MLB Playoff Bracket 2021: Viewing Schedule and Latest Postseason Picture

Major League Baseball is roughly a month away from crowning its next champion.

There is plenty to sort out between now and then, starting with setting the playoff field this weekend.

There might only be two days remaining on the 2021 regular season's schedule, but there are four postseason spots to determine. Four clubs are fighting for the American League's two wild-card spots, while the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers remain in competition for the National League West crown, with the loser getting sent to the wild-card game.

After highlighting the broadcast schedule for the postseason, let's break down where both leagues sit for the final weekend.

2021 MLB Playoff Viewing Schedule

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If any tiebreakers are needed, those would be held on Monday and broadcast on ESPN.

The playoffs open with the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday on ESPN. The NL Wild Card Game is slated for the following night on TBS.

The AL Division Series will start Thursday and conclude no later than Wednesday, Oct. 13. The games will be broadcast on FS1 and MLB Network. The NL Division Series opens Friday, Oct. 8, and runs through Thursday, Oct. 14, at the latest. All games will be on TBS.

The AL Championship Series begins Friday, Oct. 15, and finishes by Saturday, Oct. 23, and will be televised by Fox or FS1. The NL Championship Series starts Saturday, Oct. 16, and wraps by Sunday, Oct. 24. TBS will carry that series.

Finally, Game 1 of the World Series will be Tuesday, Oct. 26. If needed, Game 7 would be Wednesday, Nov. 3. Fox will televise the Fall Classic.

AL Postseason Picture

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Division Leaders

East: Tampa Bay Rays (99-61)

West: Houston Astros (93-67)

Central: Chicago White Sox (92-68)

Wild Card Standings

New York Yankees (91-69) +1

Boston Red Sox (90-70) --

Seattle Mariners (89-71) -1

Toronto Blue Jays (89-71) -1

All three division races have been decided, so the only thing left to sort out is the wild-card race. Having said that, this is far more complicated than it sounds.

As ESPN's Jeff Passan noted, everything up to a four-way tie for the two spots is still on the table. It's possible this isn't decided when the curtain drops on Sunday.

The Yankees, Blue Jays and Mariners all finish the season at home against the Rays, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels, respectively. The Red Sox have two road tilts remaining with the Washington Nationals.

I believe the technical term for this standings setup is clear as mud.

NL Postseason Picture

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Division Leaders

West: San Francisco Giants (106-54)

Central: Milwaukee Brewers (95-65)

East: Atlanta Braves (86-73)

Wild Card Standings

Los Angeles Dodgers (104-56) +14

St. Louis Cardinals (90-70) --

The Brewers and Braves have already clinched their division crowns, and the Cardinals used a 17-game winning streak to secure their playoff spot. The only teams still learning their playoff fate are the two best in baseball: the Giants and Dodgers.

Despite being the only teams with 100-plus wins—Tampa Bay is the only other club with more than 95—the Giants and Dodgers have yet to spare themselves from the anything-can-happen, appropriately named wild-card round.

San Francisco whittled its magic number down to one with Friday's 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres, meaning one more Giants' win or Dodgers' loss would give the NL West to San Francisco. But L.A. at least lived to fight another day on Friday, rallying from a 5-1 deficit to secure an 8-6 win over Milwaukee.

The Giants will throw out Kevin Gausman on Saturday and Logan Webb for Sunday, while the Dodgers are going with Julio Urias on Saturday and have yet to announce Sunday's starter.