It's long felt like the Atlanta Braves have always been an afterthought to MLB when it came to playoff start times. While teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Red Sox perpetually find themselves playing in primetime, the Braves always seem stuck with one of the earliest possible games.
With Atlanta finding themselves playing in the NL Wild Card Series as the division winner, it seemed like this would be one of the most obvious rounds to give the Braves a later start time, or at the very least, not the very earliest game.
Instead, when MLB announced the start times for the first round of the 2026 postseason, Braves fans found themselves in a familiar slot.
Here is the schedule for each Wild Card series
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 27, 2026
The times for potential Game 3s could move depending on how many of them there are pic.twitter.com/dxVuOq2xbw
Braves will play at 2 PM EST for every game of the Wild Card series...probably
With the San Diego Padres locking up home field advantage for the other NL Wild Card Series, and with one of the AL Wild Card matchups featuring the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the Braves were never going to have the primetime 8 p.m. slot, nor would they have the very latest slot, with the Padres playing on the west coast.
Still, with the other American League Wild Card matchup featuring either the Texas Rangers or Houston Astros hosting the Chicago White Sox, at matchup that is certain to be played in CDT, it seemed possible the Braves could have the 5 p.m. slot, which is certainly more desirable for both fans attending, and fans watching on TV.
The decision is odd considering MLB could have a rivalry matchup between the Phillies and Braves start at a more desirable time slot. While the Phillies and Braves don't have quite the same history as the Red Sox or Yankees, the two certainly have an undeniably great rivarly, especially one that's far more compelling than what the White Sox have versus either of the two potential AL West division winners.
Although it's certainly disappointing that the Bravws will once again be stuck playing the early games to start the postseason, at the very least, it'll give Braves country an excuse to avoid work over the next few days.
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