three Wild Card round series. Needless to say, that didn’t suit most baseball fans or even some players.
MLB Playoffs 2020 Bracket
NL Wild Card Series
(1) Los Angeles Dodgers (43-17) vs. (8) Milwaukee Brewers (29-31)
(2) Atlanta Braves (35-25) vs. (7) Cincinnati Reds (30-29)
(3) Chicago Cubs (34-26) vs. (6) Miami Marlins (31-29)
(4) San Diego Padres (37-23) vs. (5) St. Louis Cardinals (30-28)
AL Wild Card Series matchups:
(1) Tampa Bay Rays (40-20) vs. (8) Toronto Blue Jays (32-28)
(2) Oakland Athletics (36-24) vs. (7) Chicago White Sox (35-25)
(3) Minnesota Twins (36-24) vs. (6) Houston Astros (29-31)
(4) Cleveland Indians (35-25) vs. (5) New York Yankees (33-27)
MLB Playoffs 2020 Schedule (All times Eastern)
Tuesday, Sept, 29
ALWC Game 1: Astros at Twins at 2 p.m. (ABC)
ALWC Game 1: White Sox at A’s at 3 p.m. (ESPN)
ALWC Game 1: Blue Jays at Rays at 5 p.m. (TBS)
ALWC Game 1: Yankees at Indians at 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, Sept, 30
NLWC Game 1: Reds at Braves at 12 p.m. (ESPN)
ALWC Game 2: Astros at Twins at 1 p.m. (ESPN2)
NLWC Game 1: Marlins at Cubs at 2 p.m. (ABC)
ALWC Game 2: White Sox at A’s at 3 p.m. (ESPN)
ALWC Game 2: Blue Jays at Rays at 4 p.m. (TBS)
NLWC Game 1: Cardinals at Padres at 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
ALWC Game 2: Yankees at Indians at 7 p.m. (ESPN)
NLWC Game 1: Brewers at Dodgers at 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday, Oct, 1
NLWC Game 2: Cardinals at Padres*
NLWC Game 2: Marlins at Cubs*
NLWC Game 2: Brewers at Dodgers*
NLWC Game 2: Reds at Braves*
ALWC Game 3**: Yankees at Indians*
ALWC Game 3**: Astros at Twins*
ALWC Game 3**: White Sox at A’s*
ALWC Game 3**: Blue Jays at Rays*
Friday, Oct, 2
NLWC Game 3**: Cardinals at Padres*
NLWC Game 3**: Marlins at Cubs*
NLWC Game 3**: Brewers at Dodgers*
NLWC Game 3**: Reds at Braves*
* Game times and TV schedules beyond the first two days are yet to be announced.
** If necessary
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MLB Playoffs 2020: Odds And Predictions
It seems like oddsmakers expect the Los Angeles Dodgers to win it all this season, as they give them +350 odds to win. New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays follow them with +600 odds, while the Toronto Blue Jays are the least likely candidate at +3500 odds.
| DraftKings | |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +350 |
| New York Yankees | +600 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +600 |
| San Diego Padres | +1000 |
| Oakland Athletics | +1000 |
| Atlanta Braves | +1100 |
| Minnesota Twins | +1400 |
| Chicago Cubs | +1500 |
| Chicago White Sox | +1500 |
| Cleveland Indians | +1500 |
| Houston Astros | +2500 |
| Cincinnati Reds | +2800 |
| Miami Marlins | +3300 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | +3300 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +3300 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +3500 |
* Odds via DraftKings