How to watch the MLB Wild Card series without cable

After a dramatic doubleheader on Monday, the Mets and Braves are headed to the Wild Card Series

The race for The National League Wild Card ended in dramatic fashion following the New York Mets’ doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ fate hung in the balance as they watched from the sidelines, with one of the teams needing a sweep to advance.

The Mets earned an 8-7 victory in the first game and the Braves defeated the Mets 3-0 in the second game, shutting out the D-backs. The Mets and Braves will join the Padres to round out the NL Wild Card.

At a glance: How to watch the MLB Wild Card

The American League Wild Card matchups consist of the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers. The New York Yankees are at the top of the AL standings while the Los Angeles Dodgers lead the NL.

The Wild Card games begin today with the AL League. The Detroit Tigers face the Astros at 2:30 ET in Houston, followed by Kansas City at Baltimore, New York at Milwaukee and Atlanta at San Diego. Fans can view the entire postseason roster on the MLB website.

The earlier Wild Card games, starting at 2:30 a.m., will be televised by ABC, while the later games will be televised by ESPN or ESPN2. This means the best way to watch all the action live is with a live TV streaming service like DirecTV Stream or Fubo.

DirecTV stream

DirecTV Stream offers ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 in its cheapest package, the Entertainment Package. You can save $10/month and bring the price down to $59.99/month. DirecTV also offers a five-day free trial.

FuboTV

Fubo’s live streaming service is particularly popular among sports fans and includes dedicated channels for various MLB teams. Fubo also owns ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Channels start at $79.99/month, with $49.99/month for the first month after a 7-day free trial.

Hulu + Live TV

Hulu with a live TV add-on is a great option for sports fans and families, as it gives you access to Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+, as well as a wide range of cable and antenna channels. Hulu offers a three-day free trial and plans start at $76.99/month.

loop

Although the offering is smaller, Sling offers one of the best deals for sports fans looking for an affordable live streaming package. You’ll need to add both the blue and orange packages if you want ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 together. The Orange and Blue packages cost $60 and $35 for the first month, respectively. However, Sling does not offer a free trial.

What is the MLB Wild Card Series?

The Wild Card system has been tweaked several times since its inception, so even MLB fans may be confused as to how it works. The current iteration has been around since 2022. The Wild Card consists of six teams, three from the American League and three from the National League. In the best-of-three match, the higher seeded team is the host. This replaced the previous format, which was a single wild card game.

Whether you want to catch all the action or just follow your favorite team, you can find the full Wildcard schedule below. The Wild Card games are played best-of-three, so Thursday games will only be played if necessary.

Wild Card Games on Tuesday, October 1st

Detroit at Houston, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABC
Kansas City at Baltimore, 4:08 p.m. ET, ESPN2
New York Mets at Milwaukee, 5:32 p.m. ET, ESPN
Atlanta at San Diego, 8:38 p.m. ET, ESPN

Wild Card Games on Wednesday, October 2nd

Detroit at Houston, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABC
Kansas City at Baltimore, 4:38 p.m. ET, ESPN
New York Mets at Milwaukee, 7:38 p.m. ET, ESPN
Atlanta at San Diego, 8:38 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Wild Card Games on Thursday, October 3rd

Detroit at Houston, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABC (if required)
Kansas City at Baltimore, 4:08 p.m. ET, ESPN (if required)
New York Mets at Milwaukee, 7:08 p.m. ET, ESPN (if required)
Atlanta at San Diego, 8:38 p.m. ET, ESPN2 (if required)