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See the moment an MLB superstar showed up to play backyard wiffle ball

Kansas City Royals catcher, Salvador Perez, stops to join a group of kids in a backyard game of wiffle ball in Kansas City, Kansas.

USA Today

It’s October.

Twelve teams remain competing for the Commissioner’s Cup.

It took an extra day of regular season, but Major League Baseball’s 2024 playoffs are set and begin Tuesday with the opening games of the best-of-three wild-card round.

We’re set for quadruple-headers, with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros getting things underway at 2:23 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The Baltimore Orioles host the Kansas City Royals at 4:07 p.m., the New York Mets face the Milwaukee Brewers at 5:32 p.m. and the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves wrap things up in the nightcap at 8:38 p.m.

The second games will be played Wednesday with potential Games 3s scheduled for Thursday. Winners will move on to the best-of-five Division Series, which begin on Saturday.

Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports MLB team sees this week playing out:

Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros

Predictions:

Bob Nightengale: Astros in 3Gabe Lacques: Tigers in 2Steve Gardner Astros in 3Jesse Yomtov: Astros in 3Scott Boeck: Tigers in 3

Schedule

Game 1, Tuesday: LH Tarik Skubal vs. LH Framber Valdez, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABCGame 2, Wednesday: TBA  vs. TBA, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABCGame 3, Thursday, if necessary: TBA vs. TBA, 2:32 p.m. ET, ABCKansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles

Predictions:

Bob Nightengale: Orioles in 3Gabe Lacques: Orioles in 2Steve Gardner: Orioles in 3Jesse Yomtov: Orioles in 2Scott Boeck: Orioles in 3

Schedule

Game 1, Tuesday: LH Cole Ragans vs. RH Corbin Burnes, 4:08 p.m. ET, ESPN2Game 2, Wednesday: RH Seth Lugo vs. RH Zach Eflin, 4:38 p.m. ET, ESPNGame 3, Thursday, if necessary: RH Michael Wacha vs. RH Dean Kremer, 4:08 p.m. ET, ESPNNew York Mets at Milwaukee Brewers

Predictions

Bob Nightengale: Brewers in 2Gabe Lacques: Brewers in 2Steve Gardner: Brewers in 2Jesse Yomtov: Mets in 3Scott Boeck: Brewers in 2

Schedule

Game 1, Tuesday: TBA vs. RH Freddy Peralta, 5:32 p.m. ET, ESPNGame 2, Wednesday: TBA vs. TBA, 7:38 p.m. ET, ESPNGame 3, Thursday, if necessary: TBA vs. TBA, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2Atlanta at San Diego Padres

Predictions

Bob Nightengale: Padres in 2Gabe Lacques: Padres in 2Steve Gardner: Padres in 2Jesse Yomtov: Atlanta in 3Scott Boeck: Padres in 2

Schedule

Game 1, Tuesday: TBA vs. RH Michael King, 8:38 p.m. ET, ESPN,Game 2, Wednesday: TBA vs. RH Joe Musgrove, 8:38 p.m. ET, ESPN2Game 3, Thursday, if necessary: TBA vs. RH Dylan Cease, 7:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

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