And then there were four. With the Brewers’ 3-1 victory over the Cubs in Game 5 of their National League Division Series on Saturday night, both League Championship Series are now set. Milwaukee will play the Dodgers in the NLCS, and the Mariners and Blue Jays will square off in the ALCS.
Milwaukee advanced to the LCS for the first time in seven years and gets a rematch of the 2018 NLCS — the Dodgers won that one in seven games. Game 1 is on Monday night at American Family Field (8 p.m. ET on TBS).
In the American League, it took an an epic contest that will go down as one of the greatest postseason games in Major League history to decide which club would have a chance to win the pennant — the Mariners defeated the Tigers, 3-2, in 15 innings at T-Mobile Park on Friday to advance to their first ALCS in 24 years. Awaiting them in Toronto for Sunday’s Game 1 (8 p.m. ET on FOX) are the Blue Jays, who earlier in the week clinched their first trip to the ALCS in nine years by beating the Yankees in four games.
Here’s a breakdown of each LCS matchup:
Blue Jays (1) vs. Mariners (2)
Schedule
Game 1 (at TOR): Sunday, 8:03 p.m. ET on FOX
Game 2 (at TOR): Monday on FOX/FS1
Game 3 (at SEA): Wednesday on FOX/FS1
Game 4 (at SEA): Thursday on FOX/FS1
Game 5 (at SEA, if necessary): Oct. 17 on FOX/FS1
Game 6 (at TOR, if necessary): Oct. 19 on FOX/FS1
Game 7 (at TOR, if necessary): Oct. 20 on FOX/FS1
Season series: The Blue Jays went 4-2 against the Mariners in the regular season, losing two of three in Toronto in April before sweeping Seattle at T-Mobile Park in May.
Postseason history: In the only playoff meeting between the two sides, the Mariners swept the Blue Jays two games to none in the 2022 AL Wild Card Series, with both games coming at Rogers Centre. Seattle won 4-0 behind 7 1/3 scoreless innings from Luis Castillo in Game 1, then erased an 8-1 deficit to win Game 2.
Keys to the matchup: A captivating contrast in styles. The Mariners do a little bit of everything – they finished third in MLB in home runs and stolen bases, and sixth in the AL in ERA during the regular season. The Blue Jays don’t match Seattle’s firepower or pitching depth, so they attack in a different way. Toronto led baseball in on-base percentage and had the second-fewest strikeouts. The Jays can wear down an opponent with long at-bats and pressure a defense by putting the ball in play more frequently than anyone else. On the other side, Toronto boasts an elite defense with top-flight gloves such as Andrés Giménez, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Myles Straw, Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk.
Player to watch: Josh Naylor. The well-traveled Seattle first baseman and Mississauga, Ontario native gets to start this series – and perhaps clinch a World Series berth – in his home province. As if the fiery Naylor needs more motivation. He fit in perfectly in Seattle after a deadline trade from the D-backs, notching an .831 OPS and stealing 19 bases in 54 games without being caught. Naylor is a .314 career hitter in Toronto, though with just one home run. He had five hits in 14 at-bats with Arizona during a three-game series at Rogers Centre in June. Naylor owns a career .642 postseason OPS, with nine extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in 99 at-bats.
Brewers (1) vs. Dodgers (3)
Schedule
Game 1 (at MIL): Monday, 8:08 p.m. ET on TBS
Game 2 (at MIL): Tuesday, 8:08 p.m. ET on TBS
Game 3 (at LAD): Thursday on TBS
Game 4 (at LAD): Oct. 17 on TBS
Game 5 (at LAD, if necessary): Oct. 18 on TBS
Game 6 (at MIL, if necessary): Oct. 20 on TBS
Game 7 (at MIL, if necessary): Oct. 21 on TBS
Season series: The Brewers owned the Dodgers in 2025, sweeping their six head-to-head matchups while outscoring them 31-16. Both series between the two teams came in July, one before the All-Star break and one immediately after.
Postseason history: This will be the third playoff meeting between the Dodgers and Brewers. Their 2018 NLCS matchup was a contentious affair that went seven games, with Los Angeles prevailing 5-1 on the road in Game 7. The Dodgers topped the Brewers again in the 2020 NL Wild Card Series, this time in a sweep.
Keys to the matchup: The Dodgers’ bullpen has been their weak link, and the question is: Can their starters give them enough length to minimize middle relief usage and get the ball to Roki Sasaki, who has proven to be a weapon at the back end this postseason? One advantage the Dodgers’ entire staff has is the three days of rest it will have gotten before Game 1 on Monday. On the flip side of the coin, will Brewers hitters be able to capitalize by knocking out Dodgers starters early?
Player to watch: Shohei Ohtani. If it seems like he’s always the answer to this sort of question, that’s because he pretty much is. In this case, it’s partly because of how much he’s struggled at the plate so far this postseason — since a two-homer performance against the Reds in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series, the two-way superstar is 2-for-22 (.091) with nine strikeouts. Add to that the intrigue of his exploits on the mound after he went six strong innings with nine strikeouts in Game 1 of the NL Division Series, and the spotlight will shine brightly on him in the NLCS — not that he isn’t used to that sort of thing.
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