It’s time for the MLB Playoffs!

After an action-packed bonus Monday to determine the final two postseason spots in the National League, eight teams will be in action Tuesday as the 2024 MLB playoffs begin with the best-of-three wild-card round.

Game 1 action started with the Detroit Tigers defeating the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals following suit with a shutout of the Baltimore Orioles. Then, in a game with multiple lead changes, the New York Mets came out on top over the Milwaukee Brewers.

We’ve got your back with lineups, live updates and analysis as the matches are played, followed by our takeaways after every final pitch.

Main links: Everything you need to know | Bracket | Chooses | Watch on ESPN, ABC

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Live updates

Today’s matchups

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Detroit leads the series 1-0

Before Jason Heyward whizzed a line drive into Spencer Torkelson’s glove, before the Astros’ bats came alive in the final inning and before the Tigers teetered on the brink of losing their playoff opener in heartbreaking fashion, there was Tarik Skubal, the soon-to-be Cy Young winner, doing what he’s been doing all season: attacking with his fastball, baffling with his changeup, messing around with his slider and bringing in an upstart team that no one expected to see here. Skubal held the high-powered Astros scoreless for six innings, scattering four hits, walking one, striking out six and throwing 64 of his 88 pitches for strikes. He got hit in the wrist with a liner in the second inning, cramped his left side in the sixth, and none of that mattered. In his first postseason start, the best pitcher in baseball threw like this.

One thing to know for Game 2: Tigers manager AJ Hinch promised “pitching chaos” after Skubal, and right now it’s pitching mystery. No announcement has been made, but Reese Olson seems a likely candidate – to at least pitch the majority of the innings, with an opener ahead of him. The Astros will turn to young right-hander Hunter Brown, meaning Yusei will follow Kikuchi in a potential Game 3. –Alden González

Kansas City leads the series 1-0

During a four-game sweep of the American League Championship Series in 2014, the Kansas City Royals defeated the Baltimore Orioles by six points. It was a gutless series for Baltimore, one that still stings, reminiscent of Tuesday afternoon when the Royals posted another crucial postseason victory against the Orioles.

Kansas City’s 1-0 win in Game 1 of their wild-card series at Camden Yards was a textbook Royals example. They are a team that produces more runs than they put in, and they are a team that drives excellently from the pitching to wins. A walk for Maikel Garcia and a stolen base followed by a single by Bobby Witt Jr. provided the only number. Six brilliant innings from Cole Ragans, followed by three relievers stringing together three more scoreless innings, provided the pitching.

One thing to know for Game 2: It’s easy to forget how bad the Royals were a year ago. Although Baltimore was on its way to a 101-win season, Kansas City lost 106 games, an inappropriate amount, the kind of loss that doesn’t go away anytime soon. Now the Royals are up two wins from one win, allowing them to advance to the division series at Yankee Stadium, with Seth Lugo – their co-ace with Ragans – playing in Game 2 against Baltimore’s trade deadline savior, Zach Eflin. –-Jeff Passan

New York leads the series 1-0

The Mets were in clutch mode on Monday with their classic playoff win over Atlanta, and a day later they stayed there in Milwaukee. New York withstood Milwaukee’s burst of early energy and capped potentially big innings with limited damage. That was thanks to Luis Severino, who lasted six innings despite the traffic on the bases during his outing.

That was enough, but the Mets went away in the fifth inning, recording five two-out runs against Milwaukee’s dominant bullpen. New York went 5-for-7 with runners in scoring position overall. Nearly everyone pitched in, but the biggest hits were Jesse Winker’s thumb-nosing, two-run triple in the third inning and Mark Vientos’ two-run, go-ahead single in the fifth. Clutch all around.

One thing to know for Game 2: Now the Mets can put an end to things on Wednesday when Sean Manaea takes the mound to turn a lot of bad postseason history on its head. In three playoff appearances for Oakland and San Diego, he went 0-3 with a 15.26 ERA. That’s a lot to turn upside down, but then again, that’s exactly the kind of history the Mets have turned around since the start of the season. –Bradford Doolittle

Pitching Matchup: AJ Smith-Shawver (0-0, 0.00 ERA vs. Michael King (13-9, 2.95 ERA)

Starting lineups:

Brave

CF-Michael Harris II
2B-Ozzie Albies
DH Marcell Ozuna
1B – Matt Olson
RF-Jorge Soler
LF-Ramon Laureano
C-Travis d’Arnaud
3B — Gio Urshela
SS Orlando Arcia

Fathers

DH-Luis Arraez
RF-Fernando Tatis Jr.
LF-Jurickson Profar
3B-Manny Machado
CF-Jackson Merrill
SS-Xander Bogaerts
2B-Jake Cronenworth
1B-Donovan Solano
C-Kyle Higashioka