When it comes to October, TV does not like Cinderellas.

So, after three teams won 100 games or more and two tie-breakers were needed to determine the NL wildcard match-ups, you can bet the three TV networks televising the Major League Baseball playoffs are pulling for the Cubs and the Yankees to reach their respective best-of-five divisional rounds.

Yes, we love underdogs like the Colorado Rockies who have now won a wildcard berth for two straight seasons, and the Oakland A’s, who weren’t supposed to be anywhere near the playoffs. But big-market teams like the Cubs and Yankees are the favorites of everyone who works for a TV network.

Fox, the MLB Network and TBS are broadcasting the post-season, and none of them wants to lose millions of viewers because the Milwaukee Brewers, who have had only four prior trips to the post-season, win their way into the World Series against Oakland. Teams matter more than superstars in October.

That would be a disaster for TV, since the defending world champion Astros, who won 103 games, plus the Braves, Dodgers, Indians, Red Sox and Yankees would not make it, and that means millions of dollars in lost advertising revenue when the ratings tank. Baseball is the oldest sport in America and the most traditional, and either the storied franchises or those with the most recent history draw viewers beyond the traditionalists.

The Cubs lost the tie-breaker Monday and must win today’s National League wildcard game over the Rockies, who’ve made the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time. The Cubbies have had an uneven season, starting slow, taking command of the NL Central and then limping to a tie in the division. But for their legendary legion of fans, they need to stay alive.

The Yankees face the upstart A’s in Wednesday’s AL wildcard in the Bronx, and that the Bombers went 100-62 in the regular season shows how strong the American League was in 2018. They have the second-best home record in baseball, but the A’s are tied for the second-best road record. The victor plays the Red Sox, who led the Majors with 108 wins.

A Yankees-Red Sox series would be off the charts. The survivor will face the Astros-Indians winner for the AL pennant. The Braves-Dodgers in one NL division series is a big draw – and even bigger if the winner gets to play the Cubs.

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