MLB Playoffs 2019: TV Schedule, Top Player Comments, Highlights and Stats

While October is one of baseball's most beautiful months, the same isn't always true about the weather. The American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees was set to continue Wednesday with Game 4, with the Astros up 2-1 on the series, but heavy rain in New York forced a postponement.

Both the Yankees and the Astros had planned a bullpen game Wednesday, which makes the potential pitching matchups for Game 4, which will resume Thursday after the rainout, even more interesting.

Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals, who are looking to clinch the first World Series title in franchise history, punched their ticket to the championship on Tuesday when they completed a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Let's take a look at the schedule for the remainder of MLB postseason action and then, before putting the NLCS in the rearview mirror, take a look at some of the highlights, player comments and stats of the League Championship Series.

MLB Playoffs Schedule

ALCS

Thursday, Oct. 17: Game 4, Fox

Friday, Oct. 18: Game 5, Fox

Saturday, Oct. 19: Game 6 (if necessary), Fox

Sunday, Oct. 20: Game 7 (if necessary), Fox

World Series

Tuesday, Oct. 22: Game 1, Fox

Wednesday, Oct. 23: Game 2, Fox

Friday, Oct. 25: Game 3, Fox

Saturday, Oct. 26: Game 4, Fox

Sunday, Oct. 27: Game 5 (if necessary), Fox

Tuesday, Oct. 29: Game 6 (if necessary), Fox

Wednesday, Oct. 30: Game 7 (if necessary), Fox

Full updated schedule available at MLB.com.

NLCS Highlights and Stats

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Otherworldly pitching was the storyline of the NLCS; unfortunately for the Cardinals, it was all contained within the Nationals organization.

In Game 1 of the NLCS, veteran right-handed pitcher Anibal Sanchez nearly became just the third player to record a no-hitter in MLB postseason history.

Alas, Sanchez's potential no-no was thwarted in the eighth inning, when Jose Martinez hit a pinch single. Earlier in the eighth, the Cardinals' Tommy Edman nearly ended the no-hit campaign, but Ryan Zimmerman dived for the out in what was an early highlight of the series:

In Game 2, Max Scherzer decided to try his hand at a no-no of his own, keeping his attempt going until the seventh inning, when the Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt hit a single.

This isn't the only time two pitchers have launched consecutive no-hitter attempts in back-to-back games in a league championship series. Improbably, the last time it happened was by none other than Sanchez and Scherzer, who, on the Detroit Tigers, opened the 2013 ALCS with back-to-back bids for no-nos.

The story of Game 3 was undoubtedly the master pitching clinic Stephen Strasburg put on, and the stats are enough to make anyone's eyes pop. Strasburg became just the third player in MLB history to record 10-plus strikeouts in his first seven postseason starts:

Washington has been victorious in each of the four games in which Strasburg has appeared in the playoffs.  

What's more, Strasburg has lowered his postseason ERA to 1.10, good for the third-lowest in postseason history (minimum six starts) behind Sandy Koufax and Christy Mathewson.

Not too shabby. 

After the Nationals completed the sweep of the Cardinals in Game 4, the team took to the clubhouse to celebrate their much-deserved victory. Strasburg took a break from drinking from the trophy and dancing with Gerardo Parra to share some surprisingly poignant thoughts on his recent success:

ALCS Highlights and Stats

With Houston up 2-1, the ALCS has made for much more compelling television than its remarkably one-sided National League counterpart.

It wasn't immediately clear that would be the case. The Yankees stormed out in Game 1, with Masahiro Tanaka allowing just one hit in six innings and leading New York to a 7-0 win.

The Yankees defense was smothering in Game 1, but Aaron Judge had the highlight of the night. In the fifth inning, Yordan Alvarez hit a line drive after Alex Bregman had walked. Judge decided to make it a double play; Bregman could not get back to first in time.

But the win wasn't the only thing the Yankees were fired up about in Game 1. News emerged after the game that New York was accusing Houston of whistling to relay stolen signs, as SNY's Andy Martino reported. The dugouts began arguing. "The whole dugout was pissed," said one source, per Martino. "Everyone was chirping."

The Astros apparently knocked off the whistling in Game 2. They also knocked off the Yankees in a 3-2 decision after Carlos Correa sent a walk-off home run in the 11th.

In so doing, Correa became the seventh player to compile multiple walk-off hits in the postseason, and it was also his second against the Yankees.

According to MLB.com, the Astros are tied with the Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves for the third-most walk-off wins in the postseason, with nine. The Yankees are in first, with 23. The Boston Red Sox, with 12, come in second.

Houston was at it again in Game 3, winning 4-1 after Gerrit Cole threw seven shutout innings.

We will see whether Wednesday's rain delay gave the Yankees a chance to compose themselves or if it just delayed the inevitable.