Cubs Vs. Dodgers: When And How To Watch Game 1, 2017 NL Championship Series

It's October, and the Chicago Cubs get to do something they haven't done in more than a century: defend a World Series title. After a tight series against the Washington Nationals, the North Siders now challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series for the second consecutive year. The best-of-seven series begins Saturday, Oct. 14.

Can the Cubs make it back to the World Series this season? Will the 2017 postseason join last year as part of a Chicago dynasty of multiple championships? Patch gets you ready for each playoff game with all the info you need to know before you enjoy the action on the field.

Also, check out the tentative postseason schedule for the Cubs if they advance to future rounds. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Lake View and Chicago — or other neighborhoods. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

2017 NL Championship Series

Best-of-seven series

GAME 1

First Pitch: 7:08 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14

Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

TV | Radio | Streaming: TBS | 670 the Score (WSCR-AM), ESPNRadio 1000 (WMVP-AM) | MLB.com

Pitching Matchup: TBD (most likely Jose Quintana, according to the Chicago Tribune and ESPN) vs. Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31 ERA)

NLCS Start Times

Major League Baseball has scheduled the times for the NLCS. All games will air on TBS. Here's look at when they'll start:

Game 2: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15

Game 3: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17

Game 4: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18 (If American League Championship Series is over, Game 4 will be at 7 p.m.)

*Game 5: 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19

*Game 6: 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 (If ALCS is over, Game 6 will be at 7 p.m.)

*Game 7: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22

*If necessary

Cubs' Emergency Landing

It took a while for the Cubs to reach Los Angeles after leaving Washington, D.C., early Friday following their victory over the Nationals in Game 5 of the NLDS. The team's flight was diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico, because of a family member who became sick on the plane, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reports.

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The Cubs touched down in Albuquerque at about 6:30 a.m., but that wasn't the end of their delays. The players and coaches had to wait for a new pilot for their flight after the original one ran out of flying hours, according to NBC 5 Chicago's Peggy Kusinski.

The team finally made it to LA five hours behind schedule, making the total trip 10 hours.

Back in the Championship Series

This is the sixth time the Cubs have appeared in the NLCS, and Chicago becomes the first team to reach the series in three consecutive years since the St. Louis Cardinals made four straight appearances from 2011-14. The team also is trying to become the first franchise to repeat as World Series champions since the New York Yankees won three consecutive World Series titles from 1998-2000.

Slow Starts

The Cubs are 9-14-1 in their 24 opening games of postseason series. So far this year, Chicago is 1-0 in Game 1, and the team was 2-1 in 2016 and 1-2 in 2015. In the NLCS, The Cubs are 2-3 in Game 1 of the NLCS.

Kershaw's Weakness

The seventh innng might be Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw's kryptonite. He gave up back-to-back home runs in that inning in his Game 1 start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS. Over his career, Kershaw has a 21.86 ERA in the seventh inning of postseason games.

Chicago Cubs' Javier Baez and Addison Russell and Los Angeles Dodgers' Yasiel Puig. (Cubs Photo by Alex Brandon | Associated Press; Puig photo by Jae C. Hong | Associated Press)

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