How to watch Major League Baseball - the top 8 teams face off in the Division Series playoffs
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- The 2021 MLB Playoffs continue with the ALDS and NLDS featuring the top eight teams in baseball.
- Playoff games are broadcast nationally by ESPN, Fox, Fox Sports, TBS, and MLBN.
- You can also catch out-of-market regular season games through ESPN+ and MLB TV.
The 2021 MLB Playoffs began with the AL Wild Card game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox on October 5, and the NL Wild Card game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers on October 6.
The Red Sox and Dodgers won their single elimination games, placing them in the Divisional Series against the Tampa Bay Rays and San Francisco Giants, respectively. The Giants and Dodgers were separated by just one game in the NL West standings at the end of the season, and the winner of their series is a favorite to win this year's World Series.
The Chicago White Sox are facing off against the Houston Astros in the other ALDS series, while the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers will round out the NLDS round of the playoffs.
Every MLB playoff game will be broadcast nationally by Fox Sports 1, TBS, or MLB Network, but you'll need to subscribe to a cable provider or live TV streaming service like YouTube TV, Sling TV, or DirecTV Stream to watch them all.
MLB divisional round schedule
Teams in the divisional series will play a first-to-three wins format, meaning each series can last for up to five games. The next round of the playoffs and the World Series use a first-to-four win format, allowing for seven game series.
| Teams | Date and time | National broadcast/stream |
| Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros | October 8, 2:07 p.m. ET | MLB Network |
| Atlanta Braves at Milwaukee Brewers | October 8, 4:37 p.m. ET | TBS |
| Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays | October 8, 7:02 p.m. ET | Fox Sports 1 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants | October 8, 9:37 p.m. ET | TBS |
| Atlanta Braves at Milwaukee Brewers | October 9, 5:07 p.m. ET | TBS |
| Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants | October 9, 9:07 p.m. ET | TBS |
| Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox | October 10, 4:07 p.m. ET | MLB Network |
| Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox | October 10, 8:07 p.m. ET | Fox Sports 1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers at Atlanta Braves | October 11, 1:07 p.m. ET | TBS |
| Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox | October 11, 3:37 p.m. ET | FS1 |
| Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox | October 11, 7:07 p.m. ET | FS1 |
| San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers | October 11, 9:37 p.m. ET | TBS |
Where to watch MLB playoff streams
MLB playoff games are spread across channels like TBS, MLB Network, ESPN, FS1, and Fox. The World Series will be shown only on Fox. If you don't have cable you can stream these stations with a subscription to a live TV streaming service.
To help narrow down your options, we compiled the best streaming services you can use to watch the MLB playoffs live.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream features Fox, MLB Network, TBS, FS1, and ESPN in most of its plans. The cheapest plan with all five channels is the DirecTV Stream Choice plan for $85 a month. The Choice plan also gives you access to several regional sports networks for local regular season games that aren't broadcast nationally.
DirecTV Stream provides local coverage for 20 of MLB's 30 teams, according to a spokesperson from the service. You can check to see if DirecTV Stream covers your regional sports network with this lookup tool.
YouTube TV
One of the most comprehensive options for streaming MLB games is YouTube TV. The service costs $65 a month and includes Fox, FS1, ESPN, TBS,and MLB Network, as well as some regional sports networks depending on your area.
YouTube TV also includes an option to watch out-of-market games via the MLB TV add-on for an extra fee. This means you can watch a mix of local games, nationally televised games, and out-of-market games all in one place.
Sling TV
Another option for MLB games is Sling TV. Sling Blue ($35/month) includes access to Fox (in select markets), FS1, and TBS. Sling Orange ($35/month), on the other hand, offers live access to ESPN and TBS. You can combine both Sling Blue and Sling Orange for $50 a month. You can also add MLB Network via Sling's Sports Extra package for an additional $15 a month.
This combo will get you Fox, FS1, ESPN, TBS, and MLB Network for $65 a month. Please note that Fox only airs in select markets, primarily in major US cities, via Sling TV.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live features several channels with MLB games, including ESPN, Fox, FS1, and TBS. The service costs $65/month ($55/month for your first three months) and includes access to Hulu's entire on-demand library. That said, Hulu + Live TV is missing MLB Network.
Fubo TV
Fubo TV also offers a package that will get you most of the channels you need for national MLB games. The streaming service's Starter plan ($65/month) has over 100 channels, including Fox, FS1, and ESPN. Fubo TV also offers access to MLB Network with its Sports Plus with NFL RedZone add-on for $11 a month. There's also a few regional sports networks in select areas. On the downside, Fubo TV is missing TBS.