It’s Day 1 of the MLB division series!
After an exciting wild-card round, the division series are here. The Chicago White Sox started the four-game Day 1 off with a 3-0 shutout of the Cleveland Guardians.
And with another intra-division matchup in the AL and showdowns of big markets and bigger stars in the NL, there’s plenty still to watch. Can the New York Yankees upset the No. 1 seed Tampa Bay Rays? Will Tarik Skubal and the Los Angeles Dodgers hold off the Atlanta Braves? And what will the surging San Diego Padres make of Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski?
We’ve got you covered with pregame lineups, sights and sounds from the ballparks and postgame takeaways as each Day 1 matchup ends.
Key links: Mega-preview | Predictions | Bracket | Schedule
Jump to:
CHW-CLE | ATL-LAD | NYY-TB | SD-MIL
Sights and sounds
We have all the best moments from the ballparks as the division series begins.
Braves-Dodgers
Follow live with pitch-by-pitch coverage
Tucker homers to give Dodgers three-run lead
LONG GONE 💪
Kyle Tucker sends this 2-run homer 408 feet! pic.twitter.com/d8PxcSl0kA
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2026
Murphy’s home run pulls Braves within 1 run of L.A.
Sean Murphy gets a run back for the Braves! pic.twitter.com/gnYVw8YD7A
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2026
Dodgers get on board first with 2-run blast from Hernandez
ALL EYES ON TEOSCAR. pic.twitter.com/JCf9KweGs8
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 3, 2026
Skubal answers with 3 K’s of his own
Tarik Skubal has struck out five of his last six batters. His changeup looks really good, his fastball is consistently flirting with triple digits, and he has generated whiffs with five different pitches through the first three innings. — Alden Gonzalez
Tarik Skubal strikes out the side in the 3rd inning! pic.twitter.com/5EOwU9BX1Q
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2026
Dodd strikes out the side for Atlanta
🔥🔥🔥#LetItFly pic.twitter.com/Bkr5NMsHo8
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 3, 2026
Takeaways
Chicago leads series 1-0
It was over when … Munetaka Murakami turned on a Parker Messick sinker and launched it 440 feet at 112.2 mph off the bat, a blast that put the White Sox up 2-0. The blow came minutes after Chicago’s Bryan Hudson got Chase DeLauter on a fly ball to escape a base-loaded jam to end the third. There was a lot of game left at that point, but that sequence set the tone and the Guardians never really recovered.
Stat that defined the game: 6. That’s the inning in which White Sox skipper Will Venable summoned Grant Taylor from the bullpen. Chicago led 2-0 at the time, and keep in mind, insofar as the White Sox have a closer, Taylor is the guy. But Venable has managed his team in playoff mode for weeks now, so of course Taylor laid four zeroes on Cleveland. Per ESPN Research, his four-inning save is the third postseason save of four-plus innings pitched since 2000, joining Lance McCullers Jr. (2017) and Madison Bumgarner (2014 World Series) — and it’s the first four-inning save in Game 1 of a postseason series since saves became official in 1969.
It was a relief performance straight out of the 1970s. Goose Gossage and Sparky Lyle had to be proud.
What it means for the rest of the series: The White Sox showed how tough their pitching staff can be when playing from ahead. As mentioned, they have been in this mode for a lot of games by now, putting all their available resources into winning the game in front of them. Then they figure out the next game when it arrives. Cleveland needs to jump on the White Sox early so the Guardians, not Venable, can dictate how the game will be played. — Bradford Doolittle
Key moments from the Chicago’s win:
White Sox shut out Guardians in Game 1
The @WhiteSox have won an ALDS game for the first time since 2021! pic.twitter.com/SAdLj1MK81
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2026
Guardians turn potential 3-run homer into inning-ending double play
Angel Martínez catches it at the wall and the Guardians turn two! pic.twitter.com/bJtqmG6oUo
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2026
Murakami blasts 2-run home run to give White Sox the lead
MUNETAKA MURAKAMI. POSTSEASON HOME RUN. LET’S GO! pic.twitter.com/tTJ30yH3FQ
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 3, 2026
Six K’s for Messick through three innings
Parker Messick has racked up 6 Ks already 😤 pic.twitter.com/kQmBNfwP9l
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2026
6:30 p.m. ET
Game 1 starters: Gerrit Cole vs. Drew Rasmussen
Lineups
Yankees
1. Ben Rice (L) DH
2. Cody Bellinger (L) LF
3. Luis Garcia Jr. (L) 1B
4. Spencer Jones (L) RF
5. George Lombard Jr. (R) SS
6. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 2B
7. Trent Grisham (L) CF
8. Austin Wells (L) C
9. Ryan McMahon (L) 3B
Rays
1. Yandy Diaz (R) DH
2. Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B
3. Junior Caminero (R) 3B
4. Liam Hicks (L) C
5. Chandler Simpson (L) LF
6. Victor Mesa Jr. (L) RF
7. Jonny DeLuca (R) CF
8. Richie Palacios (L) 2B
9. Taylor Walls (S) SS
10 p.m. ET
Game 1 starters: Robbie Ray vs. Jacob Misiorowski
Lineups
Padres
1. Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) RF
2. Dustin Harris (L) LF
3. Manny Machado (R) 3B
4. Ty France (R) 1B
5. Jackson Merrill (L) CF
6. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS
7. Ethan Salas (L) C
8. Luis Campusano (R) DH
9. Jake Cronenworth (L) 2B
Brewers
1. Jackson Chourio (R) LF
2. Brice Turang (L) 2B
3. William Contreras (R) C
4. Jake Bauers (L) 1B
5. Christian Yelich (L) DH
6. Cooper Pratt (R) SS
7. Luis Lara (S) RF
8. Garrett Mitchell (L) CF
9. Joey Ortiz (R) 3B
