MLB Brings Thursday Playoff Games Forward as Rain Threatens Cleveland
Fans will need to tune in five hours early for Thursday's Rays-Guardians playoff game. Major League Baseball has shifted two start times for 15 October because rain is forecast in Cleveland. The result is an afternoon first pitch followed by a primetime nightcap.
Game 3 of the American League Championship Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians moves from 6 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET in Cleveland, as Deadline reported. The Championship Series is a best-of-seven playoff. The winner goes to the World Series. That series was level at 1-1 when MLB confirmed the change on Wednesday, 14 October, according to MLB.com.
That is a five-hour jump. It turns an evening slot into a lunchtime first pitch on the east coast and a morning start on the west coast. ET means Eastern Time, the local clock in Cleveland and New York. A start time sets first pitch, and channels organise pre-game shows and news around it.
The second change is smaller. Game 4 of the National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers moves from 9 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. Milwaukee led that best-of-seven series 2-0 when the revised times were announced.
Los Angeles is also trying to spark its batting order. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani will bat sixth on Wednesday. Batting sixth puts Ohtani in the middle of the nine-player order rather than near the top, where star hitters often bat. Roberts said Ohtani felt he was close to finding something in batting practice to end his postseason struggles.
For fans, this means checking listings before first pitch. All 2026 postseason games are shown on TNT Sports platforms and Fox, FS1 and FOX One, and are available to MLB.TV subscribers. ESPN Radio provides live national radio coverage of every postseason game. The split means viewers need to confirm which channel carries which game on Thursday.
The action does not stop on Thursday. Game 4 of the Rays-Guardians series is scheduled for Friday, 16 October at 6 p.m. ET in Cleveland, according to earlier league listings on MLB.com. That evening slot gives both teams a regular turnaround after the early start.
