Fox Decides Both Games Will Start at Same Time

Both league championship series playoff games today start at 5 p.m., PST, because Fox prefers two late games instead of one game in the afternoon and one in prime time. Both of today’s games will be on in prime time in the East.

Fox spokesman Dan Bell said the last time Fox televised a Game 1 of a weekday league championship series in the afternoon -- the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves in 2001 -- it drew only a 4.4 national rating.

Bell said 77% of the nation, including Los Angeles, would get the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees on the Fox network and the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals on FSN. In the rest of the country, it will be the other way around.

There could be two weekday playoff games on Oct. 20, Game 6 of the National League series and Game 7 of the American League series. If that happens, the NL game will begin at 1 p.m. and the AL game at 5 p.m.

-- Larry Stewart