White Sox playoff schedule includes Wednesday home game against Cleveland

Postseason baseball is coming to Chicago as the White Sox prepare to meet the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series. Chicago is guaranteed a home game Wednesday after sweeping the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series, giving local fans a chance to follow the next round both on television and in their home city.

The series begins Saturday in Cleveland, with Game 1 scheduled for noon on TBS. Game 2 follows Monday, also in Cleveland, at 4 p.m. on TBS. Those are the only announced start times and television assignments included in the available schedule; broadcast details for the remaining games have not yet been listed.

Game 3 brings the teams to Chicago on Wednesday, with the starting time still to be determined. Chicago would also host Game 4 on Thursday if that game is needed. A deciding fifth game, if necessary, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, in Cleveland. Fans planning around the Chicago games should note that neither home date has an announced first-pitch time yet.

Cleveland enters the matchup as the American League Central champion and the league's second seed. That position gave the Guardians a bye into the division series, while the White Sox advanced by winning their opening-round matchup against Houston. Chicago won the regular-season series against Cleveland, adding another point of interest to a meeting between division opponents.

Despite their familiarity during the regular season, the White Sox and Guardians have never faced each other in a postseason series. For Chicago, the matchup follows its first playoff-series victory in more than two decades and offers a path toward its first American League Championship Series appearance since the 2005 World Series championship season.

The immediate local milestone is Wednesday's home game. With the opening two contests on the road and the later games conditional, Game 3 is the one Chicago date fans can currently count on as they make plans for the next round.