ST. LOUIS – Wild Card weekend kicks off in St. Louis on Friday.

All three games of the Wild Card Series will be held in St. Louis at Busch Stadium because in this new playoff format, the higher seed of the Wild Card Series hosts every game.

The Phillies grabbed the last spot in the playoffs Monday. They head into Friday’s game as the six seed.

The postseason has expanded from 10 teams to 12 this season. The Cardinals won the NL Central, so they enter the post-season as the number three seed. The cards have named Jose Quintana as Friday’s starting pitcher. First pitch is scheduled for 1:07 p.m. The pep rally will run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday’s first pitch is at 7:37 p.m. The pre-game pep rally is from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. If a game three is necessary, first pitch is set for 7:37 p.m. on Sunday, but this could change. No matter what, the gates open 2.5 hours before the first pitch. The pep rallies start about 4.5 hours before game time.

Fans are urged to get Downtown early, as parking will be tight and at a premium.

Whoever wins this series will play the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, which is a best of five series.