- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,271,223
- Reaction score
- 59
Could we really see a Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears game at the same time as we see a Milwaukee Brewers-Chicago Cubs playoff battle?
We know it's on the table now that Major League Baseball has released its postseason schedule for 2026.
The Brewers have the best record in MLB for the moment and would have the No. 1 seed in the National League playoffs if the season ended today, which would enable them to skip the wild-card round of the playoffs for a second straight year.
We know, if that scenario holds, the Brewers would open the playoffs Saturday, Oct. 3, at American Family Field.
Here's what to know:
The wild-card series will run over three consecutive days, Tuesday, Sept. 29 through Thursday, Oct. 1. That's a best-of-three series, meaning the Oct. 1 game will only be played if necessary.
If the Brewers remain where they are today, they'd skip this round and advance to the division series. They have a three-game lead over the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers and a five-game lead over the Cubs. The top-two teams skip the wild-card round, so even if one team passes the Brewers, they get to rest these days.
The team with the better record hosts all three games in this round.
If the season ended today, the Brewers would face the winner of a wild-card series between the Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Braves would get the other bye and face the Dodgers or the Philadelphia Phillies.
Not at the moment, but only because the Braves have the season-series tiebreaker lead on Los Angeles (two games to one) with games still to play. The Braves and Dodgers have identical records through games of Aug. 10.
All four division series begin Saturday, Oct. 3, which is the latest the Brewers would start the playoffs.
The National League games would continue Sunday, Oct. 4, then resume Tuesday, Oct. 6 after an off-day for travel. Game 4 would be Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Game 5 would be Friday, Oct. 9.
It's a best-of-five format, so Game 4 and Game 5 will only get played if necessary.
If the Brewers indeed get to skip the wild-card round because they have a top-two record, they would host the Oct. 3-4 games and Oct. 9. If they fall back into the wild-card round and then advance into this part of the playoffs, they'd host Oct. 6-7.
The NLCS best-of-seven series would begin Sunday, Oct. 11, then continue Oct. 12, Oct. 14-16 and Oct. 18-19. The team with the better record would host Oct. 11-12 and again Oct. 18-19, while the lesser record would host the middle three games Oct. 14-16. The first team to win four games advances to the World Series.
The World Series begins Friday, Oct. 23, followed by games Oct. 24, Oct. 26-28, then Oct. 30-31. The team with the better record hosts the Oct. 23-24 and Oct. 30-31 games, and the team with the lesser record hosts Oct. 26-28.
There are three potential Brewers/Packers conflicts, and two of them are really doozies.
It's true the Packers-Bears game at Lambeau Field in Week 5 of the NFL season could get played the same time as Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday, Oct. 11.
If the season ended today, that baseball conflict would not be Brewers-Cubs, since the Brewers would face the Cubs in the NLDS round, but it's possible the teams shift around in the standings and wind up squaring off with a World Series berth on the line just as the Packers are looking to avenge last season's playoff loss against their southern neighbors.
Do Wisconsin sports fans need this level of regional anxiety?
Perhaps just as enticing/conflicting is Oct. 18, when the Dallas Cowboys host the Packers in Week 6 for a 7:20 p.m. CT kickoff on the same night as Game 6 of the NLCS, which will be an elimination game one way or the other (if necessary) and will also have a primetime window as the only baseball playoff game of the day.
Game 2 of the NLDS on Oct. 4, which lines up as a more likely Brewers-Cubs battle, gets played the same day as Green Bay's Week 4 battle in Tampa against the Buccaneers. The I-94 battle competing with The Battle of the Bay on bar television screens doesn't really have the same juice, does it?
There wouldn't be a conflict during the World Series. The Packers visit the Detroit Lions on Oct. 25, an off-day during the series.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: When would Brewers playoff games be? Might they conflict with Packers?
Continue reading...
We know it's on the table now that Major League Baseball has released its postseason schedule for 2026.
The Brewers have the best record in MLB for the moment and would have the No. 1 seed in the National League playoffs if the season ended today, which would enable them to skip the wild-card round of the playoffs for a second straight year.
We know, if that scenario holds, the Brewers would open the playoffs Saturday, Oct. 3, at American Family Field.
Here's what to know:
When does the wild-card round of the playoffs start?
The wild-card series will run over three consecutive days, Tuesday, Sept. 29 through Thursday, Oct. 1. That's a best-of-three series, meaning the Oct. 1 game will only be played if necessary.
If the Brewers remain where they are today, they'd skip this round and advance to the division series. They have a three-game lead over the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers and a five-game lead over the Cubs. The top-two teams skip the wild-card round, so even if one team passes the Brewers, they get to rest these days.
The team with the better record hosts all three games in this round.
If the season ended today, the Brewers would face the winner of a wild-card series between the Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Braves would get the other bye and face the Dodgers or the Philadelphia Phillies.
Wait, the Dodgers don't have a first-round bye?
Not at the moment, but only because the Braves have the season-series tiebreaker lead on Los Angeles (two games to one) with games still to play. The Braves and Dodgers have identical records through games of Aug. 10.
When does the division series begin?
All four division series begin Saturday, Oct. 3, which is the latest the Brewers would start the playoffs.
The National League games would continue Sunday, Oct. 4, then resume Tuesday, Oct. 6 after an off-day for travel. Game 4 would be Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Game 5 would be Friday, Oct. 9.
It's a best-of-five format, so Game 4 and Game 5 will only get played if necessary.
If the Brewers indeed get to skip the wild-card round because they have a top-two record, they would host the Oct. 3-4 games and Oct. 9. If they fall back into the wild-card round and then advance into this part of the playoffs, they'd host Oct. 6-7.
When does the National League Championship Series begin?
The NLCS best-of-seven series would begin Sunday, Oct. 11, then continue Oct. 12, Oct. 14-16 and Oct. 18-19. The team with the better record would host Oct. 11-12 and again Oct. 18-19, while the lesser record would host the middle three games Oct. 14-16. The first team to win four games advances to the World Series.
When does the World Series begin?
The World Series begins Friday, Oct. 23, followed by games Oct. 24, Oct. 26-28, then Oct. 30-31. The team with the better record hosts the Oct. 23-24 and Oct. 30-31 games, and the team with the lesser record hosts Oct. 26-28.
How does the Packers schedule conflict with any of this?
You must be registered for see images
There are three potential Brewers/Packers conflicts, and two of them are really doozies.
It's true the Packers-Bears game at Lambeau Field in Week 5 of the NFL season could get played the same time as Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday, Oct. 11.
If the season ended today, that baseball conflict would not be Brewers-Cubs, since the Brewers would face the Cubs in the NLDS round, but it's possible the teams shift around in the standings and wind up squaring off with a World Series berth on the line just as the Packers are looking to avenge last season's playoff loss against their southern neighbors.
Do Wisconsin sports fans need this level of regional anxiety?
Perhaps just as enticing/conflicting is Oct. 18, when the Dallas Cowboys host the Packers in Week 6 for a 7:20 p.m. CT kickoff on the same night as Game 6 of the NLCS, which will be an elimination game one way or the other (if necessary) and will also have a primetime window as the only baseball playoff game of the day.
Game 2 of the NLDS on Oct. 4, which lines up as a more likely Brewers-Cubs battle, gets played the same day as Green Bay's Week 4 battle in Tampa against the Buccaneers. The I-94 battle competing with The Battle of the Bay on bar television screens doesn't really have the same juice, does it?
There wouldn't be a conflict during the World Series. The Packers visit the Detroit Lions on Oct. 25, an off-day during the series.
Full 2026 MLB playoff schedule (NL only)
- Wild-card round (best-of-three): Tuesday, Sept. 29; Wednesday, Sept. 30; Thursday, Oct. 1
- Division series (best-of-five): Saturday, Oct. 3; Sunday, Oct. 4; Tuesday, Oct. 6; Wednesday, Oct. 7; Friday, Oct. 9
- Championship series (best-of-seven): Sunday, Oct. 11; Monday, Oct. 12; Wednesday, Oct. 14; Thursday, Oct. 15; Friday, Oct. 16; Sunday, Oct. 18; Monday, Oct. 19
- World Series (best-of-seven): Friday, Oct. 23; Saturday, Oct. 24; Monday, Oct. 26; Tuesday, Oct. 27; Wednesday, Oct. 28; Friday, Oct. 30; Saturday, Oct. 31
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: When would Brewers playoff games be? Might they conflict with Packers?
Continue reading...
