Major League Baseball bought full-page ads in The New York Times and the LA Times in late September, declaring "October Starts Today" across postseason markets ahead of the 2026 playoffs.

The print stunt opened the league's new postseason campaign, which carries the tagline "No Time Like October." The buy targeted various postseason baseball markets in major publications, according to the league's announcement of the push.

The ads ran in late September, days before the start of October — the month known for playoff baseball. MLB positioned the full-page placements as a way to build excitement around the postseason and signal that this year's campaign breaks from previous approaches.

What does the campaign aim to do?

MLB designed the effort around urgency. The campaign, with its "No Time Like October" tagline, is positioned to disrupt everyday routines and showcase how fans can't miss any moment, the league said.

The full-page declarations served as the eye-catching opening move. By planting "October Starts Today" in major newspapers while September was still on the calendar, the league made the postseason feel imminent rather than distant.

The stunt also generated headlines of its own, extending the campaign's reach beyond the paid placements — a familiar goal for marketers seeking earned media around a launch.

Why urgency is the message

Heading into the 2026 postseason, MLB set out to give America's favorite pastime some urgency, and the campaign made headlines along the way. The print-first approach stands out in a period when most sports marketers concentrate budgets on digital and broadcast channels.

The choice of print mattered to the execution. A full-page declaration in The New York Times or the LA Times carries the weight of a public statement, and the league used that format to frame October as an event already underway rather than one approaching.

What comes next

The full campaign will run under "No Time Like October" through the postseason, with the league framing every playoff moment as unmissable. For MLB, the bet is that urgency-driven messaging and attention-grabbing media placements can turn a long calendar into a now-or-never event for fans.