2021 MLB playoffs: Updated bracket, schedule for ALCS and NLCS

Two rounds down, two more to go.

As temperatures continue to drop in October, so does the number of teams remaining in the MLB’s postseason bracket.

What was once a 10-team field has dwindled down to just four, with two teams on either side vying to represent the American League and National League in the 2021 World Series.

Both the American League and National League’s Wild Card teams pulled off upsets in their respective Division Series matchups, with the Boston Red Sox taking down the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers knocking off their NL West rival San Francisco Giants to earn spots.

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Meanwhile, the second-seeded Houston Astros beat the Chicago White Sox in four games to advance to the American League Championship Series, while the Atlanta Braves did the same on the other end of the spectrum against the second-seeded Milwaukee Brewers to advance to the National League Championship Series.

As a result, both the Astros and Braves will take homefield advantage to their respective ALCS and NLCS matchups

Three of the four Championship Series squads carry over from the final four teams from the 2020 postseason. The lone variation, the Red Sox, are a team that many believed would be rebuilding in 2021.

But, while 75 percent of the teams may be the same, the storylines for the 2021 postseason are much different.

Can the Braves utilize their homefield advantage to finally take down the Dodgers, or will Los Angeles roll through Atlanta in the city’s pursuit of its second straight title?

Will the rematch of the 2018 American League Championship Series have the same outcome for the Red Sox, or can the Astros get revenge on Alex Cora and company? How will the drama surrounding the allegations towards the Astros and Cora impact the product on the field?

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Baseball fans will get answers to it all in due time. In fact, it’s time to break down the exact timing for each ALCS and NLCS game:

ALCS:

Houston Astros (2) vs. Boston Red Sox (4)

• Game 1: Friday, October 15 at 8:07 p.m. ET
• Game 2: Saturday, October 16 at 4:20 p.m. ET
• Game 3: Monday, October 18 at 8:07 p.m. ET
• Game 4: Tuesday, October 19 at 8:08 p.m. ET
• Game 5: Wednesday, October 20 at 5:08 p.m. ET
• Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, October 22 at 8:08 p.m. ET
• Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, October 23 at 8:08 p.m. ET

NLCS:

Atlanta Braves (3) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (4)

• Game 1: Saturday, October 16 at 8:07 p.m. ET
• Game 2: Sunday, October 17 at 7:37 p.m. ET
• Game 3: Tuesday, October 19 at 5:08 p.m. ET
• Game 4: Wednesday, October 20 at 8:08 p.m. ET
• Game 5 (if necessary): Thursday, October 21 at 8:08 p.m. ET
• Game 6 (if necessary): Saturday, October 23 at 5:08 p.m. ET
• Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, October 24 at 7:38 p.m. ET

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