Sports
The MLB playoff picture is set! Who clinched, plus current matchups and schedule
The final day of the MLB regular season was just as wild as we imagined it would be — and the 2025 playoff field is officially set!
Even though both the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds lost their respective games, the Reds clinched the final wild-card spot in the National League by holding the tiebreaker over the Mets. The Milwaukee Brewers (who have home-field advantage throughout the entire postseason) and Philadelphia Phillies have the top seeds in the NL, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, respectively.
The Toronto Blue Jays earned a first-round bye and the American League’s top seed by winning the AL East with a victory on Sunday, and the Cleveland Guardians also locked down the AL Central title. The Seattle Mariners join the Blue Jays as the top two seeds, with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers rounding out the field after Cleveland.
Where do the playoff matchups stand? What does the playoff schedule look like? We have everything you need to know as we prepare for the MLB playoffs to begin.
Key links: Full MLB standings | Wild-card standings
Who’s in?
The Brewers clinched the season’s first playoff spot for a second consecutive year and followed up by securing their third straight NL Central title. They’ve also earned a bye in the first round, the NL’s overall No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the postseason (including the World Series, should they reach it).
The Phillies clinched a spot in the postseason on Sept. 14. With a win the following night, Philadelphia clinched the NL East title for the second straight year. On Wednesday, the Phils beat the Marlins to clinch a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NLDS.
The Cubs clinched a spot in the postseason on Sept. 17 and will be making their first playoff appearance in a full-length season since 2018. With a win Saturday, they clinched home-field advantage in their wild-card series with the Padres.
The Dodgers clinched the NL West title for the 12th time in the past 13 years. They will be the No. 3 seed in the NL and host the No. 6 seed in the wild-card series.
The Blue Jays became the first AL team to secure a postseason berth. Then, with a win on the final day of the regular season, the clinched the AL East title and the league’s No. 1 seed, which includes a first-round bye.
The Padres clinched their fourth postseason trip in six years with a walk-off win over the Brewers on Monday. They will travel to Chicago to meet the Cubs in a wild-card series.
The Yankees became the second AL team to clinch a playoff spot with a walk-off win over the White Sox on Tuesday. They locked up the No. 4 seed when Toronto won its final regular-season game.
The Mariners clinched their first postseason appearance since 2022 on Tuesday and, with a 9-2 win on Wednesday, won their first AL West crown since 2001. They earned a bye in the first round.
With a win against the Tigers on Friday, Boston clinched an AL wild-card berth. They will be the road team in the wild-card series.
With a win in Boston on Saturday, Detroit clinched an AL wild-card berth — but with a loss Sunday, the Tigers were relegated to the final wild-card spot.
With a win over Texas on Saturday, Cleveland clinched an AL wild-card berth. The Guardians then won the AL Central when Detroit lost to Boston on Sunday.
The Reds clinched the final wild-card spot in the NL over the Mets on Sunday after New York lost its regular-season finale to Miami.
What are this October’s MLB playoff matchups?
American League
Wild-card round: (6) Tigers at (3) Guardians, (5) Red Sox at (4) Yankees
ALDS: Tigers/Guardians vs. (2) Mariners, Red Sox/Yankees vs. (1) Blue Jays
National League
Wild-card round: (6) Reds at (3) Dodgers, (5) Padres at (4) Cubs
NLDS: Reds/Dodgers vs. (2) Phillies, Padres/Cubs vs. (1) Brewers
Breaking down the AL playoff picture
Here are the odds for the AL playoff squads for every round:
Breaking down the NL playoff picture
Here are the odds for the NL playoff squads for every round:
Playoff schedule
Wild-card series
Best of three, all games at better seed’s stadium
Game 1: Tuesday
Game 2: Wednesday
Game 3: Thursday*
Division series
Best of five
ALDS
Game 1: Oct. 4
Game 2: Oct. 5
Game 3: Oct. 7
Game 4: Oct. 8*
Game 5: Oct. 10*
NLDS
Game 1: Oct. 4
Game 2: Oct. 6
Game 3: Oct. 8
Game 4: Oct. 9*
Game 5: Oct. 11*
League championship series
Best of seven
ALCS
Game 1: Oct. 12
Game 2: Oct. 13
Game 3: Oct. 15
Game 4: Oct. 16
Game 5: Oct. 17*
Game 6: Oct. 19*
Game 7: Oct. 20*
NLCS
Game 1: Oct. 13
Game 2: Oct. 14
Game 3: Oct. 16
Game 4: Oct. 17
Game 5: Oct. 18*
Game 6: Oct. 20*
Game 7: Oct. 21*
World Series
Best of seven
Game 1: Oct. 24
Game 2: Oct. 25
Game 3: Oct. 27
Game 4: Oct. 28
Game 5: Oct. 29*
Game 6: Oct. 31*
Game 7: Nov. 1*
* If necessary