The 2026 MLB Wild Card Series were played from Tuesday, September 29 to Thursday, October 1, 2026. Four best-of-three series, all hosted entirely by the higher seed, decided which teams joined the four bye teams in the Division Series.
The four series
| League | Matchup | Result |
|---|---|---|
| AL | (6) Chicago White Sox at (3) Houston Astros | White Sox won 2–0 |
| AL | (5) Boston Red Sox at (4) New York Yankees | Yankees won 2–0 |
| NL | (6) Philadelphia Phillies at (3) Atlanta Braves | Braves won 2–1 |
| NL | (5) Chicago Cubs at (4) San Diego Padres | Padres won 2–0 |
Regular-season records: Astros 81–81, White Sox 84–78, Yankees 93–68, Red Sox 87–75, Braves 94–68, Phillies 88–74, Padres 91–71, Cubs 89–73. The byes went to the Tampa Bay Rays (98–64) and Cleveland Guardians (85–77) in the American League and the Milwaukee Brewers (103–59) and Los Angeles Dodgers (100–62) in the National League.
Game-by-game scores
| Date | Game | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Sep 29 | Game 1 | White Sox 6, Astros 3 |
| Tue, Sep 29 | Game 1 | Yankees 9, Red Sox 0 |
| Tue, Sep 29 | Game 1 | Braves 5, Phillies 3 |
| Tue, Sep 29 | Game 1 | Padres 8, Cubs 0 |
| Wed, Sep 30 | Game 2 | White Sox 7, Astros 3 |
| Wed, Sep 30 | Game 2 | Yankees 9, Red Sox 2 |
| Wed, Sep 30 | Game 2 | Phillies 4, Braves 3 (10 innings) |
| Wed, Sep 30 | Game 2 | Padres 4, Cubs 1 |
| Thu, Oct 1 | Game 3 | Braves 6, Phillies 2 |
First-pitch times (ET) for Games 1 and 2: Phillies at Braves 2 p.m., White Sox at Astros 5 p.m., Red Sox at Yankees 8 p.m., Cubs at Padres 10 p.m. Game 3 at Atlanta started at 8 p.m. ET.
Series notes
Houston’s 81–81 season made the Astros the first division winner to reach the playoffs without a winning record, and the fourth team of any kind to do so. The White Sox swept them for Chicago’s first playoff series win since the 2005 World Series, which also came against Houston, and Houston’s Game 2 defeat was its ninth consecutive home postseason loss.
The Yankees outscored the Red Sox 18–2 across two games, a record margin over a two-game postseason span. Game 1’s 9–0 win was the highest-scoring shutout in wild card history. It was the third wild card round meeting between the rivals and their seventh postseason series overall.
Atlanta beat Philadelphia for the first time in four postseason series between them. The Phillies forced a decider by winning Game 2 in ten innings — a game that ended on an automated ball-strike challenge, the first postseason game to finish that way.
San Diego allowed one run in the series. The Padres won Game 1 8–0, the largest postseason shutout in franchise history, and closed out the sweep 4–1.
Division Series pairings that followed
| League | Matchup |
|---|---|
| AL | White Sox vs Guardians; Yankees vs Rays |
| NL | Braves vs Dodgers; Padres vs Brewers |
Sources: MLB.com, “How to watch the 2026 Wild Card Series on NBC and Peacock”; NBC Insider 2026 MLB wild card bracket; Wikipedia, “2026 American League Wild Card Series” and “2026 National League Wild Card Series”.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 MLB Wild Card Series?
The Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres advanced to the Division Series.
When were the 2026 Wild Card Series played?
Game 1 on Tuesday, September 29, Game 2 on Wednesday, September 30, and the only Game 3 on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
Which 2026 wild card series went to a deciding game?
Only Phillies at Braves. The other three series ended in two-game sweeps.