The Braves and Reds will begin their best-of-three wild-card series Wednesday at 12 p.m., MLB announced Sunday night. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Game 1 will be the first of eight playoff games scheduled for Wednesday, when the National League postseason begins. The American League starts a day earlier. The 16-team expanded postseason creates a March Madness-style schedule for the first few days.

Braves lefty Max Fried will face Reds righty Trevor Bauer in Game 1. Fried and Bauer have been among the NL Cy Young frontrunners throughout the season, and the latter is the betting favorite to win the award.

Thursday’s Game 2 will begin at noon and Friday’s Game 3, if necessary, will begin at 3 p.m.

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Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has noted in the past there’s value in spending dollars rather than surrendering young talent. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

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Managing Partner at Atlantica Properties, Darion Dunn (center) talks with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens during a tour following the ribbon cutting of Waterworks Village as part of the third phase of the city’s Rapid Housing Initiative on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
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