World Series Schedule 2013: Critical Viewing Info and Start Times for Every Game

Baseball's championship series will have its first pitch on Wednesday in Boston, signalling the start of the best-of-seven Fall Classic.

This year's World Series will pit two of the sport's most beloved and successful franchises against one another as the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox go head-to-head for the Commissioner's Trophy.

Each team will be looking to win its third championship over the past decade.

The Cardinals were crowned just two years ago after surviving the Texas Rangers in seven games.

The Red Sox are no strangers to late-October baseball either. Boston swept St. Louis in the World Series nine years ago to win their first championship since 1918 and will be facing off against the Cardinals in the World Series for the fourth time in history, per MLB on Twitter:

Together, the Cardinals and Red Sox have a combined 31 World Series appearances and 18 world championships.

Therefore, something's got to give this fall.

With the stage set for what should be another epic series, we'll get you ready with everything you need to know here to make sure you don't miss a single minute of the 2013 Fall Classic.

*Watch postseason baseball live on TBS.com or your mobile device.

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	St. Louis at Boston	Wed, Oct. 23	8:07 p.m.	FOX
Game 2	St. Louis at Boston	Thu, Oct. 24	8:07 p.m.	FOX
Game 3	Boston at St. Louis	Sat, Oct. 26	8:07 p.m.	FOX
Game 4	Boston at St. Louis	Sun, Oct. 27	8:15 p.m.	FOX
Game 5*	Boston at St. Louis	Mon, Oct. 28	8:07 p.m.	FOX
Game 6*	St. Louis at Boston	Wed, Oct. 30	8:07 p.m.	FOX
Game 7*	St. Louis at Boston	Thu, Oct. 31	8:07 p.m.	FOX

*Schedule information courtesy of MLB.com.

Will Home-Field Advantage Loom Large?

The Boston Red Sox will have home-field advantage this October thanks to the American League's 3-0 win over the National League in this year's MLB All-Star Game.

As a result, the Red Sox will open the World Series up with two games at Fenway Park and return home to Beantown for two more in Games 6 and 7, if necessary. 

Although it doesn't guarantee anything, that's great news for the AL champions.

Boston is 4-1 at home in these 2013 playoffs, averaging six runs per game and allowing just 14 total runs in those games.

Meanwhile, St. Louis is only 2-3 on the road this October and is averaging less than three runs per game outside of Missouri.

Consequently, the Cardinals will need Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha to be near perfect in Games 1 and 2 in New England in order to take an early advantage in the series and be able to capitalize on three consecutive homes games.

When the series shifts to the Midwest for Games 3-5, that's when the Red Sox will likely need superhuman performances from their starting pitchers as well.

Like the Red Sox in Boston, the Cardinals bats will be swinging with more energy in St. Louis. After all, the Cards are 5-1 at Busch Stadium this postseason and have scored 29 of their 42 total runs there.  

Given what we've seen over the first three weeks of October, it's fair to say that location will play a key role in the outcome of this series.

But considering that each team boasts a dominant pitching staff and players who can deliver timely hitting, the performances by the men on the mound will ultimately determine which team emerges with the title.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.