The American League Championship series will kick off on Sunday. The Texas Rangers have already punched their ticket to the championship series and we will await the winner of the series between the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins.
That series could be wrapped up as soon as Thursday, with Houston holding a 2-1 advantage over the Twins. However, Game 5 of the ALDS will be played on Friday if necessary.
There is still much that has yet to be determined as of now, and a lot could change in the coming days. It may be a couple of days before we actually know the full scope of the ALCS and everything that goes along with it.
But that doesn't mean that there aren't any answers to questions fans may have.
Who is playing?
The Rangers punched their ticket to the series with a 7-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 3 of the ALDS on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field.
Their opponent could be determined as soon as Thursday if the Astros win Game 4 of the ALDS against the Twins. If Houston advances, it will be a matchup between two AL West rivals who fought to the bitter end to determine the division champion.
However, if the Twins advance, they will reach the ALCS for the first time since 1991, which is also the last time they won the World Series. They'll have to win in Game 4 and again in Game 5 in Houston to reach the next round.
Whoever wins that series will have home-field advantage over the Rangers, by virtue of winning their divisions, while Texas earned a Wild Card. The higher seed will host the first two games and the series will shift to Texas for Games 3-5. If it goes six or seven games, the final games will take place at the higher seed's home ballpark.
The first team to win four games will advance to the World Series.
When will the games start?
The start times for the games have not been determined yet, but it also somewhat depends on the NLCS as well. Games 1 and 2 will take place on Oct. 15 and 16, respectively. Oct. 17 is a travel day back to Texas for the next three games the following days.
Oct. 21 and 22 will be reserved for Games 6 and 7. Typically, whichever series starts first will have its first two games before the other series even gets Game 1 in. Game 1 will likely start at 8:00 p.m. hour eastern time, with Game 2 starting at 4:00 p.m.
With no NLCS game on Oct. 18, Game 3 will start at 8:00 p.m. What happens with Games 4 and 5 is undetermined at present and will depend on a number of factors. If they follow last year's pattern, ALCS Game 4 will start in the evening and Game 5 will be in the afternoon. The NLCS began before the ALCS last year, but it is flipped this year.
Should the series reach a full seven games, the final two games should start at 8:00 p.m.
Where to watch/announcers
The ALCS can be seen on the FOX Sports Network. It will either be on a city's local FOX channel or FS1. As has been the case since the inception of FS1, the networks will alternate which games they carry. FS1 may take most of the telecasts, depending on how deep the series goes.
The announcers are familiar faces. Last year, Joe Davis and Hall-of-Fame pitcher John Smoltz broadcasted the NLCS and World Series. This time around, they'll announce the ALCS.
On the sidelines will more than likely be esteemed MLB writer and reporter Ken Rosenthal, who also writes for The Athletic and has previously worked at MLB Network. Rosenthal will conduct in-game interviews with players and managers alike, just as he and Tom Verducci have in the ALDS.
The same crew that will be used for the ALCS will also be used for the World Series. That doesn't begin until Oct. 27, but this is an important thing to remember when considering where fans will be able to watch these games.
The same crew will be used for all games of the ALCS and World Series, barring any earth-shattering changes in the schedule for the broadcasts.
