A third straight World Series title is a rarity, and it is exactly what the people now complaining about the kickoff time are waiting to see. The Dodgers are chasing that, and The Athletic's NLDS primer files it under "historic," which is fair.

The schedule is what the New York Post says fans will not be thrilled about. Game 1 is Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dodger Stadium on Fox. Game 2 is Sunday at 5 p.m. at Dodger Stadium on FS1. Game 3 is Tuesday at 3 p.m., in either Atlanta or Philadelphia, depending on who survived. The Braves answered that question Thursday, beating the Phillies in a decisive Game 3 on a Harris three-run homer, so the Dodgers know their opponent.

Look at that middle line again. The defending champions play a division series game on FS1. Trace the capital: the broadcast partners buy the series, then the league decides which night of it gets the big network and which gets the channel your cable package may or may not include. A three-peat chase is not enough to buy Game 2 a bigger screen.

From Hong Kong it is worse. A 1 p.m. Pacific first pitch lands at 4 a.m. Sunday on this reader's clock, and Sunday's 5 p.m. game arrives at 8 a.m. Monday. The Dodgers are chasing history on a timetable that asks half the world to choose between the pitch and the pillow.

My read is that the schedule is a rounding error. The Dodgers will play it on short notice, in whichever time zone it falls, and if they win it, the grumbling will turn into a parade route.