MLB Wild Card Series Streaming Guide: How to watch, full schedule and everything else you need to know

Eight teams have made it into the MLB’s Wild Card series in pursuit of making it to their division’s playoff series. Starting this week, four Wild Card Series games are planned each day from Tuesday through Thursday in a best-of-three format. The featured matchups include the Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians, the San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs, the Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees, and the Cincinnati Reds vs. L.A. Dodgers. The four Wild Card series winners will advance to their Divisional Playoffs, which run from Oct. 4-11. You can catch all of our playoff predictions here.

This week’s Wild Card games will air on ESPN or ABC; here’s what you need to know to tune in to Major League Baseball’s 2025 Wild Card games, including the full schedule and where to watch.

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How to watch 2025 MLB Wild Card Games:

Dates: Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2025

TV channels: ESPN, ABC

Streaming: ESPN unlimited, DirecTV, Fubo and more

When are the MLB’s 2025 Wild Card games?

There are four best-of-three MLB Wild Card Series this week. All four series will begin on Tuesday, September 30, and all four will hold Game 2 on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Any necessary Game 3 tiebreakers will follow on Thursday, Oct. 2.

What channels will MLB Wild Card be on in 2025?

MLB Wild Card games will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN; a complete, detailed game schedule is below.

How to watch MLB Wild Card games without cable:

ESPN and ABC are available on platforms like DirecTV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV. You can also catch every Wild Card series game on ESPN unlimited, the new ESPN streaming service that bundles every ESPN-owned network, including ESPN on ABC games, in one place.

ESPN’s revamped streaming platform offers thousands of exclusive live events, original studio shows and acclaimed series that air across ESPN’s suite of 7 linear channels, as well as exclusive content on ESPN+, ABC on ESPN, SEC+, and ACCNX. The new tier costs $29.99/month or $299.99/year. With a subscription to ESPN unlimited, you can watch every MLB Wild Card game in one place this year. 

Also of note, for its first year in existence, ESPN unlimited includes “bundle” access to Disney+ and Hulu at no extra cost!

$29.99/month at ESPN

DirecTV Stream’s Choice tier gets you access to ABC and ESPN, the channels you need to watch the MLB Wild Card series, plus The CW, ABC, CBS and Fox, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and plenty more local Regional Sports Networks.

DirecTV also offers unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+’s new streaming tier, ESPN unlimited.

The best part is, currently, you can try all this out free for 5 days. So if you’re interested in trying out a live TV streaming service but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV Stream.

Try free at DirecTV

Fubo TV gives you access to 100+ live channels, including ABC, ESPN and many more that are a part of ESPN unlimited, so you can watch every Wild Card game in one place. The cheapest plan starts at $85/month, making the live TV streaming service a significant investment. However, the inclusion of ESPN unlimited, a $30/month value, is a great deal if you watch sports year-round. Fubo subscribers also get access to ESPN unlimited, and unlimited cloud DVR storage.

Currently, the platform is offering a free trial, allowing you to explore everything it has to offer risk-free. 

To access ESPN unlimited, you’ll need a Fubo base plan (Pro, Essential, Deluxe or Elite) and a MyDisney login.

Try it free at Fubo

2025 MLB Wild Card Series Schedule:

Tuesday, Sept. 30

• Tigers at Guardians, Game 1: 1:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• Padres at Cubs, Game 1: 3:08 p.m. ET (ABC)

• Red Sox at Yankees, Game 1, 6:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• Reds at Dodgers, Game 1: 9:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

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Wednesday, Oct. 1

• Tigers at Guardians, Game 1: 1:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• Padres at Cubs, Game 2: 3:08 p.m. ET (ABC)

• Red Sox at Yankees, Game 2: 6:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• Reds at Dodgers, Game 2: 9:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Thursday, Oct. 2

(Game 3 schedule subject to change)

• Tigers at Guardians, Game 3: 1:08 p.m. ET (ESPN) * if necessary

• Padres at Cubs, Game 3: 3:08 p.m. ET (ABC) * if necessary

• Red Sox at Yankees, Game 3: 6:08 p.m. ET (ESPN) * if necessary

• Reds at Dodgers, Game 4: 9:08 p.m. ET (ESPN) * if necessary

Who is playing in the 2025 MLB Playoffs?

National League

â—† Milwaukee Brewers (clinched National League Central and first-round bye)

â—† Philadelphia Phillies (clinched National League East and first-round bye)

â—† Los Angeles Dodgers (clinched National League East)

â—† Chicago Cubs (clinched Wild Card spot)

â—† San Diego Padres (clinched Wild Card spot)

â—† Cincinnati Reds (clinched Wild Card spot)

American League

â—† Toronto Blue Jays (clinched American League East and first-round bye)

â—† Seattle Mariners (clinched American League West and first-round bye)

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â—† Cleveland Guardians (clinched American League Central)

â—† New York Yankees (clinched Wild Card spot)

â—† Boston Red Sox (clinched Wild Card spot)

â—† Detroit Tigers (clinched Wild Card spot)

More ways to stream MLB Wild Card Games:

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