When the calendar flips to October, it's time for playoff baseball, and we have an exciting lineup of matchups as 12 teams try to make their way to the World Series. Want to know where, when and how you can watch all the MLB playoff action? Let us help you.
US: live TV streaming services | Max
Canada: SportsNet
International: MLB.TV
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
Below you'll find everything you need to know on how to watch the 2024 MLB playoffs online or on live TV, from the Wild Card round to the final out of the World Series.
With the Texas Rangers not making the playoffs, there is going to be a new champion this season, and there is a strong lineup of potential contenders: from the AL-best New York Yankees looking to add to their World Series total; to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani looking to cap a historic season with a World Series win; to the Philadelphia Phillies looking to finally get over the hump after coming close the last two years; and the Cleveland Guardians are looking to win their first World Series in almost 80 years.
Whether any of those are your teams or any of the other clubs looking for a magical October run, here's what you need to know in order to watch the MLB playoffs.
How to watch 2024 MLB playoffs online in the US
If you're looking to watch the MLB postseason online, you’re in luck, there will be some options to do so.
With games airing on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, FS1, TNT, TBS and truTV, you can watch all of them on live TV streaming services, including Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV (some channels may not be available on some services). In addition, for games on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2, you can watch them on the ESPN app (but you must have an authenticated provider that carries ESPN), and games on Fox and TNT are going to be available to MLB.TV subscribers.
If you’ve cut the cord from live TV entirely, some of the MLB postseason games are going to be available on a straight streaming platform: specifically Max. Max will offer live streams of all games that air on TNT, TBS and truTV through its B/R Sports on Max feature. Per the Max site, the B/R sports add-on is still available for free, though eventually, it will cost $9.99 per month in addition to a standard Max subscription.
How to watch 2024 MLB playoffs on TV in the US
All MLB playoff games are going to be available on traditional TV channels. Just about all traditional pay-TV providers provide access to ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, FS1, TNT, TBS and truTV to allow you to watch all the games. As mentioned above, they are also available on live TV streaming services Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
For the games that air on ABC and Fox, you don’t need a subscription to any of these services, as they are available through TV antennas that can receive local station signals. For this postseason, that would get you access to NLDS, NLCS and all World Series games. All other games will require a cable or live TV streaming service subscription.
How to watch 2024 MLB playoffs in Canada
Though the Toronto Blue Jays were not able to make the MLB playoffs this season, should Canadian baseball fans want to watch the games, they can do so on SportsNet.
How to watch 2024 MLB playoff around the world
If you are outside of the US and Canada and want to watch the MLB postseason, you can check the international broadcaster slated to carry games from MLB.com, or you can sign up for MLB.TV to watch games live, with no authentication required.
If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want the MLB playoffs, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune into live baseball or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at NordVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
2024 MLB playoff schedule
Division Series
Following the Wild Card round, the MLB playoffs head into the Division series, where the top two teams in each league get their first shot at playoff action. These are five-game series, so first to three wins advances. Here's a look at the complete schedule:
(* denotes "if necessary")
Saturday, October 5
- Detroit Tigers 0, Cleveland Guardians 7 (Guardians lead 1-0)
- New York Mets 6, Philadelphia Phillies 2 (Mets lead 1-0)
- Kansas City Royals 5, New York Yankees 6 (Yankees lead 1-0)
- San Diego Padres 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 7 (Dodgers lead 1-0)
Sunday, October 6
- New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies, game 2, 4:08 pm ET/1:08 pm PT, FS1
- San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers, game 2, 8:03 pm ET/5:03 pm PT, FS1
Monday, October 7
- Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians, game 2, 4:08 pm ET/1:08 pm PT, TBS/truTV/Max
- Kansas City Royal vs New York Yankees, game 2, 7:38 pm ET/4:38 pm PT, TBS/truTV/Max
Tuesday, October 8
- Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets, game 3, 5:08 pm ET/2:08 pm PT, FS1
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres, game 3, 9:08 pm ET/6:08 pm PT, FS1
Wednesday, October 9
- Cleveland Guardians vs Detroit Tigers, game 3, 3:08 pm ET/12:08 pm PT, TBS/truTV/Max
- Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets, game 4*, 5:08 pm ET/2:08 pm PT, FS1
- New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals, game 3, 7:08 pm ET/4:08 pm PT, TBS/truTV/Max
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres, game 4*, 9:08 pm ET/6:08 pm PT, FS1
Thursday, October 10
- New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals, game 4*, 6:08 pm ET/3:08 pm PT, TNT/Max
- Cleveland Guardians vs Detroit Tigers, game 4*, 8:08 pm ET/5:08 pm PT, TBS/truTV/Max
Friday, October 11
- New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies, game 5*, 4:08 pm ET/1:08 pm PT, FS1
- San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers, game 5*, 8:08 pm ET/5:08 pm PT, Fox
Saturday, October 12
- Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians, game 5*, 4:38 pm ET/1:38 pm PT, TBS/Max
- Kansas City Royals vs New York Yankees, game 5*, 8:08 pm ET/5:08 pm PT, TBS/Max
