The 2025 Major League Baseball postseason is underway, with the playoff bracket locked in after a tense final weekend of the regular season. Twelve teams, six from each league, are battling for a shot at the Commissioner's Trophy, but the road looks particularly grueling for the wild card entrants. Indeed, the format remains the same—best-of-three Wild Card Series leading into best-of-five Division Series—but this year's seeding has created some intriguing mismatches right from the start.
In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays earned the top seed with their division-clinching surge, facing off against the lowest wild card team in a quick series that wrapped up its opener on Tuesday. The New York Yankees, holding the No. 2 spot, drew a favorable matchup against a wildcard foe, while the Seattle Mariners, snapping a long drought, host another play-in squad. However, the real wildcard intrigue unfolded in the AL, where the Cleveland Guardians and perhaps a surprise like the Cincinnati Reds slipped into the mix, forcing higher seeds to sweat early. Over in the National League, the bracket mirrors the intensity: top-seeded teams like the Dodgers or Phillies—wait, actually, the exact seeds shifted late, but the point is, division winners get home-field edge through the ALCS or NLCS.
Schedule-wise, the Wild Card round runs through Thursday, with Division Series starting Saturday on networks like FOX and TBS. Moreover, betting odds heavily favor perennial powers, yet underdogs have already shown teeth in the first games—think close scores and extra-inning nail-biters. The World Series, scheduled for late October, promises another chapter in MLB's unpredictable October lore, but no clear winner yet; that's the beauty and frustration of it all.
Still, as the bracket unfolds, one can't help but wonder if this postseason will deliver the classic upsets or just reinforce the dominance of the big-market clubs.