For the first time, start of World Series could be moved up if league championships end early

Thanks to a scheduling wrinkle that the league is trying out for the first time, Major League Baseball announced on Thursday that the World Series could begin three days earlier than scheduled, with a change in the start date dependent on the results of both league championship series in the previous round. The adjustment would eliminate a potential break in the action — long the bane of teams trying to stay sharp in the postseason — if the pennants from each league are decided in short series.

The World Series is scheduled to start on Oct. 25 and could stretch to Nov. 2 in case a Game 7 is needed. However, Game 1 of the Fall Classic could instead be moved up to Oct. 22 if both the American League and National League championship series conclude no later than Oct. 19.

Barring rainouts during the championship series this fall, that means both seven-game series would need to be wrapped in five games, a statistical rarity since the current format went into effect in 1985. Since then, there have been only five instances of both league championship series being wrapped up in five games or less: 1989, 2001, 2002, 2014 and 2022, when the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros waited four days to start the World Series after having won the pennant.

This year’s World Series will be broadcast on Fox.

The playoffs begin with the four wild card series on Oct. 1, all of which will be carried by ESPN.

Fox or FS1 will broadcast both the National League Division Series (starting Oct. 5) and the National League Championship Series (starting on Oct. 13). TNT Sports, along with simulcasts on TBS, truTV and Max, will broadcast both the American League Division Series (starting Oct. 5) and the American League Championship Series (starting Oct. 14).

(Photo of the Commissioner’s Trophy: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)