Division Series Game Times

[Gwreck]

Saturday, October 5:

DET/HOU at CLE: 1:08 PM

NYM/MIL at PHI: 4:08 PM

KC/BAL at NYY: 6:38 PM

ATL/SD at LAD: 8:38 PM



Sunday, October 6:

NYM/MIL at PHI: 4:08 PM

ATL/SD at LAD: 8:38 PM

[Gwreck]

No announcement yet for NLDS games 3 and 4 on Tuesday/Wednesday, but there could be afternoon games at Citi Field next week, especially Wednesday.

[Gwreck]

Just announced:



Tue 10/8

PHI at NYM 5:08 PM

LAD at SD 9:08 PM



Wed 10/9

CLE at DET 3:08 PM

PHI at NYM 5:08 PM

NYY at KC 7:08 PM

LAD at SD 9:08 PM



Thu 10/10

CLE at DET 6:08 PM

NYY at KC 8:08 PM



Fri 10/11

NYM at PHI 4:08 PM

SD at LAD 8:08 PM



Sat 10/12

DET at CLE 4:38 PM

KC at NYY 8:08 PM



Game 4/5 times subject to change if LA/SD is a sweep/ends in 4.

[Fman99]

Hate MLB and the networks for not making all of these games prime time and just letting viewers watch their team.

[Lefty Specialist]

I also hate how the Yankees are ALWAYS in prime time. Everybody else just has to adjust.

[Frayed Knot]

Lefty Specialist wrote: I also hate how the Yankees are ALWAYS in prime time.

Except when the Cowboys are playing.

[Fman99]

After the past couple of weeks is there any doubt that Mets postseason baseball is just more exciting and better than any other team's postseason? Shouldn't all the Mets games be the prime time games?

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

MLB is thrilled that Ohtani finally made the postseason. They are definitely rooting for a LAD-MFY WS, with marketing likening Ohtani & Judge. The World Series last year was one of the lowest rated ever.

[Gwreck]

Part of the problem is that MLB sells the AL and NL playoff rights separately, and then can't force one network into two afternoon games.



There's little doubt that Mets/Phillies and Dodgers/Padres are the most compelling matchups, and yes, both would likely outdraw the Yankees versus Royals. But Fox has both NL games, and Turner gets an evening AL game.



Now, on Tuesday, when it's NL-only, I cannot figure out why the Mets had to play at 5. With the west coast game starting at 9, Mets should be starting at 6. (How could a 5:00 start time out-draw a 6:00 PM start time?)

[batmagadanleadoff]

=Gwreck post_id=174560 time=1728306614 user_id=56]




Now, on Tuesday, when it's NL-only, I cannot figure out why the Mets had to play at 5. With the west coast game starting at 9, Mets should be starting at 6. (How could a 5:00 start time out-draw a 6:00 PM start time?)

[Frayed Knot]

As mentioned, the two networks split the games by league [this year it's TBS for AL, FOX/FS1 for NL] and then they decide how to schedule them.



It always makes the most sense to put the west coast games in the later slot although they have the leeway to NOT do it that way if they think it'll get them better tatings flipped.



On the NL side FOX is only too happy to follow the logical path and put the Dodgers with the bonus of Ohtani in the prime time slot. And when one series is East vs East and the other W-v-W it's a no-brainer.



On the AL/TBS side there are no ALW teams still alive but if it were, say, Seattle vs either CLE or DET then guess when Mariner fans would see their games? That's right, at 1:30 local time (home and away) so the prime slot can be filled with pinstripes.

[Gwreck]

Frayed Knot wrote: On the AL/TBS side there are no ALW teams still alive but if it were, say, Seattle vs either CLE or DET then guess when Mariner fans would see their games? That's right, at 1:30 local time (home and away) so the prime slot can be filled with pinstripes.

To be fair, there are potential AL matchups that would force the Yankees into the afternoon. For example, a Houston-Boston series would do the trick.



Makes plenty of business sense that they're (almost) always going to go with the biggest audience in the best slots — this is the rare situation because the two biggest potential audiences are two matchups in the same league.

[Frayed Knot]

Despite being a top contender for most of a decade now, Houston gets dumped into the least desirable time slots every year, including this one. Yeah, playing Boston instread of KC might help (although the Sox are currently devoid of star power) but I doubt enough to push the Yanx to an earlier slot.



Mike Francesa used to say that the worst big cities for pro sports were (in no particular order) Atlanta, Miami, and Houston. And while big Mike was wrong about a lot of things (not always right but never in doubt) I don't think he was here. And even if that's not a demonstrable fact if that's the perception among media types the perception becomes a reality, at least their reality.



Anyway, given the chance, networks are going to feature the Yanquis every time for the same reason, as I joked above, that they're going to pick the Cowboys.

[Gwreck]

Houston played division series games in primetime last year (against Minnesota).



Who is Mike Francesa?

[Frayed Knot]

=Gwreck post_id=174654 time=1728349182 user_id=56]
Houston played division series games in primetime last year (against Minnesota).

[Frayed Knot]

So the AL sked for this round goes like this:

Game - Off Day - Game - Off Day - Game - Game - Off Day - Game

Three days off in an eight day span. Just like the regular season.

[duan]

=Fman99 post_id=174062 time=1728123285 user_id=86]
Hate MLB and the networks for not making all of these games prime time and just letting viewers watch their team.

[Fman99]

=duan post_id=174908 time=1728457890 user_id=99]
=Fman99 post_id=174062 time=1728123285 user_id=86]
Hate MLB and the networks for not making all of these games prime time and just letting viewers watch their team.

[Frayed Knot]

Also, MLB isn't going to subdivide their audience by putting a majority of their games up against one another, nor would the networks that paid big bucks for them agree to such an arrangement.



Of the eight teams still playing there are two in the Pacific time zone, one in Central, and five working on EDT. So that's essentially three games on pretty much simultaneously and the fourth on at a time too late for the most of the country.

That's not showing your product, it's closer to hiding it.

[duan]

suspect my luck has run out on this regard.

Still was nice to see them win last night and not be up till 3 am!

[bmfc1]

Not official yet but… Game 1: 8 PM. Game 2: 4:30 PM.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Really? A game that may feature New York and Los Angeles is going to yield prime time to a game that may feature Kansas City and Detroit?

[Fman99]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Really? A game that may feature New York and Los Angeles is going to yield prime time to a game that may feature Kansas City and Detroit?

Very much impacted by what happens in the KC/NY series (and the LA/SD series too), to be certain. I don't think they bump Mets vs. Dodgers from prime time for any non-Yankee matchup in the ALCS.

[bmfc1]

Perhaps it's because of Monday Night Football.

[Frayed Knot]

I suspect that the contracts for the two networks guarantee each a set number of prime time games. So it's probably just as simple as the day the NL plays Game #2 falling on TBS's turn to get the money slot.



Now that Turner & Fox are down to one series each rather than two, they can't just arbitrarily swap times.

[metirish]

[Fman99]

https://x.com/CleGuardians/status/1844793080806785276

So essentially everyone except the stupid Braves know how weather works.