Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and the rest of the hard-hitting Atlanta Braves have earned a couple days of rest and relaxation after Major League Baseball’s long 162-game regular season.
So have the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve, Justin Verlander and the rest of the reigning World Series champions — who won the American League West Division title Sunday, the regular season’s final day — along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles, a feel-good story in their surprisingly fast turnaround.
As for the other eight teams that qualified for Major League Baseball’s 12-team October showcase?
The action comes in a hurry.
MLB’s postseason bracket is set, with the American League and National League wild-card matchups beginning Tuesday. It’s the second year for the new October format of best-of-three series with all of the games at the higher seed’s ballpark.
In the AL, the sixth-seeded Toronto Blue Jays will visit the No. 3 Minnesota Twins, while the No. 5 Texas Rangers travel to the No. 4 Tampa Bay Rays. The NL has the No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks at the No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers, while the No. 5 Miami Marlins visit the No. 4 Philadelphia Phillies.
The Astros, Braves, Dodgers and Orioles won’t join the playoff fray until Saturday, when the AL Division Series and NL Division Series — two each of the best-of-five matchups — began.
It’s a postseason bracket missing some of the sport’s marquee franchises. New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and his teammates will spend October at home. Over in the NL, so will the big-spending New York Mets and San Diego Padres.
But for those who remain, the road to the World Series begins soon.
Here’s a look at the qualifiers.
THE WILD-CARD MATCHUPS
National League
No. 6 Diamondbacks at No. 3 Brewers
The season series: Diamondbacks won 4-2.
The skinny: Arizona is back in the postseason for the first time since 2017 despite losing its final four games of the regular season. Rookie speedster Corbin Carroll leads a versatile lineup, while right-handed pitcher Zac Gallen is among the top candidates for the NL Cy Young Award. The Brewers’ lineup is led by 2018 MVP Christian Yelich, while the pitching staff has a solid top three in Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta.
No. 5 Marlins at No. 4 Phillies
The season series: Marlins won 7-6.
The skinny: The Marlins have been an under-the-radar success story and dealt with a weather mess in New York during some of the most important games of the wild-card race. Luis Arraez won the NL batting title with a .354 mark, while Jesus Luzardo and Braxton Garrett are at the top of the rotation with ace Sandy Alcantara sidelined for the rest of the year by an elbow injury. The Phillies are trying to make it back to the World Series — they lost to the Astros last year — and have a deep lineup with Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner.
American League
No. 6 Blue Jays at No. 3 Twins
The season series: Tied 3-3.
The skinny: The Blue Jays are a tough No. 6 seed with one of the deepest lineups in baseball, including Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Matt Chapman, George Springer and Whit Merrifield. They’re also deep on the mound with Chris Bassitt, José Berríos, Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi. The Twins were easily the best team in a weak AL Central. They’re hoping that some of their best players — such as shortstop Carlos Correa and third baseman Royce Lewis — will be healthy after fighting injuries in the season’s final weeks.
No. 5 Rangers at No. 4 Rays
The season series: Rangers won 4-2.
The skinny: The Rangers are led by the stellar middle infield combo of Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, who could both finish in the top five of AL MVP balloting. Outfielder Adolis Garcia also had a big year. The pitching staff doesn’t have a lot of big names who are healthy, but it has been steady with Dane Dunning, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi. The Rays were the hottest team in the majors in the early weeks of the schedule but got caught by the Orioles around midseason. Tampa Bay continues to thrive despite one of the lowest payrolls in the league. The balanced lineup includes Yandy Diaz, Isaac Paredes and Randy Arozarena. Zach Elfin and Tyler Glasnow lead the pitching staff.
THE TOP SEEDS
National League
No. 1 Braves
They’ve got the best lineup in baseball, led by Acuña’s speed-power combo that allowed him become the charter member of the 40 homers-70 steals club. But their biggest strength is depth. Olson just wrapped up a 54-homer season, while Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies and Marcell Ozuna all have at least 30 homers. The pitching staff has struggled with injuries, but hard-throwing Spencer Strider led the majors with 281 strikeouts. They won the World Series in 2021. Acuña was hurt during that playoff run and is eager to make his mark this fall.
No. 2 Dodgers
They looked like they might struggle to win the NL West for much of the season, then caught fire with a 24-5 record in August and haven’t looked back. The lineup revolves around stars including Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and J.D. Martinez, while three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw anchors the pitching staff. They won the World Series in 2020.
American League
No. 1 Orioles
They’re arguably the best story in baseball, winning more than 100 games just two seasons after losing 110. They’ve got a young, balanced lineup, led by catcher Adley Rutschman and shortstop Gunnar Henderson. The pitching staff leans on the trio of Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer and Kyle Bradish, who have been solid most of the season.
No. 2 Astros
They stumbled in September but righted the ship just in time to have a shot at repeating as World Series champs and even rallied late to win the AL West. Franchise stalwarts Altuve, Alex Bregman and Kyle Turcker lead the lineup, while the rotation includes three-time Cy Young winner Verlander and Framber Valdez.
THE SCHEDULE
2023 MLB Playoffs
All times Eastern; x-if necessary
WILD-CARD SERIES
(Best-of-3)
American League
No. 3 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Toronto
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Toronto (Gausman 12-9) at Minnesota (López 11-8), 4:38 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Toronto at Minnesota (Gray 8-8), 4:38 p.m. (ESPN)
x-Thursday, Oct. 5: Toronto at Minnesota, 4:38 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 4 Tampa Bay vs. No. 5 Texas
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Texas at Tampa Bay (Glasnow 10-7), 3:08 p.m. (ABC)
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Texas at Tampa Bay (Eflin 16-8), 3:08 p.m. (ABC)
x-Thursday, Oct. 5: Texas at Tampa Bay, 3:08 p.m. (ABC)
National League
No. 3 Milwaukee vs. No. 6 Arizona
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Arizona at Milwaukee, 7:08 p.m. (ESPN2)
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Arizona at Milwaukee, 7:08 p.m. (ESPN2)
x-Thursday, Oct. 5: Arizona at Milwaukee, 7:08 p.m. (ESPN2)
No. 4 Philadelphia vs. No. 5 Miami
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Miami (Luzardo 10-9) at Philadelphia (Wheeler 13-6), 8:08 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Miami (Garrett 9-7) at Philadelphia (Nola 12-9), 8:08 p.m. (ESPN)
x-Thursday, Oct. 5: Miami at Philadelphia, 8:08 p.m. (ESPN)
DIVISION SERIES
(Best-of-5)
American League
(Fox or FS1)
Baltimore vs. Tampa Bay-Texas winner
Saturday, Oct. 7: Tampa Bay-Texas winner at Baltimore
Sunday, Oct. 8: Tampa Bay-Texas winner at Baltimore
Tuesday, Oct. 10:Baltimore at Tampa Bay-Texas winner
x-Wednesday, Oct. 11: Baltimore at Tampa Bay-Texas winner
x-Friday, Oct. 13: Tampa Bay-Texas winner at Baltimore
Houston vs. Minnesota-Toronto winner
Saturday, Oct. 7: Minnesota-Toronto winner at Houston
Sunday, Oct. 8: Minnesota-Toronto winner at Houston
Tuesday, Oct. 10: Houston at Minnesota-Toronto winner
x-Wednesday, Oct. 11: Houston at Minnesota-Toronto winner
x-Friday, Oct. 13: Minnesota-Toronto winner at Houston
National League
(All Games on TBS)
Atlanta vs. Philadelphia-Miami winner
Saturday, Oct. 7: Philadelphia-Miami winner at Atlanta
Monday, Oct. 9: Philadelphia-Miami winner at Atlanta
Wednesday, Oct. 11: Atlanta at Philadelphia-Miami winner
x-Thursday, Oct. 12: Atlanta at Philadelphia-Miami winner
x-Saturday, Oct. 14: Philadelphia-Miami winner at Atlanta
Los Angeles vs. Milwaukee-Arizona winner
Saturday, Oct. 7: Milwaukee-Arizona winner at Los Angeles
Monday, Oct. 9: Milwaukee-Arizona winner at Los Angeles
Wednesday, Oct. 11: Los Angeles at Milwaukee-Arizona winner
x-Thursday, Oct. 12: Los Angeles at Milwaukee-Arizona winner
x-Saturday, Oct. 14: Milwaukee-Arizona at Los Angeles
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
(Best-of-7)
American League
(Fox or FS1)
Sunday, Oct. 15: TBD
Monday, Oct. 16: TBD
Wednesday, Oct. 18: TBD
Thursday, Oct. 19: TBD
x-Friday, Oct. 20: TBD
x-Sunday, Oct. 22: TBD
x-Monday, Oct. 23: TBD
National League
(All Games on TBS)
Monday, Oct. 16: TBD
Tuesday, Oct. 17: TBD
Thursday, Oct. 19: TBD
Friday, Oct. 20: TBD
x-Saturday, Oct. 21: TBD
x-Monday, Oct. 23: TBD
x-Tuesday, Oct. 24: TBD
WORLD SERIES
(Best-of-7)
(All Games on Fox)
Friday, Oct. 27: TBD
Saturday, Oct. 28: TBD
Monday, Oct. 30: TBD
Tuesday, Oct. 31: TBD
x-Wednesday, Nov. 1: TBD
x-Friday, Nov. 3: TBD
x-Saturday, Nov. 4: TBD