2025 Postseason

Recap

The 2025 Postseason will be played under the format first used in 2022, with the two division title winners with the best records in each league getting a bye into the Division Series, while the third-ranked division winner and three wild card teams will play a best-of-three Wild Card Series, with all games taking place in the home ballpark of the higher-ranked team.

The recourse to a tiebreaker instead of a one-game playoff to determine teams who played in the postseason and their seedings had a particularly dramatic impact this year. The Toronto Blue Jays finished the season with a record identical to that of the New York Yankees, but because they held the tiebreaker, which was a better head-to-head record, they were declared the winners of the division title and seeded first overall in the AL, while the Yankees had to play a Wild Card Series. In the NL, the New York Mets were excluded from the postseason altogether in favor of the Cincinnati Reds, once again because the Reds had the better head-to-head record.

Series Summaries

American League

ALWC: Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	Detroit Tigers 2 Cleveland Guardians 1	September 30	Tarik Skubal (1-0) Gavin Williams (0-1)	1:08 pm
2	Detroit Tigers 1 Cleveland Guardians 6	October 1	Casey Mize (0-0) Tanner Bibee (0-0)	1:08 pm
3	Detroit Tigers 6 Cleveland Guardians 3	October 2	Jack Flaherty (0-0) Slade Cecconi (0-0)	3:08 pm

ALWC: Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	Boston Red Sox 3 New York Yankees 1	September 30	Garrett Crochet (1-0) Max Fried (0-0)	6:08 pm
2	Boston Red Sox 3 New York Yankees 4	October 1	Brayan Bello (0-0) Carlos Rodón (0-0)	6:08 pm
3	Boston Red Sox 0 New York Yankees 4	October 2	Connelly Early (0-1) Cam Schlittler (1-0)	8:08 pm

ALDS: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	New York Yankees 1 Toronto Blue Jays 10	October 4	Luis Gil (0-1) Kevin Gausman (1-0)	4:08 pm
2	New York Yankees 7 Toronto Blue Jays 13	October 5	Max Fried (0-1) Trey Yesavage (1-0)	4:08 pm
3	Toronto Blue Jays 6 New York Yankees 9	October 7	Shane Bieber (0-0) Carlos Rodón (0-0)	8:08 pm
4	Toronto Blue Jays 5 New York Yankees 2	October 8	Louie Varland (0-1) Cam Schlittler (0-1)	7:08 pm

ALDS: Detroit Tigers vs. Seattle Mariners

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	Detroit Tigers 3 Seattle Mariners 2	October 4	Troy Melton (0-0) George Kirby (0-0)	8:38 pm
2	Detroit Tigers 2 Seattle Mariners 3	October 5	Tarik Skubal (0-0) Luis Castillo (0-0)	8:03 pm
3	Seattle Mariners 8 Detroit Tigers 4	October 7	Logan Gilbert (1-0) Jack Flaherty (0-1)	7:01 pm
4	Seattle Mariners 3 Detroit Tigers 9	October 8	Bryce Miller (0-0) Casey Mize (0-0)	3:08 pm
5	Detroit Tigers 2 Seattle Mariners 3	October 10	Tarik Skubal (0-0) George Kirby (0-0)	8:08 pm

ALCS: Seattle Mariners vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	Seattle Mariners 3 Toronto Blue Jays 1	October 12	Bryce Miller (1-0) Kevin Gausman (0-1)	8:03 pm
2	Seattle Mariners 10 Toronto Blue Jays 3	October 13	Logan Gilbert (0-0) Trey Yesavage (0-1)	5:03 pm
3	Toronto Blue Jays 13 Seattle Mariners 4	October 15	Shane Bieber (1-0) George Kirby (0-1)	8:08 pm
4	Toronto Blue Jays 8 Seattle Mariners 2	October 16	Max Scherzer (1-0) Luis Castillo (0-1)	8:33 pm
5	Toronto Blue Jays 2 Seattle Mariners 6	October 17	Kevin Gausman (0-1) Bryce Miller (1-0)	6:08 pm
6	Seattle Mariners 2 Toronto Blue Jays 6	October 19	Logan Gilbert (0-1) Trey Yesavage (1-1)	8:03 pm
7	Seattle Mariners 3 Toronto Blue Jays 4	October 20	George Kirby (0-1) Shane Bieber (1-0)	8:08 pm

National League

NLWC: Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	Cincinnati Reds 5 Los Angeles Dodgers 10	September 30	Hunter Greene (0-1) Blake Snell (1-0)	9:08 pm
2	Cincinnati Reds 4 Los Angeles Dodgers 8	October 1	Zack Littell (0-1) Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0)	9:08 pm

NLWC: San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	San Diego Padres 1 Chicago Cubs 3	September 30	Nick Pivetta (0-1) Matthew Boyd (0-0)	3:08 pm
2	San Diego Padres 3 Chicago Cubs 0	October 1	Dylan Cease (0-0) Andrew Kittredge (0-1)	3:08 pm
3	San Diego Padres 1 Chicago Cubs 3	October 2	Yu Darvish (0-1) Jameson Taillon (0-0)	5:08 pm

NLDS: Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	Chicago Cubs 3 Milwaukee Brewers 9	October 4	Matthew Boyd (0-1) Freddy Peralta (1-0)	2:08 pm
2	Chicago Cubs 3 Milwaukee Brewers 7	October 6	Shota Imanaga (0-1) Aaron Ashby (0-0)	9:08 pm
3	Milwaukee Brewers 3 Chicago Cubs 4	October 8	Quinn Priester (0-1) Jameson Taillon (0-0)	5:08 pm
4	Milwaukee Brewers 0 Chicago Cubs 6	October 9	Freddy Peralta (1-1) Matthew Boyd (0-1)	9:08 pm
5	Chicago Cubs 1 Milwaukee Brewers 3	October 11	Drew Pomeranz (1-0) Trevor Megill (0-0)	8:08 pm

NLDS: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	Los Angeles Dodgers 5 Philadelphia Phillies 3	October 4	Shohei Ohtani (1-0) Cristopher Sanchez (0-0)	6:38 pm
2	Los Angeles Dodgers 4 Philadelphia Phillies 3	October 6	Blake Snell (1-0) Jesus Luzardo (0-1)	6:08 pm
3	Philadelphia Phillies 8 Los Angeles Dodgers 2	October 8	Aaron Nola (0-0) Yoshinobu Yamamoto (0-1)	9:08 pm
4	Philadelphia Phillies 1 Los Angeles Dodgers 2	October 9	Cristopher Sanchez (0-0) Tyler Glasnow (0-0)	6:08 pm

NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	Los Angeles Dodgers 2 Milwaukee Brewers 1	October 13	Blake Snell (1-0) Aaron Ashby (0-0)	8:08 pm
2	Los Angeles Dodgers 5 Milwaukee Brewers 1	October 14	Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0) Freddy Peralta (0-1)	8:08 pm
3	Milwaukee Brewers 1 Los Angeles Dodgers 3	October 16	Aaron Ashby (0-0) Tyler Glasnow (0-0)	6:08 pm
4	Milwaukee Brewers 5 Los Angeles Dodgers 1	October 17	Jose Quintana (0-1) Shohei Ohtani (1-0)	8:08 pm

World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	Los Angeles Dodgers 4 Toronto Blue Jays 11	October 24	Blake Snell (0-1) Trey Yesavage (0-0)	8:00
2	Los Angeles Dodgers 5 Toronto Blue Jays 1	October 25	Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0) Kevin Gausman (0-1)	8:00
3	Toronto Blue Jays 5 Los Angeles Dodgers 6	October 27	Max Scherzer (0-0) Tyler Glasnow (0-0)	8:00
4	Toronto Blue Jays 6 Los Angeles Dodgers 2	October 28	Shane Bieber (1-0) Shohei Ohtani (0-1)	8:00
5	Toronto Blue Jays 6 Los Angeles Dodgers 1	October 29	Trey Yesavage (1-0) Blake Snell (0-2)	8:00
6	Los Angeles Dodgers 3 Toronto Blue Jays 1	October 31	Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-0) Kevin Gausman (0-2)	8:00
7	Los Angeles Dodgers 5 Toronto Blue Jays 4	November 1	Shohei Ohtani (0-1) Max Scherzer (0-0)	8:00

NL Team Stats

TEAM	W-L	Manager	BA	HR	R	ERA	WHIP	RA
Brewers	97-65	Pat Murphy	.258	166	806	3.58	1.228	634
Phillies	96-66	Rob Thomson	.258	212	778	3.79	1.234	648
Dodgers	93-69	Dave Roberts	.253	244	825	3.95	1.258	683
Cubs	92-70	Craig Counsell	.249	223	793	3.79	1.177	649
Padres	90-72	Mike Shildt	.252	152	702	3.63	1.209	621
Reds	83-79	Terry Francona	.245	167	716	3.86	1.222	681

AL Team Stats

TEAM	W-L	Manager	BA	HR	R	ERA	WHIP	RA
Blue Jays	94-68	John Schneider	.265	191	798	4.18	1.273	721
Mariners	90-72	Dan Wilson	.244	238	766	3.87	1.220	694
Guardians	88-74	Stephen Vogt	.226	168	643	3.70	1.261	649
Yankees	94-68	Aaron Boone	.251	274	849	3.91	1.248	685
Red Sox	89-73	Alex Cora	.254	186	786	3.70	1.286	676
Tigers	87-75	A.J. Hinch	.247	198	758	3.95	1.249	691

Further Reading

• "As World Series begins, postseason viewership at its highest since 2017", mlb.com, October 22, 2025. [1]
• "What you need to know about the Wild Card Series matchups", mlb.com, September 28, 2025. [2]
• Anthony Castrovince: "10 of the top moments from an exhilarating 2025 postseason", mlb.com, November 2, 2025. [3]
• Theo DeRosa: "The top 20 playoff performers of 2025", mlb.com, December 20, 2025. [4]
• Manny Randhawa: "Who wins each Division Series? Our experts weigh in", mlb.com, October 4, 2025. [5]

Related Sites

• 2025 MLB Postseason schedule

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