MLB will begin the World Series this year on a Tuesday to avoid several head-to-head conflicts with the NFL, according to sources. This year's World Series will start Oct. 21 in the AL champion’s city, followed with games scheduled for Oct. 22, 24-26 and 28-29. With the move, MLB and Fox avoid conflicts with CBS/NFL Network's "Thursday Night Football" broadcasts on Oct. 23 and Oct. 30, as well as the Oct. 27 "MNF" game on ESPN. Instead of as many as four head-to-head conflicts, MLB will compete with the NFL only on Sunday, Oct. 26 -- Game 5 will go against NBC's broadcast of Packers-Saints. The NFL since '10 has scheduled a "SNF" game directly against the World Series after several years of not doing so and generally has posted strong ratings. MLB and Fox had employed a Wednesday-start schedule for the World Series beginning in '07, and the Series started on a Saturday from '85-'06 with the exception of a Tuesday start in '90. The MLB postseason broadcast schedule also shows a slight adjustment. Fox had previously intended to show the entire NLCS on FS1, but instead will show Games 1 and 6 of that series on its network outlet. The opening game of the NLCS will see a multicast on FS1 called "Just A Bit Outside," an analytics-driven presentation of the game inspired by the network’s new baseball website of the same name. TBS will air the AL Wild Card Game, AL Division Series and ALCS. ESPN will air the NL Wild Card Game. MLB Network and FS1 will share the NL Division Series.
