MLB playoff races: Top storylines as battle continues for AL East, AL Central crowns; Mets cling to final NL wild-card

The final weekend of regular-season baseball is here, and every team in the majors will conclude its marathons with a three-game series. We’ll have some enticing divisional matchups and some head-scratchers like … Phillies-Twins?

Here are the top storylines entering Friday in a chaotic finish for the 2025 regular season:

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[MLB playoffs 2025 tracker: Standings, schedule, clinch scenarios and more with 3 games to go]

Will the Marlins play the ultimate spoiler for the Mets?

The New York Mets are clinging to the final wild-card spot in the NL playoff race. They sweated out an 8-5 victory against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday and took two of three games at Wrigley Field to maintain their lead in the wild-card race against the Cincinnati Reds (one game) and Arizona Diamondbacks (two games). The Mets don’t own the tiebreakers against those teams, so yeah, the pressure is on for New York.

Up next: Three games in Miami against the Marlins. Despite the payroll disparity between the clubs — $69 million vs. $340 million — the season series is tied 5-5.

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For the Mets, it’s sad that it has come down to this. But at least they’re in control.

Who will blink first: Yankees or Jays?

The stakes are high for New York and Toronto in the AL playoff race, as the team that comes out on top in this division will get a first-round bye, joining the Seattle Mariners. The runner-up will get a ticket to the wild-card round as host.

The clubs enter Friday tied, and the Jays have the tiebreaker. Each will have its regular-season finale at home, with the Yankees hosting the Baltimore Orioles and the Jays playing the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yankees went 6-4 against the Orioles this season, with New York taking three of four games in their last series. As for the Jays, they’re 3-7 against the Rays this season. Toronto split a four-game set with Tampa in their last matchup earlier this month.

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Dodgers, Mariners are in, but they’ve got some things to work out

Go ahead and chuckle about a schedule that concludes the regular season with Mariners vs. Dodgers. What a natural rivalry, eh?

Anyhow, the Mariners have secured a first-round bye en route to capturing the AL West. They still have a shot, albeit a long one, at snatching away the No. 1 seed from the Yankees and Blue Jays. Plus, Cal Raleigh wants to swing that trident around a couple of more times in pursuit of that AL single-season home run record. So don’t expect the Mariners to coast here.

As for the Dodgers, they’re locked into the No. 3 seed in the NL. However, could we see more work from Roki Sasaki out of the bullpen as a tune-up for the postseason? Will anyone in the Dodgers’ bullpen show a glimmer of improvement heading into October, starting Friday?

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It all comes down to this as Guardians, Tigers battle for AL Central crown

Three games over this final weekend of the 2025 MLB regular season will decide the American League Central division title. Neither team has officially clinched a playoff berth, but both teams could make their way into the postseason regardless of who wins the Central.

Cleveland ends the season with a three-game series hosting the Texas Rangers, who have been eliminated from playoff contention but could play the role of spoiler for the Guardians. If the Guardians and Tigers remain neck and neck through the weekend, the most likely scenario is them facing off in the wild-card round.

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The Tigers could have a bit of a tougher fight to close out the regular season, thanks to their recent free-fall that saw them drop eight straight. They visit Boston on Friday night, taking on a Red Sox team also fighting for wild-card positioning. The Tigers swept the Red Sox in their lone series earlier this season.

If these AL Central rivals end the season with the same record, the Guardians hold the tiebreaker with a head-to-head record of 8-5 in the season series with the Tigers, after taking two of three games from them this week. No matter who wins the AL Central, both Cleveland and Detroit hold tiebreakers over the Houston Astros in the wild-card race. The Astros are currently one game behind the Guardians and Tigers for the wild card heading into this final weekend.

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Friday’s notable games

Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. ET
Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. ET
Texas Rangers vs. Cleveland Guardians, 7:10 p.m. ET
New York Mets vs. Miami Marlins 7:10 p.m. ET
Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers 8:10 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Seattle Mariners, 9:40 p.m. ET

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