The 2025 Major League Baseball postseason has officially kicked into high gear, and if you blinked, you might've missed the wild-card chaos that set the stage for this fall classic. With the dust finally settling after a dramatic regular season finish, the 12-team playoff field is locked, and the division series matchups are underway. Fans across the nation are buzzing—who has the edge as October drama unfolds?
Let’s start with the teams that survived the wild-card gauntlet. The New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers both sent their division rivals packing in tightly contested series. The Yankees, led by emerging ace Cam Schlittler, bounced back from an opening loss to the Boston Red Sox to win the next two games, including a shutout in Game 3. Schlittler's presence on the mound has been a game-changer, and with Max Fried and Carlos Rodón also in the rotation, New York’s pitching looks as formidable as ever. Not to mention, Aaron Judge is anchoring a lineup that’s the envy of every other contender.
Judge himself is coming off yet another historic regular season. According to MLB.com, he joined Barry Bonds as the only hitters in the Expansion Era to post at least a 200 OPS+ in three different years. While his postseason numbers haven’t always matched his regular-season heroics—his career playoff line sits at .212/.322/.446—Judge went 4-for-11 in the wild-card series, all singles, showing signs he might finally be primed for an October breakout. The Yankees now face the Toronto Blue Jays, whose playoff hopes hinge on a rotation featuring Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, and Trey Yesavage. If George Springer can carry his late-season surge into the postseason, the Blue Jays could make things interesting. Springer, after all, improved his wRC+ by a staggering 72 points from last year and slugged over .660 in each of the final three months of the regular season.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers had a rollercoaster ride to the division series. After blowing a big division lead in the second half, they regrouped to edge out the Cleveland Guardians in three games. Tarik Skubal stands out as the Tigers’ most reliable arm, but questions linger about their lineup’s strikeout tendencies and the bullpen’s ability to hold leads. Closer Will Vest had a shaky moment in the wild-card clincher, nearly letting a 6-1 lead slip away. Detroit’s next challenge is the Seattle Mariners, a club with both star power and depth. The Mariners’ dominant closer Andrés Muñoz and a lineup that plays stellar defense give them a real shot, though they’re sweating the health of Bryan Woo, who remains sidelined with a pectoral injury and is in danger of missing the ALDS.
On the National League side, the Chicago Cubs are quietly building momentum after dispatching the San Diego Padres in a gritty three-game set at Wrigley Field. With a healthy Kyle Tucker and a red-hot Seiya Suzuki, the Cubs’ offense looks dangerous. Their bullpen proved its mettle in the wild card, and while the rotation faces questions—especially with Cade Horton out for the NLDS—the Cubs could surprise if they keep putting up runs. Up next: the Milwaukee Brewers, who led the majors in wins this season but rely on a station-to-station offense rather than power. Freddy Peralta is a strong Game 1 starter, and the bullpen duo of Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe is tough to crack, but there are doubts about whether their style can succeed in the short, intense postseason series.
Then there are the Los Angeles Dodgers. They absolutely steamrolled the Cincinnati Reds in the wild card, sweeping the series by scoring 18 runs over two games. Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ two-way superstar, is not just the top hitter in the postseason power rankings—he’s also starting Game 1 of the NLDS on the mound. Ohtani led the majors in total bases (380) and runs scored (146) for the second consecutive year and topped the NL in slugging (.622), OPS (1.014), and OPS+ (179) for the third straight season. He even launched two home runs in the wild-card opener, further cementing his likely fourth MVP Award in five years. The Dodgers’ rotation, also featuring Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is stacked, but the bullpen’s wild-card wobbles against the Reds have raised eyebrows. Manager Dave Roberts will hope for steadier outings as they square off against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Speaking of the Phillies, they might just be the most complete team in the field. Their rotation of Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, and Aaron Nola is a nightmare for opposing hitters, and if you survive them, Jhoan Duran is waiting in the ninth. The lineup is loaded with game-changers like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner. Schwarber in particular had a monster year, setting career highs with a .563 slugging percentage, 56 home runs, and 132 RBIs. He played all 162 games, led the NL in both home runs and RBIs, and remains an emotional leader for the NL East champs. Harper, too, has been a force in the postseason since joining Philadelphia, slugging .709 with 12 home runs in 34 playoff games for the franchise. The Phillies’ first test? The defending champion Dodgers, in what might be the most anticipated showdown of the division series.
With the division series now underway, here’s how the matchups look: the Phillies host the Dodgers, the Yankees visit the Blue Jays, the Cubs take on the Brewers, and the Mariners battle the Tigers. Each best-of-five series promises its own brand of tension and unpredictability, with game dates stretching from October 4 through October 11, and the possibility of decisive Game 5s looming for every matchup.
Looking ahead, the winners will advance to their respective league championship series, set to begin October 12 in the American League and October 13 in the National League. The World Series is on the calendar for October 24 through November 1, if a full seven games are needed. With hitters like Ohtani, Judge, Schwarber, and Springer all poised to make their mark, and pitching staffs ready to duel, the 2025 postseason is shaping up to be one for the ages.
So, as the first pitches fly and the October air grows crisp, every team still standing knows what’s at stake. The road to the pennant is wide open, and with so much talent on display, anything can happen. Stay tuned—baseball’s most thrilling month is just getting started, and the drama is only beginning to unfold.
