The 2025 MLB playoffs have kicked off with the intensity baseball fans crave, as the wild-card round wrapped up in dramatic fashion on Thursday night. Three decisive Game 3s saw the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Detroit Tigers punch their tickets to the Division Series, leaving the postseason field narrowed to eight contenders. It's a familiar format this year—12 teams total, six from each league, with division winners getting a bye while wild cards duke it out in best-of-three series. Indeed, the Yankees, as the top American League seed, now face the Tigers in what promises to be a gritty matchup starting Saturday.
Moreover, the bracket is taking shape quickly. In the AL, the Yankees-Tigers series opens at Yankee Stadium, while the Houston Astros host the Cleveland Guardians. Over in the NL, the Cubs travel to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Philadelphia Phillies welcome the Milwaukee Brewers. Games run through early next week, with potential travel days baked in for that best-of-five tension. The schedule feels rushed, doesn't it? Division Series games are set for October 4 through 11, flipping to the higher seed's home if needed. However, weather could play spoiler this time of year, as it often does in October baseball.
Looking ahead, the League Championship Series would follow, best-of-seven affairs from October 13, leading straight into the World Series starting October 25 in the National League champ's park. That falls to November 1 if it goes the distance, a classic fall classic under the lights. The Yankees, with their storied playoff pedigree, enter as favorites in many eyes, but the Tigers' scrappy run adds an underdog edge that's hard to ignore. Still, roster depth and pitching rotations will tell the real story here.
Yet as the bracket fills out, one wonders if this postseason will deliver the upsets or the expected dominance we've seen in recent years.