The Kansas City Royals are looking to make a return to the World Series after notching the team’s best record in more than 20 years. (Getty)
Welcome to October, baseball fans.
The American League Division Series is slated to get underway on Thursday, October 8, pitting the Texas Rangers against the Toronto Blue Jays on one side of the bracket and the Houston Astros/New York Yankees against the Kansas City Royals on the other.
Check out the schedule breakdown of the series here:
Thursday, October 8
Astros at Royals, 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m ET
Rangers at Blue Jays, 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m. ET
Friday, October 9
Astros at Royals, 3:30 p.m. ET
Rangers at Blue Jays, 12:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, October 11
Royals at Astros, 4 p.m. ET
Blue Jays at Rangers, 8 p.m. ET
* Monday, October 12
Royals at Astros, TBD
Blue Jays at Rangers, TBD
* Wednesday, October 14
Astros at Royals, TBD
Rangers at Blue Jays, TBD
* – if necessary
The games will be broadcast on FOX, FS1 or MLBN
There’s a good amount of history in this year’s ALDS and plenty of potential for some serious postseason drama. The Rangers and Blue Jays have already played six time this season with Toronto winning both series and holding an overall 4-2 advantage. The Blue Jays come into the playoffs with a slate of statistics that is among the best in the entire league, leading all of baseball in runs scored (891), home runs (232), RBI (852), on-base percentage (.340) and slugging percentage (.457). Texas, on the other hand, was third in the majors in runs scored (751) and RBI (707), so there is some power at the plate there as well.
On the other side of the bracket, the Kansas City Royals are riding a wave of regular season momentum after posting their best record (97-65) since 1980. The squad secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs but isn’t afraid of taking to the road either, boasting the second-best road record in the AL at 44-37. Kansas City will take on the winner of the Astros-Yankees Wild Card game.
Here’s how to make sure you can watch every pitch of the best-of-five series, even without a TV in front of you:
Watch the AL Division Series Online
The Texas Rangers celebrate winning their sixth AL West Title last week. (Getty)
If you have access to a cable subscription, you can watch the game online for free through Fox Sports GO. You’ll need the log-in and password for a cable subscription — either yours or someone else’s — to access the stream. Frequently asked questions about Fox Sports GO can be found here.
Watch the AL Division Series on Mobile
It’s been a historic season for the Toronto Blue Jays this year, one the squad is hoping continues throughout October. (Getty)
Mobile users can watch the game on the Fox Sports GO app, which is free to download for your Apple device, your Android or Google device, your Amazon device, and your Windows device. As is the case with the desktop live stream, you’ll need a cable log-in and password to access the stream on the app.