How to Watch Every MLB Championship Series Playoff Game Without Cable

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After an MLB Division series which saw a number of major upsets, including the Phillies over the Braves, who had the best record in baseball this season. Anything could and did happen in the Division round, and there's no reason to think the same won't be true in the Championship series round when teams are vying for the chance to go to the World Series

The full schedule for the Championship Series round has been set--it'll start on Sunday, Oct. 15, when the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers will kick off the American League Championship Series, and the National League matchup between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies will begin on Monday, Oct. 16. Three of these teams--the Rangers, Astros and Phillies--all won exactly 90 games this season, and so this should be pretty competitive. These series are best of 7, and so the first team to notch four wins takes the series.

The TV arrangement for the MLB postseason is fairly simple for this round. The National League games will all air on TBS, and the American League games will all air on Fox Sports 1 and Fox. Unfortunately, there aren't any cheap subscriptions to get just those channels, a la Paramount+ with CBS, so you'll need an actual streaming live TV service for nearly all of these games. Fortunately, you've got options--check 'em out below.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Philadelphia Phillies

Dates and times: 
Game 1 - Monday, October 16, 2023 at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT
Game 2 - Tuesday, October 17 at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT
Game 3 - Thursday, October 19, 5 PM ET / 2 PM ET
Game 4 - Friday, October 20, 8 PM ET / 5 PM ET
Game 5 (if necessary) - Saturday, October 21, 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT
Game 6 (if necessary) - Monday, October 23, 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT
Game 7 (if necessary) - Tuesday, October 24, 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT

Location: Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 in Philadelphia; Games 3, 4 and 5 in Glendale, Arizona.
TV channel: TBS
Stream options: Hulu, Sling, DIRECTV, FuboTV 

The Diamondbacks are the only team left with less than 90 wins, but they just swept the 102-win Dodgers, who were better than any of the remaining teams. The Phillies, meanwhile, just won quite a brawl with the Braves and will be feeling pretty confident heading into the next round.

Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers

Dates and times: 
Game 1 - Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT
Game 2 - Monday, October 16 at 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT
Game 3 - Wednesday, October 18, 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT
Game 4 - Thursday, October 19, 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT
Game 5 (if necessary) - Friday, October 20, 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT
Game 6 (if necessary) - Sunday, October 22, 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT
Game 7 (if necessary) - Monday, October 23, 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT

Location: Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 in Houston; Games 3, 4 and 5 in Dallas
TV channel: FS1, with Fox simulcasting games 1 and 7.
Stream options: Hulu, Sling, DIRECTV, FuboTV 

It's an all-Texas battle for the American League pennant, and both teams had identical records during the regular season with 90 wins. But the Astros, of course, are the reigning World Series champions, and that means they have a built-in confidence that they can do what they need to do. But these teams are bitter rivals, and the Rangers aren't going down without a major fight. That in-state rivalry factor is a big wild card.

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