As the Los Angeles Dodgers await the winner of the National League Wild Card Game — being played Tuesday — they additionally don’t yet have finalized start times at Dodger Stadium for Games 1 and 2 of the NL Division Series.
Should the Washington Nationals reach the NLDS, they would face the Dodgers in Game 1 with a 5:37 p.m. PT start on Thursday. Game 2 between the Dodgers and Nationals would then be played Friday at 6:37 p.m.
However, if the Milwaukee Brewers win the Wild Card, Game 1 against the Dodgers is a 6:37 p.m. start. Milwaukee and L.A. would still play Game 2 on Friday, but with first pitch scheduled for 6:47 p.m.
Regardless of how it ultimately unfolds, the first 40,000 fans in attendance for Game 1 of the NLDS will receive a Cody Bellinger bobblehead. The organization’s first ever postseason bobblehead be available in both home white and road gray uniforms and randomly distributed at points of entry.
Start times for the remainder of the NLDS have not yet been announced. Game 3 will be played at Nationals Park or Miller Park on Sunday.
If necessary, one of those stadiums would host Game 4 on Monday as well, with the series shifting back to Dodger Stadium for a potential Game 5 on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
The Dodgers are in the postseason as NL West champions for a seventh consecutive season. They finished with the league’s best record to earn home-field advantage through the NL Championship Series for a second time in the past three years.
With 106 wins — most in Dodgers franchise history — the club additionally would have homefield in any World Series matchup that does not involve the Houston Astros. L.A. finished second to Houston both in overall record and home wins, 60 to 59.
The Dodgers nonetheless set a franchise record for most wins at Dodger Stadium, besting the mark set by the 2017 club by two victories. L.A. heads into the postseason on a season-high tying seven-game winning streak.
Justin Turner is poised to return from back tightness that kept him out of the lineup for the final five games, and Joe Kelly reiterated he too will be available despite being limited throughout September because of an unspecified injury.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has not revealed his NLDS rotation, though it is reasonable to believe Hyun-Jin Ryu will start one of the first two games at Dodger Stadium. Roberts did acknowledge the club is comfortable with starting Rich Hill in a potential Game 4.
Complete 2019 NLDS schedule with available start times and TV information
Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 3, Dodger Stadium, 5:37 p.m. or 6:37 p.m. PT (TBS)
Game 2: Friday, Oct. 4, Dodger Stadium, 6:37 p.m. or 6:47 p.m. PT (TBS)
Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 6, Nationals Park or Miller Park (TBS)
Game 4*: Monday, Oct. 7, Nationals Park or Miller Park (TBS)
Game 5*: Wednesday, Oct. 9, Dodger Stadium (TBS)
*if necessary
