OMG!
Down to their final two outs and down by two runs in the top of the ninth inning, the New York Mets' hopes for advancing to the National League Division Series and continuing their improbable season seemed bleak.
Enter Pete Alonso.
With runners on first and third, the "Polar Bear" drove a 3-1 pitch over the right field wall, putting the Mets up 3-2. They added an insurance run later in the inning and beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2, taking the best-of-three Wild Card Series and advancing to the NLDS.
The Mets join the San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers as the clubs to emerge from the opening round of the playoffs. The Brewers, meanwhile, exit the postseason early just like the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros.
So who do the Mets play next? It's a familiar foe.
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Waiting for the Amazins will be the Philadelphia Phillies, who won the NL East and earned the No. 2 seed in the National League.
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The Division Series will see the introduction of the top two teams in each league to the postseason. Joining the Phillies will be the Los Angeles Dodgers, who finished with the best record in baseball during the regular season. They will face off against a division rival as well, in the Padres.
On the American League, the junior circuit is topped by the New York Yankees, the top seed for the AL, who will play the Royals. The No. 2 Cleveland Guardians will take on the Tigers.
From the matchups to the schedule and more, here's what to know about the ALDS and NLDS:
MLB playoff bracket: ALDS, NLDS matchups in 2024
Here's a look at the Division Series bracket:
National League
- No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. No. 4 San Diego Padres
- No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies vs. No. 6 New York Mets
American League
- No. 1 New York Yankees vs. No. 5 Kansas City Royals
- No. 2 Cleveland Guardians vs. No. 6 Detroit Tigers
How many games are in the ALDS, NLDS?
The Division Series features a best-of-five format where the higher seed has home-field advantage for Games 1, 2 and, if necessary, 5.
When do the ALDS, NLDS start?
All four Division Series showdowns are slated to get underway Saturday, Oct. 5.
NLDS, ALDS schedules
Here's a full look at the Division Series schedule (* = if necessary):
No. 2 Phillies vs. No. 6 Mets
- Game 1: Mets at Phillies, Oct. 5, 4:08 p.m. ET
- Game 2: Mets at Phillies, Oct. 6, 4:08 p.m. ET
- Game 3: Phillies at Mets, Oct. 8, TBD
- Game 4*: Phillies at Mets, Oct. 9, TBD
- Game 5*: Mets at Phillies, Oct. 11, TBD
No. 1 Dodgers vs. No. 4 Padres
- Game 1: Padres at Dodgers, Oct. 5, 8:38 p.m. ET
- Game 2: Padres at Dodgers, Oct. 6, 8:03 p.m. ET
- Game 3: Dodgers at Padres, Oct. 8, TBD
- Game 4*: Dodgers at Padres, Oct. 9, TBD
- Game 5*: Padres at Dodgers, Oct. 11, TBD
No. 1 Yankees vs. No. 5 Royals
- Game 1: Royals at Yankees, Oct. 5, 6:38 p.m. ET
- Game 2: Royals at Yankees, Oct. 7, 7:38 p.m. ET
- Game 3: Yankees at Royals, Oct. 9, TBD
- Game 4*: Yankees at Royals, Oct. 10, TBD
- Game 5*: Royals at Yankees, Oct. 12, TBD
No. 2 Guardians vs. No. 6 Tigers
- Game 1: Tigers at Guardians, Oct. 5, 1:08 p.m. ET
- Game 2: Tigers at Guardians, Oct. 7, 4:08 p.m. ET
- Game 3: Guardians at Tigers, Oct. 9, TBD
- Game 4*: Guardians at Tigers, Oct. 10, TBD
- Game 5*: Tigers at Guardians, Oct. 12, TBD
How to watch the ALDS, NLDS
ALDS games will air on TBS and be available to stream on Max, TBS.com and the TBS app. NLDS games, meanwhile, will air across Fox and FS1 and be available to stream on FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app.
