World Series could start earlier in flex schedule

Major League Baseball’s new postseason schedule includes the flexibility for an earlier start to the World Series if the league championship series finish early, preventing a longer layoff for the two pennant winners.

The World Series is slated to run from Oct. 25 to a potential Game 7 on Nov. 2, according to the schedule released by MLB on Thursday.

But if both championship series are decided within five games, the World Series would instead run from Oct. 22 to Oct. 30, allowing the postseason to conclude before the start of November for the first time since 2020.

This year’s postseason will begin with the three-game wild-card series on Oct. 1, two days after the regular season ends. The best-of-five division series will take place from Oct. 5 to 12 and the best-of-seven championship series runs from Oct. 13 to 22.

ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will broadcast all four wild-card rounds, each of which will take place in one city and be played on consecutive days. Fox or FS1 will televise the division series and championship series on the National League side; the American League version will air on TBS, truTV or Max.

Fox has exclusive rights for the World Series, which will see the league champion with the best regular-season record get home-field advantage.