Familiar foes collide as the Tampa Bay Rays face the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series.
Tampa Bay was back atop the AL during the regular season after a couple of down years, going 98-64 for a 21-win improvement over last season. While the Rays proved a juggernaut for the last six months, they haven’t won a postseason series since reaching the World Series in the abbreviated 2020 campaign, and in fact have lost their last seven playoff games overall.
That lack of recent high-pressure success is one factor that could make this a dangerous series for the top seed. The Rays didn’t have to sweat their division title, and recent history has shown that getting a bye to the Division Series isn’t always a positive. Their regular-season matchups with the Yankees finished 7-6 in favor of Tampa Bay, but New York outscored them across those games.
There’s also the matter of the Yankees coming in hot after pounding the Red Sox in a Wild Card sweep. New York scored nine runs in each game against Boston even without Aaron Judge, and the likes of Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger and more will test the Rays’ pitching staff. Then again, the same could be said about Junior Caminero for New York’s arms.
However it goes, this should be a fascinating series to watch. Here’s when and where to tune in to every game.
Rays vs. Yankees schedule
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 3 | Game 1: Rays vs. Yankees | 6:30 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| Mon., Oct. 5 | Game 2: Rays vs. Yankees | 8 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| Wed., Oct. 7 | Game 3: Yankees vs. Rays | 8 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| Thu., Oct. 8 | Game 4*: Yankees vs. Rays | 8 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Game 5*: Rays vs. Yankees | 8 p.m. | TBS, DIRECTV |
* If necessary
Where to watch Rays vs. Yankees
- TV channel: TBS
- Live streams: DIRECTV
Every game of the Rays vs. Yankees series will air nationally on TBS. Fans can also stream the games with DIRECTV, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
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MLB postseason bracket 2026
SN
MLB postseason schedule 2026
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Tue., Sept. 29 | Wild Card series begin |
| Sat., Oct. 3 | Division Series begin |
| Sun., Oct. 11 | NLCS begins |
| Mon., Oct. 12 | ALCS begins |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | World Series begins |
