How to watch Major League Baseball play-offs on the BBC

Francisco Lindor and Bryce Harper will face each other in the National League Division Series

The BBC's coverage of the Major League Baseball season continues on Saturday as the play-offs roll on to the Division Series.

Eight teams remain in the hunt for a World Series title and there will be two live games on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

The Detroit Tigers visit the Cleveland Guardians (18:00 BST) in the first match of their five-game series before the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies (21:00) meet in a repeat of this year’s London Series.

How does the MLB post-season work?

After 162 regular season games, 12 of MLB's 30 teams have qualified for the post-season, with six each from the American League (AL) and National League (NL).

Teams from each league are on different sides of the play-offs and will battle it out over three rounds to represent their league in the World Series (scheduled to start on Friday, 25 October).

The play-offs begin with the Wildcard Series, a three-game series involving the third to sixth seeds in each league.

The top two seeds earned a bye to the best-of-five Division Series, with the winners of those series advancing to the best-of-seven AL and NL Championship Series.

The winners there are crowned the AL and NL champions, and will meet in the best-of-seven World Series.

"This is the part of the year that really got me excited," 2008 World Series winner Chase Utley told BBC Sport.

"There's a long season trying to get to this point, but once this point hits, your focus, your attention to detail, your adrenaline just raises up.

"The fans are more engaged and so are your team-mates and the coaching staff. I don't miss much [about playing], but this is the part of the year that I do miss."

Post-season fixtures and players to watch

The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians have secured the top two seeds in the AL, while the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies did so in the NL.

The Texas Rangers won last year's World Series after earning a wildcard spot in the post-season, so that gives hope to each team that played in the first round.

The Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers were the AL's fifth and sixth seeds so hit the road in the Wildcard Series, yet both managed to progress with 2-0 series wins over the Baltimore Orioles and the Houston Astros, respectively.

The San Diego Padres, the NL's fourth seed, were the only home team to progress - 2-0 over the Atlanta Braves - as the surging New York Mets claimed a 2-1 upset at the Milwaukee Brewers.

AL Division Series:

• Detroit Tigers @ Cleveland Guardians (live on BBC)

• Kansas City Royals @ New York Yankees

NL Division Series:

• New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies (live on BBC)

• San Diego Padres @ Los Angeles Dodgers

Of all the teams in the post-season, Detroit are in the best form at exactly the right moment. Tarik Skubal secured pitching's Triple Crown but is unlikely to start having starred in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Houston.

Cleveland's six-time all-star Jose Ramirez is enjoying one of his best seasons. The Dominican slugger hit 39 home runs and 39 doubles as well as stealing 41 bases to help the Guardians win the AL Central division.

Just five days ago, the Mets were set to miss out on the post-season. They then beat Milwaukee and followed up with a come-from-behind 8-7 win over Atlanta during a rescheduled double-header on Monday to secure a wildcard spot.

Francisco Lindor clinched victory with his 33rd home run of the season while Pete Alonso is their other big hitter and was their only all-star in 2024.

The Phillies clinched the NL East division to make it to the post-season for the third consecutive year, with Kyle Schwarber hitting 38 home runs and Bryce Harper 30.

MLB play-off predictions

The Yankees' Aaron Judge (58) and the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (54) hit the most home runs this season and are favourites to be named each league's Most Valuable Player.

Japanese superstar Ohtani will make his first post-season appearance as his side return to action after a bye as the top seeds in their league.

"A lot of people want to see the two biggest franchises and the two biggest stars meet in the World Series," said former Philadelphia favourite Utley, now an MLB ambassador. "That would be a great match-up.

"But for the Phillies, Bryce Harper has the ability to put a team on his back and carry them through the post-season, and when [team-mate] Kyle Schwarber is hot, there's probably not a better hitter on the planet so he's going to be fun to watch."

Before the Wildcard Series, Utley tipped Detroit to make an impression in the post-season, with the Tigers having won 33 of their final 46 regular season games to snatch a wildcard spot.

"The Tigers might not have the best roster per se, but they're playing great baseball right now," he said. "If they can keep that momentum going, I like their chances."

When to watch MLB on the BBC

MLB host Melanie Newman, former player Xavier Scruggs and Felix White - co-host of the BBC's Tailenders podcast - will be in the MLB Bases Covered Live studio bringing you commentary, expert analysis and colour as the race for the World Series ramps up.

Coverage will start at 18:00 BST on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

It is the last of five live MLB broadcasts on BBC Sport in September and October covering the end of the regular season and the start of the play-offs.