The 2025 MLB postseason kicked off this week, drawing fans into a familiar frenzy of bracket drama and nail-biting finishes. With the regular season wrapped, twelve teams are battling for glory, starting with those tense Wild Card Series. Indeed, the format remains the same—best-of-three for the wild cards, then division series—but this year's matchups feel particularly unpredictable, especially after a regular season marked by late surges and unexpected slumps.
Over in the American League, the Detroit Tigers stunned the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1, riding a solid pitching effort to a narrow victory. However, the Guardians fired back on Wednesday, crushing Detroit 6-1 to force a decisive Game 3 today. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are locked in their own AL East grudge match, with Boston taking the opener before the Yankees evened it up in a pitchers' duel that went down to the wire. Both series head to Thursday's elimination games, where anything could happen—though the Yankees' bullpen depth gives them a slight edge, if you ask me.
The National League hasn't been any kinder. The Chicago Cubs grabbed an early win over the San Diego Padres, but San Diego responded forcefully, setting up another Game 3 showdown. And the Los Angeles Dodgers, as defending champions from 2024, dispatched the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1, only to see the Reds push back hard. These wild card tilts highlight the bracket's volatility: Tigers, Cubs, Red Sox, and Dodgers as initial victors, but now it's all evened out. The byes go to the heavy hitters—Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, and Philadelphia Phillies—who sit out until Saturday's Division Series.
Looking ahead, the bracket paths are clear: AL winners face the byes in the ALDS, same for NL. No World Series champion yet, of course, but early betting odds favor the Phillies and Dodgers as frontrunners, with their star-studded lineups poised to dominate if they advance. Still, upsets like the Reds' resilience remind us how fragile these paths can be. Moreover, with three Game 3s today, the postseason's true narrative is just beginning to take shape—what surprises will Thursday bring?