Biggest moments of 2025 MLB postseason

Toronto closer Jeff Hoffmanâ€s heartbroken quote after Game 7 of the World Series wasnâ€t eloquent, and yet it said so much:

“Just one pitch, and, uh, yeah.â€

That right there is what makes MLBâ€s postseason so captivating. All it takes is one pitch to upend a game, a story, a season, a legacy.

Hoffman served up one pitch that greatly altered Game 7 — Miguel Rojas’ game-tying home run with one out in the top of the ninth that wound up sending it to extras, where the Dodgers prevailed in 11 innings for their second consecutive crown.

Now that the World Series is in the books, letâ€s take a look back at some of the stories and sequences that defined another epic October.

Hereâ€s one individual moment or performance from each postseason series that best tells its tale.

Tigers-Guardians American League Wild Card: Dinglerâ€s dinger

These two AL Central rivals faced each other in three series in the span of three weeks. Their last two series of the regular season allowed the Guardians to complete a historic surge to first place after trailing the Tigers by as many as 15 1/2 games.

So there was more than the usual amount of emotion packed into this best-of-three at Progressive Field. The Tigers and Guards split the first two games, setting up a winner-take-all Game 3. And with the game itself also tied at 1-1, it was Detroit catcher Dillon Dingler — who grew up a Cleveland fan in Northeast Ohio — breaking hearts in his home state by smashing a solo shot off Joey Cantillo in the top of the sixth. The Tigers were in the driverâ€s seat from there in a 6-3 win.

“The team with the biggest momentum or the most momentum was the one that was going to carry on,†Dingler said afterward. “We were able to flip it right there.â€

Dodgers-Reds National League Wild Card: The rookie Roki

What looked like a mismatch on paper turned out to be one in real life, too. There was no single moment that defined the Dodgers†quick sweep of the Reds, but probably the biggest takeaway from that short series was Los Angeles showing it had something special in the ninth.

An iffy bullpen clouded the Dodgers†repeat chances, and a poor performance from the ‘pen in the eighth inning of both games sapped a lot of energy from Dodger Stadium. But then in came Roki Sasaki to close out Game 2, flinging 101 mph heat and disposing of the top of the Reds†order on just 11 pitches, with two strikeouts and a lineout. It was just his fifth relief appearance as a professional, and it changed the way we looked at the Dodgers†bullpen overnight.

“All you can say is wow,†Max Muncy said afterward. “Thatâ€s what we need right there.â€

Yankees-Red Sox AL Wild Card: Schlitt happens

As if a Yankees-Red Sox series needed any more juice, the Yanks gave the start in the winner-take-all Game 3 to a rookie pitcher from Walpole, Mass.

Afterward, Schlittler said the online chatter he had heard from people back home had made it “personal.â€

“Iâ€m from Boston,†he said. “I didnâ€t like some of the things they were saying. I was just making sure I was going out there and extra locked in.â€

Cubs-Padres NL Wild Card: PCA comes to play

A day earlier, Manny Machado had hit a game-changing home run to help force a Game 3. And Machado might have had extra bases on his 111.2 mph liner in the first inning of this one had Crow-Armstrong not bolted nearly 13 feet to his left before snaring it with a sliding catch. The play had just a 10% catch probability.

The next inning, PCA drove in the gameâ€s first run with an RBI single, and the Cubs were on their way to a 3-1 victory and a date with the rival Brewers in the NL Division Series.

Blue Jays-Yankees ALDS: Not a Vlad start

The Blue Jays captured the AL East crown by erasing an eight-game deficit against the Yankees and beating them eight times in 13 regular-season matchups.

Still, New York was the playoff-tested defending AL champ, while this current Toronto core had yet to win a playoff game together, let alone a playoff series. So the Blue Jays had plenty to prove.

“There was a little bit of a different feel about Vlad today,†Toronto manager John Schneider said afterward.

Brewers-Cubs NLDS: Long Vaughn

Though the Brewers had owned the NL Central this season, they had lost the head-to-head series against the Cubs and were in danger of losing this one, too, after squandering a 2-0 series lead.

But in Game 5 at American Family Field, the man who unexpectedly changed the trajectory of the Brewers†season had his biggest moment yet. Andrew Vaughn was a low-profile trade pickup from the White Sox midyear who wound up belting nine homers and 14 doubles in 64 games.

Mariners-Tigers ALDS: Leo the lion

The Mariners were trailing, 2-1 — seven outs from elimination — when Leo Rivas, a 28-year-old utilityman and Minor League journeyman, pinch-hit with two outs and lined an RBI single off Tyler Holton to tie the game and, ultimately, send it to those endless extras.

“When I woke up,†said Rivas, “I said, ‘Todayâ€s going to be a good day. Todayâ€s going to be a great day to celebrate my birthday.â€â€

Dodgers-Phillies NLDS: Teoâ€s tater

After a successful-but-not-stupendous regular season, it was fair to wonder if the Dodgers would flip the switch come October. They took advantage of a favorable matchup against the Reds in the Wild Card Series, but then it was on to Philly for a big test against the NL East champs.

For much of Game 1, the Dodgers looked overmatched against Cristopher Sánchez, and they were trailing, 3-2, going into the seventh. But with two on and two out, it was Teo time, as Teoscar Hernández pounded a four-seamer from reliever Matt Strahm over the right-center-field wall for a three-run shot to give the Dodgers the go-ahead runs.

There would be other big moments in this series, including Phillies reliever Orion Kerkeringâ€s walk-off error in the Game 4 finale. But Hernándezâ€s swing set the tone by swinging a game (the Dodgers won, 5-3), a series and, really, the entire NL playoff picture.

“Thank God it went out of the park,†Hernández said in Spanish.

Blue Jays-Mariners AL Championship Series: By George, heâ€s done it

On the heels of a resurgent 2025 at the plate, Springer came to bat in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 7 of the ALCS with so many hearts in his hands. With two on, one out and the Blue Jays trailing 3-1, the Mariners were just seven outs away from their first AL pennant and silencing a packed Rogers Centre.

“I had a headache from screaming,†Springer said.

Dodgers-Brewers NLCS: The greatest Sho on earth

The Brewers owned the best record in MLB this year, but the Dodgers owned this series with a clean sweep. And it was completed in a way weâ€ll be talking about for the rest of baseball time.

Shohei Ohtani had never gotten to showcase his two-way capabilities on the October stage prior to this postseason, but it proved worth the wait. Making the start on the mound in Game 4, he went six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. And at the plate, he belted three home runs, including one that cleared Dodger Stadiumâ€s right-center-field pavilion. The Dodgers rolled, 5-1, to capture their second consecutive NL crown.

No player in MLB history had ever had both a 10-strikeout game and a three-homer game in the same season. Let alone in the same game. Let alone in a pennant-clincher.

Ohtani went on to set and tie more records by reaching base nine times, with four extra-base hits, in Game 3 of the World Series against the Blue Jays — an incredible offensive performance. But the combo of pitching and hitting that we saw in the NLCS is something we had never seen before and, for all we know, might never see again.

“That was probably the greatest postseason performance of all time,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s been a lot of postseason games. And there’s a reason why he’s the greatest player on the planet.â€

Blue Jays-Dodgers World Series: Two outs equal two titles

Jeez, what a World Series.

Now, you might think that the Rojas homer mentioned above — the solo swat that erased the Dodgers†4-3 deficit when they were down to their final two outs – was the biggest Game 7 game-changer.

Or you might think it would be the Will Smith blast that gave the Dodgers the go-ahead in the top of the 11th.

But the play that best defines this ultra-tight, evenly matched World Series was the one that ended it.

The Blue Jays had runners on the corners with one out. Their franchise face, Guerrero, was just 90 feet from tying it at 5. But with Yamamoto on the hill, pitching in his third relief inning on zero days†rest, Alejandro Kirk hit a ground ball to short. Mookie Betts fielded it, stepped on second for one out and threw to first for the final out.

“Honestly, nobody knows, because they werenâ€t in my head, but I was so nervous right there,†Betts said. “I had never been in that situation, and I was so nervous. … As he was pitching the ball, I was talking to myself, ‘Be nasty, just move, just make a play — just be nasty, be nasty, be nasty.â€â€

He was nasty enough to make a play that improved the Dodgers†chances of winning by 46%, which, according to Baseball-Reference, was the highest win probability added of any single play not just in Game 7 but in the entire series.

It just goes to show this great World Series — and this great postseason — was not over until it was.

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