The Dodgers now know exactly when they’ll open the National League Division Series: 1 p.m. PT on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, with Fox carrying Game 1.
That start time snapped into place after San Diego finished off Chicago on Wednesday night, beating the Cubs 4-1 to complete a two-game sweep in the wild card round. The Padres’ win sends them on to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS and locks the Dodgers into the early window for Saturday’s first game.
Los Angeles will face the winner of Thursday’s wild card Game 3 between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park. That game is set for 5 p.m. PT Thursday and will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
Saturday’s weather could make the afternoon feel even more like a furnace. Forecasts for Los Angeles call for temperatures mostly in the high 90s, with a high of 101 degrees at Elysian Park. The only postseason game at Dodger Stadium on record that began with triple-digit temperatures was Game 1 of the 2017 World Series, when it was 103 degrees.
Major League Baseball released the start-time scenarios for the first three days of the Division Series on Tuesday, covering the first two games in each National League and American League matchup. Under those scenarios, Padres-Brewers Game 1 lands in Milwaukee at 5:30 p.m. PT Saturday on FS1, while the Dodgers get the early slot in Los Angeles.
If the Cubs had advanced instead, the schedule would have flipped. Cubs-Brewers would have been the 1 p.m. PT game on Saturday, and the Dodgers would have started at 6 p.m.
The rest of the Division Series schedule has not been announced yet.
Dodgers National League Division Series schedule
Game 1 - Sat, Oct. 3 - Dodger Stadium - 1 p.m. - Fox
Game 2 - Sun, Oct. 4 - Dodger Stadium - 5 p.m. - FS1
Game 3 - Tue, Oct. 6 - Atlanta/Philadelphia - TBA - Fox or FS1
Game 4* - Wed, Oct. 7 - Atlanta/Philadelphia - TBA - Fox or FS1
Game 5* - Fri, Oct. 9 - Dodger Stadium - TBA - Fox or FS1
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Stanford at least found a little life last week, enough to make this trip feel like more than just another September game. The Cardinal still need to show that the breakthrough was not a one-off, and this matchup offers a cleaner read on whether their recent progress can travel against a team that has already proven it can spring an upset and handle pressure in a meaningful spot. [Read more 🡒]
