NL Wild-Card Game To Start At 7:08 P.M. CT On Oct. 7

(CBS) Mark the exact time on your calendars, Cubs fans.

The National League wild-card game will start at 7:08 p.m. CT on Oct. 7, MLB announced Thursday. As it sits now, the Cubs are in line to face the Pirates in that game, which will be televised on TBS.

With a magic number of two, Chicago (89-63) could clinch its first postseason berth since 2008 as soon as Friday, depending on the outcome of San Francisco's games over the next two days. As of Thursday afternoon, St. Louis held a four-game lead over Pittsburgh and a seven-game lead over Chicago in the NL Central with 10 games left to play.

Starting Friday, the Cubs host the Pirates in a three-game series at Wrigley Field. If the two teams finish the season with the same record, the Cubs would host the wild-card game because they've already clinched the season series.

If on the outside chance that Pittsburgh runs down St. Louis and those two teams finish with identical records, they'd play a 163rd game to decide the NL Central champion. The loser of that game would then play the Cubs in the win-or-go-home wild-card game.

It's widely expected that Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole and Chicago's Jake Arrieta will take the hill in the NL wild-card game, as each team has lined up its ace to start the contest.

The AL wild-card game will be played Oct. 6 and start at 7:08 p.m. CT. It will be televised by ESPN.