Tuesday afternoon was a tremendous showcase for postseason baseball, with two division rivals squaring off in a best-of-three playoff series at a home stadium.
The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are playing a wild card series in Atlanta, with each game taking on tremendous importance as both look to advance to the NLDS and later rounds. Tuesday’s matchup was playoff baseball at its best, with a tight, closely-fought game between two elite starters in Jesus Luzardo and Chris Sale. Phillies manager Don Mattingly made the decision to win or lose with closer Jhoan Duran, sending him out for multiple innings to try and secure a 3-2 lead.
Instead, the move backfired, with Braves third baseman Austin Riley launching a massive, two-out three-run homer to give Atlanta a 5-3 lead. Raisel Iglesias got the final three outs to take a 1-0 series lead and make Wednesday’s contest a possible elimination game for Philadelphia.
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Austin Riley of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning of Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on Sept. 29, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
That’s exactly what Major League Baseball wants to showcase about the postseason. A late, game-changing homer involving two of the game’s stars. Dramatic finishes to conclude tight matchups. Massive stakes and incredible crowd reactions.
There’s just one problem. As the camera panned across the field as Riley rounded the bases, showing the stands in left field, there were thousands of open seats. Some fans huddled in the concourses to avoid the late-September Atlanta heat, but entire sections were effectively completely empty.
A huge, game-changing postseason moment at a home stadium with a star player launching a homer off one of baseball’s best closers. And there are thousands of open seats visible on the broadcast. Not exactly the best look for a sport working hard to grow and showcase its popularity against the all-powerful NFL.
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This isn’t a criticism of Braves fans. The high temperature on Tuesday approached 90 degrees. First pitch wast at 2pm local time in the middle of a school and work day. It’s criticism of Major League Baseball’s scheduling strategy, which was always inexplicable and is now bordering on insane.
Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley hits a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park in Cumberland, Georgia, on Sept. 29, 2026. (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)
MLB’s best-of-three wild card format now means that there are four games for the first two games of the playoffs, a necessity to allow the division series round to start on time. The league’s plan for this scheduling issue has been to stagger start times throughout the day. This year, for example, the first game starts at 2pm Eastern, then 5pm, then 8pm, then 10pm.
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In theory, this makes some sense. Instead of the games stepping on each other and limiting potential viewership, each is separated to allow fans to watch all four without flipping back and forth. In practice, it’s a disaster.
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The 2pm Eastern start time on a weekday doesn’t work for many fans who’d otherwise love to attend or watch games. Which is what leads to the scores of empty seats at a playoff game for a team with a massive, dedicated fanbase like Atlanta. Even for those watching on television, say, west coast fans, an 11am start time puts first pitch squarely in the middle of a workday. Following the game on a phone is one thing, watching it in an office or at a job that requires manual labor is another.
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The league may have decided that it’s worth these sacrifices in order to space out the games, but anecdotally, they’re wrong. Before the advent of streaming television, it was harder to watch multiple games at once. In the modern world though, YouTube TV, as just one example, will automatically create multi-view setups. Or fans can create their own. Individual apps have built their own multi-view experiences too, useful with several games broadcast exclusively on Peacock.
Meanwhile, Tuesday night’s game in San Diego was completely packed, with a raucous, sold out crowd celebrating wildly when Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a leadoff homer, then again when Manny Machado hit one of his own. That game started at 7pm local time. What a surprise.
San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. runs home after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of Game 1 of the Wild Card round of the 2026 MLB playoffs at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 29, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
This issue isn’t exclusive to the wild card series either. The league already announced that if the Padres advance in their wild card series, game one of the NLDS between the Dodgers and winner of the Braves-Phillies series will start at 1pm local time. It’s on a Saturday, at least, but with LA expected to face an extreme heat wave pushing temperatures to near or over 100 degrees, a 1pm start time would guarantee open seats at Dodger Stadium.
Even in Houston, Astros players spoke about the frustrations with poor attendance for a game that started at 4pm local time.
“The fans here are definitely spoiled with a lot of ALCS and World Series runs, and we have to earn that right to bring this team back to that position,” said pitcher Bennett Sousa after the game. “That being said, when this team was in their first (playoff) series 10 years ago, Minute Maid Park was probably packed. It makes a big difference. If we were in Chicago, it’d probably be loud as s—.”
Again, there’s an easy solution to this. Start the games at a time that makes sense for local fans; 5pm-7pm. The league will get the big moments and crowd reactions they want to highlight, television networks likely won’t see a meaningful dip in viewership, and fans and players will be happier. It’s easy and simple, which means it won’t happen.