The 2026 MLB postseason officially got underway Tuesday with a four-game Wild Card slate, and it didn’t take long for October baseball to deliver some drama.
The Braves stunned the Phillies with a late comeback, the White Sox returned to postseason baseball with a victory in Houston, the Yankees dominated their longtime rivals from Boston, and the Padres jumped out quickly against the Cubs in the nightcap.
Braves Rally Late to Stun Phillies, 5-3
The Phillies and Braves opened the postseason with some dramatic baseball in Atlanta, and Philadelphia appeared to be in position to steal Game 1 before Austin Riley changed everything with one swing.
Philadelphia struck first in the opening inning when Alec Bohm doubled to center field, bringing Kyle Schwarber home for a 1-0 lead. Atlanta answered in the second when Mike Yastrzemski singled home Ozzie Albies, tying the game at 1-1.
The Braves moved ahead in the sixth when Albies tripled home Michael Harris II, but the Phillies responded immediately. J.T. Realmuto delivered a two-run triple in the seventh, scoring Bryson Stott and Bryan De La Cruz and putting Philadelphia back in front, 3-2.
That lead lasted until the eighth.
After Harris singled and Albies was hit by a pitch, Riley stepped in against Phillies closer Jhoan Duran and launched a three-run home run to right-center field, sending Atlanta in front 5-3. Raisel Iglesias finished it off in the ninth as the Braves grabbed a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
The starting pitching matchup lived up to expectations. Jesús Luzardo allowed just one run on three hits while striking out six over five innings, while his fellow left-hander Chris Sale worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out nine.
Realmuto finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs for Philadelphia, while Harris went 3-for-3 with two runs scored for Atlanta. But the biggest swing belonged to Riley, whose three-run blast put the Phillies one loss away from elimination.
White Sox Return to October With 6-3 Win Over Astros
The White Sox played in their first postseason game since 2021, and they didn’t waste much time showing they belonged.
Chicago jumped out to an early 3-0 lead through the first two innings and continued applying pressure from there. Colson Montgomery added a solo home run in the fourth, and the White Sox eventually built a 5-0 advantage before Houston finally answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-2.
Both teams went with bullpen-style approaches rather than relying on a traditional starter to work deep into the game. Chicago opened with Hagen Smith and pieced the game together with its relief corps, while Houston also went through multiple arms throughout the afternoon trying to slow down the White Sox offense.
The teams traded another run apiece over the final four innings, but Chicago never surrendered the lead and finished off a 6-3 victory to take a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-three series.
Sam Antonacci drove in two runs for Chicago, while Montgomery’s solo home run provided another boost to the offense. Grant Taylor handled the biggest outs late, helping Chicago close the door and move within one victory of advancing.
For an Astros team that finished the regular season 81-81 but still captured the AL West, there is now no margin for error. Houston will have to win Game 2 to keep its season alive.
Rice, Schlittler Lead Yankees to 9-0 Rout of Red Sox
The Yankees entered Game 1 without their captain, Aaron Judge, who was left off the Wild Card Series roster because of injury.
It didn’t matter on Tuesday night.
The Bronx Bombers lived up to their nickname, pounding the Red Sox 9-0 at Yankee Stadium behind a huge night from rising star Ben Rice and another dominant postseason performance from Cam Schlittler.
Rice was the star of the night, finishing 4-for-5 with a single, a double, two home runs and six RBIs. He launched a solo homer in the fifth and later broke the game wide open with a grand slam in the eighth. Rice finished just a triple shy of the cycle as he carried the Yankees offense in Judge’s absence.
Aaron Judge who?
Rice has become one of the Yankees’ biggest long-ball threats, and on Tuesday night he showed that he is more than capable of carrying the offense when New York’s biggest star isn’t available.
Schlittler was just as impressive on the mound. The right-hander tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out 10. He needed 117 pitches to get through the outing before the Yankees bullpen finished off the shutout.
New York collected 12 hits while holding Boston to only three, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
The Yankees were simply too much for the Red Sox on Tuesday, but Boston doesn’t have much time to think about it. One win in Game 2 would extend the series and set up a winner-take-all Game 3.
Padres Overpower Cubs in Wild Card Opener
The San Diego Padres completed Tuesday’s four-game postseason slate with an 8–0 victory over the Chicago Cubs, taking a 1–0 lead in their best-of-three National League Wild Card Series. San Diego collected 13 hits while holding Chicago to three, giving the Padres an opportunity to advance with another win in Game 2.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado opened the bottom of the first with solo home runs, immediately putting Chicago behind. Machado later added an RBI double, Xander Bogaerts homered in the fourth and Jackson Merrill’s two-run single helped San Diego turn the opener into a rout.
Michael King carried a no-hitter into the seventh before Nico Hoerner broke it up with a single. San Diego’s bullpen preserved the shutout, with Joe Musgrove recording the final out. The Cubs now face elimination in Game 2 after being shut out and falling behind early in the series.
