LOS ANGELES — After a day filled with champagne and cigars, the Cincinnati Reds are preparing for their first playoff series since 2020.
Despite losing to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Reds took the final National League wild card spot thanks to a Miami Marlins win over the New York Mets.
Now, they'll take on the reigning World Series champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a three-game series in LA. That means Reds Country will have some late nights watching Tito and company try to top MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani and what feels like the baseball equivalent of the Monstars from "Space Jam."
Here's everything you need to know about the series.
When do the Reds play?
Game 1 — Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 9:08 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 2 — Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 9:08 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary) — Thursday, Oct. 2 at 9:08 p.m. ET on ESPN
However, if there are only two wild card series remaining (or this is the only series to go to three games), the third game will shift up to around 7:38 p.m. ET.
What is their record against the Dodgers?
The Reds haven't exactly done great against the Dodgers. But no time to change that like now!
Cincinnati has just one win over LA, with the Dodgers taking the first series 2-1 and then sweeping the Reds in the second series in August.
There isn't too much playoff history between the two sides. The last time the Reds and Dodgers faced off was in 1995, when Barry Larkin led Cincinnati in a sweep of LA in the National League Division Series.
Are there any differences between the postseason and regular season?
Yes! The extra innings rule where a runner is placed on second base at the start of the inning does not exist in the playoffs. Managers are also given two replay challenges instead of one.
What happens if they win the series?
If Cincinnati can pull off the upset, they'll take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS starting Saturday, Oct. 4. That series would be the first opportunity for the Reds to host a playoff game this season (but we won't get ahead of ourselves here).
