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Browsing: series
Six experts from Yahoo Sports predicted the postseason, and their strongest hunch was no different than the CBS crew: Phillies over the Mariners in the final round. They did take things a step further and predicted World Series MVPs, pointing to three different winners for Philadelphia: Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Cristopher Sánchez.
One more expert picked the Phillies to make the final round, only to fall to the New York Yankees in six games. In a bit of a surprise, this prediction pegged Giancarlo Stanton as the World Series MVP. It’d be interesting to know, though, whether that pick had more to do with Stanton’s play style or Aaron Judge’s career struggles in the postseason (.205/.318/.450 slash line over 58 outings).
For the non-math majors in the audience, that leaves two predictions on the board, and they both featured the same champion: The Milwaukee Brewers. That feels more notable than it should for the Major League-leader in both wins (97) and run differential (plus-172), but this is a franchise that has only reached the World Series once and never won it.
The Brewers aren’t built around household names, and the MVP predictions here reflect as much. One went with Brice Turang, a third-year player with a career .257/.325/.368 slash line. The other crowned Andrew Vaughn, a former top prospect who fizzled out with the Chicago White Sox and was traded to Milwaukee at midseason for journeyman starter Aaron Civale and cash.
With wild-card matchups set, there are a few things fans should know before the action gets underway. The first is that the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers will all have opening-round byes. Their first playoff action won’t come until Saturday, October 4.
Secondly, each league’s third division-winner and top wild-card teams will have home-field advantage throughout the wild-card round. That’s one reason why the Cleveland Guardians’ late-season surge to an AL Central title was so huge.
The Guardians, who were 15½ games back in early July, won the division via tiebreakers over the Detroit Tigers—whose collapse was nearly as epic as Cleveland’s comeback.
Detroit still had a 10-game lead in early September before a miserable month. At least, the Tigers will have a shot at redemption against their division rivals this week.
“This familiarity can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, per Evan Woodberry of MLive. “So we’re going to have to turn over every rock and make sure we’re prepared.”
The Guardians will now be at home for all three (if necessary) games against the Tigers in the wild-card round. The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs will also hold home-field advantage this week.
Once the divisional round begins this weekend, teams will engage in five-game series with the top division winners holding home-field advantage. Those series will follow a 2-2-1 home-field format. The ALCS, NLCS and World Series are all best-of-seven series following a 2-3-2 format.
The MLB playoff bracket does not feature reseeding, so the No. 1 seed will never face another division-winner ahead of the League Championship Series.
The Blue Jays will play the winner of the Yankees and Boston Red Sox wild-card matchup, while the Brewers will face the winner of the San Diego Padres and Cubs matchup.
The team with the better regular-season record will have home-field advantage in the ALCS, NLCS and World Series.
In last year’s playoffs, three of the top four seeds made it to the League Championship Round—along with the sixth-seeded New York Mets. Both No. 1 seeds, the Yankees and Dodgers, faced off in the World Series.
Despite a glittering career which saw Drogba win four Premier League titles and the Champions League with Chelsea, the two-time African Footballer of the Year has so far decided against a move into coaching.
But the 47-year-old says he is now channelling the leadership qualities of his former coaches and team-mates into his new position.
“I’m lucky to have had a diversity of managers, a diversity of knowledge, and I learned a lot.
“Even players who showed great leadership, like John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Petr Cech – all these guys.
“I try to be like a sponge and take the best out of them, as a leader trying to reproduce it, but in my own way.”
While competition in E1 is fierce on the water, it is just as intense away from it, according to a smiling Drogba.
“I decided not to bring too much of my competitiveness, otherwise I will destroy them like I destroyed all the strikers I was in competition with,” he laughed when discussing his rivalry with the other owners.
“These guys are really nasty on this WhatsApp group.
“I thought Rafa [Nadal] was a nice guy, always gentle, polite. But I’ve read what he said a few times and I’m not happy about it so I will have to change gears.”
With DJ Steve Aoki and Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony, huge names in North America and beyond, also team owners, the rivalry between the stars is clearly one of E1’s biggest draws.
It has led organisers to target a valuation of £500m ($675m) for the competition in the next five years.
“It can only grow with the energy that all the owners are putting in,” said Drogba.
“When we first started, I think it was me, Rafa, Marc and Steve.
“Now the list is becoming bigger with Tom Brady, Will Smith, LeBron James. Hopefully we’ll have a female owner too because this is really important.”
Also on Drogba’s list is a race in Ivory Coast, with Abidjan a likely venue because of its lagoon which mirrors Lagos’ waterways.
“There’s some technical specifications that you must require to organise the race, but I think we have everything here [Abidjan] to host,” he added.
“We proved it with the Africa Cup of Nations. This is something that must happen.”
We made it, baseball fans. It was a chaotic sprint to finish the regular season, but with 162 games on the books, it’s time to kick off the postseason with the wild-card round.
Four best-of-three series begin Tuesday, so let’s jump in. Here’s what you need to know about the wild-card matchups, including projected starters, X-factors and series predictions.
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Yahoo’s picks for the first round of the postseason. (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)
No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 3 Cleveland Guardians
Projected starters
Game 1: Tarik Skubal (DET) vs. Gavin Williams (CLE)
Game 2: Jack Flaherty (DET) vs. Tanner Bibee (CLE)
Game 3: Casey Mize (DET) vs. Slade Cecconi (CLE)
How they got here
Tigers: For most of the first half, Detroit looked like the No. 1 team in the American League. The Tigers entered the All-Star break with baseballâ€s best record, dominating like a souped-up version of the 2024 club that improbably snuck into the postseason. Tarik Skubal was sensational, the other pitching was good enough, the offense of interchangeable pieces was producing. Javy Baéz even made the All-Star team. All was well.
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Then the bottom fell out. Detroit went 28-37 after the break, the worst second-half record of any playoff team. And when the Guards got hot in September, the Tigers couldnâ€t right the ship, coughing up the division crown over the seasonâ€s final week. Only a similarly catastrophic collapse from the Astros kept Detroit in the playoff field. But now the Tigers are in, and they still have the best pitcher on the planet.
Guardians: On the morning of Sept. 5, the Guards were 11 games behind the division-leading Tigers, wallowing in third in the AL Central. Their playoff odds, according to FanGraphs, were 2.9%. Their division odds, understandably, were even lower, comically so, at 0.1%. The last few weeks seemed destined to be a forgettable epilogue to a tumultuous season that included two players being placed on administrative leave as part of a gambling investigation.
Instead, history happened.
Clevelandâ€s pitching staff caught fire, and the Guardians rode their unique brand of crisp defense, aggressive baserunning and unflappable, José RamÃrez-style moxie to a comeback of historic proportions. The club finished the season 19-4 over its final 23 games to catch and pass the flailing Tigers.
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Belief is a dangerous thing, and these Guardians have quite a surplus right now.
X-factors
Tigers: Riley Greene
At the break, Greeneâ€s .879 OPS ranked 15th among qualified hitters. Heâ€d seemingly emerged as a young star, the face of Detroitâ€s otherwise anonymous lineup. That earned him the honor of hitting second for the American League in the Midsummer Classic, directly in front of Aaron Judge.
But since the break, Greene has a .694 OPS, a mark that ranks 117th among qualified hitters. This dude is supposed to be this teamâ€s best hitter, its best offensive player, and for the past two months, as the season started to crumble, he turtled. The best version of Greene is dangerous, imposing, a real power threat. The Tigers need that guy to reappear if theyâ€re going to survive one last trip to Cleveland.
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Guardians: Jhonkensy Noel and José RamÃrez
The man delightfully known as “Big Christmas†is the only active Guardian to have ever hit a home run off Tarik Skubal. Playoffs included, Clevelandâ€s roster has a collective .311 career slugging percentage in 145 plate appearances against the reigning AL Cy Young. For reference, Clevelandâ€s light-hitting backup catcher, Austin Hedges, has a career .313 slugging percentage.
The righty-hitting Noel is probably going to face Skubal three times in Game 1. Whether he gets a hold of one — and how many runners are on base if and when that happens — could dictate the outcome of the entire series.
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That said, itâ€s really all about RamÃrez. Every time he steps to the plate, he exudes swagger and confidence, the flavor of which has spread to the entire Guardians club over the past few weeks. Heâ€s the sparkplug, the heart and soul, the be-all and end-all for this team.
How they win
Tigers: Skubal dominates, and crucially, this time he doesnâ€t longsnap the game away through his legs. Even though Cleveland won the two most recent Skubal showdowns, both of which happened in the past 10 days, the Cy Young-in-waiting allowed just two earned runs across those outings while punching out 17. Itâ€s more than conceivable that the American Leagueâ€s best pitcher storms into Progressive Field, silences the crowd and changes the narrative.
Then what?
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Well, baseball is silly, and Clevelandâ€s offense remains relatively mediocre. The Guardians ranked 14th in OPS while they were chasing down the Tigers in September. Skubal plus a bad day for the Guards†lineup could easily push Detroit through to the ALDS.
Guardians: The way theyâ€ve been winning, baby. That recipe is great starting pitching, mistake-free defense, a few electrifying J-Ram moments, an infield hit or five, and the good graces of the hard-ball gods. Being a Cleveland Guardian right now seems like the most fun, heart-warming job in the entire world. They reaffirm every last cliché about “playing for one another†and “doing the little things right.†And theyâ€re still playing with house money.
Series prediction: Guardians in three
Skubal carves in Game 1, but the Guardians win the next two to keep their magical ride rolling.
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— Mintz
No. 5 Boston Red Sox vs. No. 4 New York Yankees
Projected starters
Game 1: Garrett Crochet (BOS) vs. Max Fried (NYY)
Game 2: Lucas Giolito (BOS) vs. Carlos Rodón (NYY)
Game 3: Brayan Bello (BOS) vs. Cam Schlittler (NYY)
Note: Boston hasnâ€t announced the order itâ€ll roll out Giolito and Bello, but Giolito has been better recently. The Yankees also havenâ€t announced a Game 3 starter; their other two options are Luis Gil and Will Warren.
How they got here
Red Sox:What a roller coaster.
Hereâ€s an incomplete list of notable things that happened to the 2025 Red Sox: They traded away the face of the franchise, Rafael Devers, after a very avoidable, very public kerfuffle about his defensive position. That situation escalated the way it did only because the teamâ€s presumed first baseman of the future, Tristan Casas, suffered a season-ending knee injury on May 2. Big-ticket free agent Alex Bregman missed two months due to a quad issue. A trio of top prospects debuted and then either disappointed (Kristian Campbell) or got hurt (Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony). Garrett Crochet, who will finish second for the AL Cy Young, went to the zoo and saw some pandas. The team appeared magically tethered to .500 before a nine-game winning streak leading into the All-Star break propelled them back into playoff contention.
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It feels like the 2025 Red Sox played five seasons this season. Now they have to play another one.
Yankees: This is the best offense in baseball. The Bombers lead MLB in runs, homers, slugging percentage and OPS. Aaron Judge is either going to win MVP or almost win MVP. Giancarlo Stanton returned from a bizarre series of elbow issues and spent much of the summer putting fans in the outfield at risk. Jazz Chisholm Jr. solidified himself as one of the best second basemen in the sport. Ben Rice and Trent Grisham broke out. Cody Bellinger found his groove. Besides the mysterious capitulation of Anthony Volpe, things were really good for Yankee hitters this year.
The same was true for the rotation, which stepped up big-time after ace Gerrit Cole went down with a torn UCL in spring training. Max Fried was brilliant in his debut season in the Bronx. Carlos Rodón evolved his game, delivering a crucial bounce-back season. Two rookies, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren, emerged as stalwarts. Weâ€ll, uh, talk about the bullpen later.
The Yankees struggled versus playoff-caliber clubs for much of the season before a solid stretch in September against Houston, Toronto, Boston and Detroit. There are still concerns about the defense and the baserunning — those pesky buggers that doomed New York in the 2024 World Series — but this team is playing well at the right time.
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X-factors
Red Sox: The lefty-mashing specialists: Romy González and Rob Refsnyder
New Yorkâ€s two best starters, Fried and Rodón, both throw with their left arm. In 42 plate appearances this season against lefty Yankees, González and Refsnyder are a combined 13-for-35 with six extra-base hits and seven walks. Thatâ€s a .371/.476/.629 line. The other main righty bats in Bostonâ€s lineup — Trevor Story, Alex Bregman, Carlos Narvaez — will be crucial as well, but how Romy and Rob do against Fried and Rodón could swing this series.
Yankees:The bullpen
This has been the clubâ€s weak link all season, and it could be its Achilles†heel in October. David Bednar, acquired from Pittsburgh at the deadline, has been great in the closer role. But the bridge between him and the starters has been shaky at times. The Luke Weaver/Devin Williams tandem hasnâ€t lived up to expectations. Another deadline add, sidewinding righty Camilo Doval, has shown flashes of dominance but doesnâ€t foster supreme confidence. The same is true for Fernando Cruz, whose splitter baffled hitters in the first half but hasnâ€t been as effective recently.
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The names are big, the pedigrees are impressive, but when it gets late and tense in October, does this Yankees ‘pen have what it takes?
How they win
Red Sox: Crochet shoves in the opener, and the Sox win a low-scoring game thanks to a few solo shots off Fried and the Yanks†pen. Then Boston pounces on Game 2 starter Rodón, who struggled in his three starts against the Sox this year, with 10 earned runs in 15â…” innings. Just like that, done and dusted, the Sox send the Yankees on an early vacation while reinvigorating baseballâ€s most historic rivalry.
Yankees: By bludgeoning Boston into submission. The Yankees†lineup is better than the Red Soxâ€s lineup by a pretty significant margin. Of course, anything can happen in a short series, but New Yorkâ€s firepower up and down the lineup feels like a game-changer.
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Series prediction: Yankees in two
Fried keeps it close enough with Crochet in Game 1 for New Yorkâ€s lineup to explode late. The Red Sox canâ€t bounce back and fizzle out quietly in Game 2.
— Mintz
The postseason begins with two rivalry matchups in Tigers vs. Guardians and Red Sox vs. Yankees. (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports)
No. 6 Cincinnati Reds vs. No. 3 Los Angeles Dodgers
Projected starters
Game 1: Hunter Greene (CIN) vs. Shohei Ohtani (LAD)
Game 2: Nick Lodolo (CIN) vs. Blake Snell (LAD)
Game 3: Andrew Abbott (CIN) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD)
How they got here
Reds: When you hire Terry Francona to be your manager, which the Reds did this past offseason, youâ€re making a statement to your fan base and your organization that expectations are going to be higher. But it appeared for most of the 2025 season that a postseason appearance wasnâ€t in the cards for Cincinnati.
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That is, until the New York Mets left the door open for the third NL wild-card spot. The Reds were able to outplay New York over the final three months of the regular season, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and their first time in a 162-game season since 2013.
Dodgers: We all went into this season believing the Dodgers would run roughshod through the league after a winter in which they added ace Blake Snell, closer Tanner Scott and international free agent Roki Sasaki. But baseball doesnâ€t work that way, and things were not easy for the Dodgers in 2025. On offense, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman struggled in a way the team couldnâ€t have anticipated, but the good news for L.A. is Shohei Ohtani more than makes up for others†flaws, hitting a franchise-record and career-high 55 home runs and likely winning his third consecutive MVP Award while returning to the mound.
As in the past several seasons, injuries plagued L.A.â€s starting rotation in the first half. But the Dodgers got healthier in the second half, with a rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani coming into view. In the end, like theyâ€ve done 12 times in the past 13 seasons, the Dodgers found a way to capture the NL West title.
X-factors
Reds: Hunter Greene
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If the Reds win this series against the Dodgers, it will be because their ace gets them off on the right foot and helps them get a critical Game 1 victory. When Greene is at his best, like he showed when he nearly tossed a no-hitter against the Cubs on Sept. 18, he is a true difference-maker. If Greene is great in L.A., the Reds have a chance.
Dodgers: Roki Sasaki
We didnâ€t know if we would see Sasaki again this season, as he missed most of the season due to a right shoulder impingement. Even when he was healthy, he didnâ€t show much consistency. But the rookie right-hander has looked like a different pitcher since his recent return to the big leagues in a relief role, with his fastball looking unhittable and his signature splitter keeping hitters off-balance.
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What makes Sasaki the ultimate X-factor is that where the Dodgers are most vulnerable right now is in their bullpen, particularly in high leverage. When heâ€s right, Sasaki probably has the filthiest stuff on the Dodgers†roster, and with Blake Teinen and Tanner Scott both struggling, the Dodgers could make Sasaki their closer this postseason.
Even though Sasakiâ€s stuff has looked electric, the pressure of the postseason is a different animal. But fortune favors the bold, and the Dodgers might not have a better option.
How they win
Reds:Pitching. Pitching. And more pitching. The Reds reached the postseason behind strong starting pitching, and if they hope to beat the juggernaut Dodgers, it will have to be their starters who once again carry them. And Cincinnati will roll out its best in Greene, Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo against L.A. If thereâ€s anything that can stop a world-class lineup like the Dodgers, itâ€s the arms on the Reds.
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Dodgers:Thereâ€s no secret sauce to the Dodgers†success. When their superstars are playing at their best, they are almost impossible to beat. The combination of Ohtani, Betts and Freeman gives them a trio that few teams in MLB history could rival. If just one of them has a big series, that could be enough to carry this team into the next round. But L.A.â€s bullpen is its weak link going into October. The Dodgers will need length from their starters to keep that leaky bullpen from being exposed.
Series prediction: Dodgers in three
The Dodgers are better than the Reds in terms of elite talent, but the equalizer in this series could be the starting pitching. Greene has shown down the stretch that he can be one of the elite aces in baseball, and the Reds have enough to win a 3-2 or 2-1 game. Ultimately, the Dodgers†high-powered offense will be the difference in this series. When you have players like Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernández hitting in the bottom of the order, thatâ€s nearly unbeatable lineup depth.
— Dorsey
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No. 5 San Diego Padres vs. No. 4 Chicago Cubs
Projected starters
Game 1: Nick Pivetta (SD) vs. Shota Imanaga (CHI)
Game 2: Dylan Cease (SD) vs. Matthew Boyd (CHI)
Game 3: Yu Darvish (SD) vs. Jameson Taillon (CHI)
How they got here
Padres:San Diegoâ€s path to the postseason was different than in years past. Usually, itâ€s the offense led by Manny Machado and Co. that drives the Padres. This time around, it was the pitching, as San Diego finished the season top-three in baseball in team ERA and first in bullpen ERA. One of the big turning points for San Diego was the trade deadline, when it made arguably the biggest move in the sport, acquiring fireballer Mason Miller from the Aâ€s. President of baseball operations AJ Preller once again cashed in his chips on a lights-out bullpen — one built to thrive in October.
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Cubs: For the first time since 2018, the Cubs reached the playoffs in a full season, recording their most wins since that year. With a first-half offense that was the best in baseball and breakout years from Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch, the Cubs surged early this year. But after an impressive first half, the second half saw Chicago have to grind to get into the postseason. The offense sputtered, and the Cubs had to lean on their pitching to secure a wild-card spot. But they made it with room to spare, and the Cubs will have an opportunity to face their division rivals in the NLDS if they can get through San Diego.
X-factors
Padres: Jackson Merrill
It hasnâ€t been the easiest sophomore season for Merrill, coming off a phenomenal rookie season. He began the season by signing a massive, seven-year extension, but shortly after, he landed on the injured list due to a hamstring strain. But fast-forward to September, and the 22-year-old not only looks fully healthy but also has locked in at the perfect time, with a .938 OPS and seven homers this month. Merrill hitting in the cleanup spot behind Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado makes the Padres dangerous when the trio is firing on all cylinders.
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Cubs:Michael Busch
You can make a case that Busch has been the most underrated offensive player in baseball this season. With his 34 home runs, the first baseman has done something that not even Anthony Rizzo did in his time in Chicago, and his tally is the most by a Cub since Kyle Schwarber hit 38 in 2019. Busch has been the most consistent offensive player in the Cubs†lineup, and whichever way he goes, usually Chicagoâ€s offense follows. Busch having a big series vs. San Diego would be huge for Chicagoâ€s hopes to advance.
How they win
Padres:San Diego will advance to the NLDS for the second straight year if its stars come through. Preller built his lineup and roster around star power, and with Machado, Tatis and Merrill leading the way, San Diego has plenty of offensive firepower. Plus, beyond the Padres’ starting pitchers, the power arms in their bullpen become the equalizer. If the Padres can get to the fifth inning with a lead, itâ€ll be difficult for the Cubs to record hits, let alone score, against Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejón, Mason Miller and Robert Suarez.
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Cubs: If the Cubs rediscover the offense from the first half that made them one of baseballâ€s best teams, they can and will get to the NLDS. Chicago has shown glimpses of that with its surge over the last week of the regular season, especially from Seiya Suzuki, who seems to have rediscovered his power stroke. If the Cubs can come through with some clutch hits, theyâ€ll get past San Diego and face Milwaukee in the NLDS.
Series prediction: Padres in two
The biggest blow for Chicago is that it will be without NL Rookie of the Year candidate Cade Horton, who was placed on the injured list due to a rib fracture on Saturday. Horton wouldâ€ve been the Cubs†likely Game 1 starter. Instead theyâ€ll turn to a combination of Imanaga, Boyd and Taillon.
Postseason experience matters, and if thereâ€s one huge advantage for San Diego here, itâ€s that the Padres have been in the playoffs every year since 2022. After they were eliminated in the NLDS last year, when they believed they were the best team in baseball, itâ€s difficult to imagine them getting knocked out early a second straight year. San Diego‘s ability to shorten games with its bullpen gives it the edge in a short series.
— Dorsey
BOSTON — The manually operated out-of-town scoreboard got a workout on Sunday at Fenway Park, with crew members scrambling to update 14 games going on simultaneously. The Tigers could peek to their left from the third-base dugout and check how results elsewhere affected their potential postseason scenarios.
After entering the regular-season finale with four potential scenarios, the Tigers are heading back to Cleveland for their American League Wild Card Series starting on Tuesday. Of course theyâ€re heading back to Cleveland.
Riley Greene didnâ€t need to look at the scoreboard. As he told reporters after Sundayâ€s 4-3 loss to the Red Sox, it was as if the “writers in the sky†penned the script.
“We’ve played Cleveland 50 times in the past four days,†Greene said. “We know them. They know us. Itâ€s going to be fun.â€
Greene is only slightly exaggerating. If the series goes the distance, the Tigers and Guardians will have played nine games against each other in a 17-day span, a rarity even back when schedules were more unbalanced towards division rivalries.
Those matchups helped flip the AL Central race. Sunday finished it. The Tigers†loss, coupled with the Guardians†walk-off victory over the Rangers, secured the title outright for Cleveland.
Detroit became the first team in Major League history to hold a double-digit division lead and not hold on for the title. The Tigers will begin the postseason with a chance to knock out the team that surpassed them.
“Obviously, we know what kind of team they have,†catcher Dillon Dingler said. “We’ve played them six times in the past two weeks. We’re going to have a good game plan going in. The biggest thing is it’s a clean slate now, so we’re not going to worry about anything that’s happened. We’re going to move forward and we’re going to have a lot of fun.â€
Itâ€s not only a rematch of the past two weeks, itâ€s a rematch of last yearâ€s AL Division Series, a dramatic five-game battle that turned on Lane Thomas†grand slam off Tarik Skubal in Game 5. The Tigers will send Skubal to the mound on Tuesday in Game 1. Itâ€ll be his third consecutive start against the Guardians; he struck out 17 batters over 12 innings with two earned runs allowed in his previous two starts combined, but the Tigers lost both contests.
Thereâ€s very little these teams can do to surprise each other at this point, so it likely comes down to which executes its game plan best.
“We’ll make sure our guys don’t take for granted that we know them well,†manager A.J. Hinch said. “The biggest concern when you play a division opponent is familiarity can be a blessing or a curse depending on how you look at it, from being a little bit too comfortable. So we’re going to have to turn over every rock to make sure we’re prepared.â€
Said Dingler: “I think we’re just going to go and do what we’ve been doing the entire season. I don’t think we’re going to look into it all that much. We obviously always lean on our pitchers’ strengths more than anything, but we’ll have a good game plan.â€
In many ways, Hinch seemed prepared for the matchup. A day after the Tigers clinched a postseason berth by beating the Red Sox, he gave a rare day off to Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Gleyber Torres and Dingler. With Skubal pushed back to the postseason opener, Hinch turned to Chris Paddack for his first start since Aug. 29, followed by Paul Sewald and Tanner Rainey.
The skipper whoâ€s known for playing in-game matchups to get favorable at-bats stuck with his lineup. Jahmai Jones, Saturdayâ€s hero, was the only pinch-hitter available off the bench, Hinch said, and he left Jones on the bench when the Red Sox brought in lefty reliever Steven Matz to face Zach McKinstry with the potential tying run on third base in the seventh.
“Going back and forth on that, really from last night to today,†Hinch said. “There’s so many downstream effects that come with that, with the guys that have been going at it. We’ve got guys going through things. We’ve got guys that really did deserve a day off. What you saw was what we had.â€
The Guardians†win made it moot.
“Obviously, we wanted to win today to get the division,†Dingler said, “but at the end of the day, we are playing in the postseason. We just have to look forward now.â€
Major League Baseball today announced the complete broadcast schedule for the 2025 Wild Card Series. The 2025 postseason will have four Wild Card Series games scheduled each day from Tuesday through Thursday under a best-of-three format, all available on ESPNâ€s family of networks.
The MLB Wild Card Series will be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App. ESPN Radio will also provide live national coverage of all 2025 MLB Postseason games, beginning with the Wild Card Series. In addition, MLB Network will have extensive studio coverage of the Wild Card Series.
The 2025 postseason schedule, subject to change, can be viewed in its entirety at MLB.com/postseason and below.
Tuesday, Sept. 30
Tigers @ Guardians, AL Wild Card Series Game 1: 1 p.m. on ESPN
Padres @ Cubs, NL Wild Card Series Game 1: 3 p.m. on ABC
Red Sox @ Yankees, AL Wild Card Series Game 1: 6 p.m. on ESPN
Reds @ Dodgers, NL Wild Card Series Game 1: 9 p.m. on ESPN
Wednesday, Oct. 1
Tigers @ Guardians, AL Wild Card Series Game 2: 1 p.m. on ESPN
Padres @ Cubs, NL Wild Card Series Game 2: 3 p.m. on ABC
Red Sox @ Yankees, AL Wild Card Series Game 2: 6 p.m. on ESPN
Reds @ Dodgers, NL Wild Card Series Game 2: 9 p.m. on ESPN
Thursday, Oct. 2
Tigers @ Guardians, AL Wild Card Series Game 3*: 1 p.m. on ESPN
Padres @ Cubs, NL Wild Card Series Game 3*: 3 p.m. on ABC
Red Sox @ Yankees, AL Wild Card Series Game 3*: 6 p.m. on ESPN
Reds @ Dodgers, NL Wild Card Series Game 3*: 9 p.m. on ESPN
FOR ANY THREE-GAME SCENARIOS ON THURSDAY, OCT. 2:
If the DET @ CLE series is over, then there are no changes to the original schedule.
If the SD @ CHC series is over, then:
If the BOS @ NYY series is over, then:
If the CIN @ LAD series is over, then:
FOR ANY TWO-GAME SCENARIOS ON THURSDAY, OCT. 2:
If the DET @ CLE and BOS @ NYY series end, then:
If the DET @ CLE and SD @ CHC series end, then:
If the DET @ CLE and CIN @ LAD series end, then:
If the SD @ CHC and CIN @ LAD series end, then:
If the BOS @ NYY and SD @ CHC series end, then:
If the BOS @ NYY and CIN @ LAD series end, then:
FOR ANY ONE-GAME SCENARIO ON THURSDAY, OCT. 2:
If there is only one game, then it will be scheduled at 7:38 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Saturday, Oct. 4
ALDS A, Game 1 (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
ALDS B, Game 1 (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
NLDS A, Game 1 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
NLDS B, Game 1 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
Sunday, Oct. 5
ALDS A, Game 2 (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
ALDS B, Game 2 (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Monday, Oct. 6
NLDS A, Game 2 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
NLDS B, Game 2 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
Tuesday, Oct. 7
ALDS A, Game 3 (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
ALDS B, Game 3 (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Wednesday, Oct. 8
NLDS A, Game 3 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
NLDS B, Game 3 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
ALDS A, Game 4* (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
ALDS B, Game 4* (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Thursday, Oct. 9
NLDS A, Game 4* (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
NLDS B, Game 4* (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
Friday, Oct. 10
ALDS A, Game 5* (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
ALDS B, Game 5* (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Saturday, Oct. 11
NLDS A, Game 5* (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
NLDS B, Game 5* (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Sunday, Oct. 12
ALCS Game 1 (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Monday, Oct. 13
NLCS Game 1 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
ALCS Game 2 (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Tuesday, Oct. 14
NLCS Game 2 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
Wednesday, Oct. 15
ALCS Game 3 (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Thursday, Oct. 16
NLCS Game 3 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
ALCS Game 4 (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Friday, Oct. 17
NLCS Game 4 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
ALCS Game 5* (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Saturday, Oct. 18
NLCS Game 5* (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
Sunday, Oct. 19
ALCS Game 6* (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Monday, Oct. 20
NLCS Game 6* (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
ALCS Game 7* (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes)
Tuesday, Oct. 21
NLCS Game 7* (TBS, truTV, HBO Max)
Friday, Oct. 24
Game 1, at better 2025 record (FOX/FOX Deportes)
Saturday, Oct. 25
Game 2, at better 2025 record (FOX/FOX Deportes)
Monday, Oct. 27
Game 3 (FOX/FOX Deportes)
Tuesday, Oct. 28
Game 4 (FOX/FOX Deportes)
Wednesday, Oct. 29
Game 5* (FOX/FOX Deportes)
Friday, Oct. 31
Game 6*, at better 2025 record (FOX/FOX Deportes)
Saturday, Nov. 1
Game 7*, at better 2025 record (FOX/FOX Deportes)
FOX Sports and FOX Deportes will present live telecast coverage of the World Series for the 28th time. All games telecast on TNT Sports platforms, FOX and FS1 will be available to MLB.TV subscribers who are authenticated subscribers to the applicable network through a participating pay TV provider. The Wild Card Series will also be available via the ESPN App. ESPN Radio will provide live national coverage of all 2025 MLB postseason games, beginning with the Wild Card Series.
In addition to coverage by FOX Deportes, 2025 postseason games will also be telecast in Spanish on ESPN Deportes and Univision, while Univision Radio will provide Spanish language audio coverage. The 2025 postseason will be broadcast to 203 countries by 44 media partners in 16 languages around the globe.
MLB Network will air extensive studio coverage throughout the postseason across the Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight, the Emmy-nominated MLB Central, MLB Now and Intentional Talk.
CHICAGO – After the Cubs uncorked the bottles of champagne in Pittsburgh during their last road trip – celebrating clinching the franchiseâ€s first postseason berth in five years – the ballclub began to turn its attention to the next goal. The team wanted to bring October baseball back to Wrigley Field.
On Saturday afternoon, Michael Busch belted two homers to help make that happen via a 7-3 victory over the rival Cardinals at the Friendly Confines. With the win, the Cubs averted a cross-country flight to San Diego, instead earning the right to host the best-of-three National League Wild Card Series, beginning on Tuesday.
“Being able to give these fans October baseball, thatâ€s going to be real special,†Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said this week. “We know how to play ball here. We love embracing everything that comes with this place.â€
The win helped the Cubs (91-70) increase their cushion over the Padres (88-72) to 2 1/2 games for the NLâ€s top Wild Card spot with only one game left in the regular-season slate. Chicago also hosted a Wild Card Series in 2020, but with no fans in attendance. The last packed house at Wrigley for a playoff game was in ‘18, when the Cubs took on the Rockies in the Wild Card Game.
Busch powered the North Siders to the win column with the third multihomer performance of his career, launching home runs Nos. 33 and 34 on the year. The Cubs†first baseman slugged a leadoff shot off Cardinals righty Michael McGreevy in the first inning and added a two-run blast off the starter in the fifth.
Busch also doubled into the left-center-field gap in the third inning and knocked in a run with a triple deep into the right-center-field gap in the seventh. In total, he finished a single short of a cycle and with 13 total bases. Busch became the first player in Cubs history to have a pair of games with at least 13 total bases in the same season. He also had 13 in his three-homer outburst against the Cardinals on July 4.
Per MLB.comâ€s Sarah Langs, Buschâ€s performance marked only the 30th individual game in the Majors with a double, a triple and two home runs in the past 125 seasons. To put that into perspective, there have been 306 cycles in that same span.
In the eighth inning, the Cardinals intentionally walked Busch – denying him the opportunity to hit for a cycle – bringing on a loud chorus of boos from the Wrigley faithful.
The Dodgers needed to win that World Series last year.
Not just for the legacy of an all-time great — and previously ringless — player in Shohei Ohtani.
Not just for a front office and ownership group that had invested gobs of money into the roster.
Not just for the fans. And not just for the bragging rights against the Yankees.
But also to quiet the critics who had called the Dodgers†2020 triumph in the COVID bubble a “Mickey Mouse title,†or whatever other pejoratives were plastered on the internet.
See, when October arrives, it means different things to different teams. While every playoff entrant obviously wants/needs/craves that precious Commissionerâ€s Trophy, there are factors like aging curves, pending free agents and franchise history that can increase the urgency for some squads more than others.
Thatâ€s why we have the Urgency Index (UI) — a scale of 1 (least urgent) to 10 (most urgent) – to demonstrate how important a World Series title would be to a particular club.
This is all super scientific stuff, so letâ€s urgently get to it! Weâ€ve included every team still in contention for a postseason spot.
Mariners
UI: 11, a scale-breaking figure that also serves as the number of postseason games Seattle has won this century
The NHL has six franchises that have yet to advance to its championship round. The NBA has five. The NFL has four.
Combine this with the Mâ€s recent penchant for just barely missing October, the fact that their lone entry in a generation (in 2022) resulted in them playing only a single home game (a Division Series-clinching loss to the rival Astros), the fact that catcher Cal Raleigh is having an absolute banger of a season that history tells us will probably be impossible to repeat and the heavy lifting this club did at the Trade Deadline, and the time is absolutely now for the Mariners.
Padres
UI: 10.67, or the average rank, within the Padres†system, of the six prospects dealt this summer for Mason Miller, Ryan Oâ€Hearn and Ramón Laureano
The Padres traded nine prospects total at last yearâ€s Deadline. They traded eight at this yearâ€s Deadline. AJ Preller will apparently never run out of legit prospects to trade for immediate help, and the fans†enormous support helps San Diego maintain payroll levels that were once unimaginable for this franchise.
Still, how many bites at the apple do you get with a particular core? When will all the wheeling and dealing get the Padres past the NLCS (which, in this era of contention, theyâ€ve reached only once)? And how long must the championship drought that extends for the life of the ballclub continue?
This club should show as much urgency as its GM does at the Deadline.
Guardians
UI: 10, because this would be Clevelandâ€s 10th postseason appearance this century with no titles to show for it in that time
Donâ€t let Clevelandâ€s ridiculous late-season surge fool you into thinking the Guardians are playing with house money and that anything that happens from here is a bonus.
Nah. This franchise hasnâ€t won it all since 1948, and having the third-best regular season record in baseball since 2013 (behind only the Dodgers and Yankees) has netted one AL pennant and a whole lot of fall frustration. Plus, José RamÃrez just turned 33. Thereâ€s nothing left to do but win the whole freaking thing.
Brewers
UI: 9.13, for the team that was the first to clinch a postseason spot this year (on 9/13)
Our finely calibrated UI Machine took a fraction of a point off the Brewers†score because they have so much 20-something talent and, despite payroll limitations that have led them to wave bye-bye to so many good players through the years, always seem to find their way to October. This will be the Brew Crewâ€s seventh appearance in the last eight years, which is pretty crazy.
But the Brewers have never won it all and they’ve reached the World Series only once, back in 1982. So if you want to dispute the UI Machineâ€s findings and call it a 10, feel free.
Blue Jays
UI: 9, or Max Scherzerâ€s age when the Blue Jays last won it all in 1993
Extending Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at the start of the 2025 season kept the Blue Jays from putting up a 10 here, because it prevents them from going with a total teardown/rebuild project at yearâ€s end — something that didnâ€t necessarily seem a certainty after last yearâ€s last-place finish.
But yes, the urgency is high here. The Blue Jays†era of contention that began when Guerrero and Bo Bichette arrived to the big leagues has been marked by underachievement, and now Bichette is venturing into the great unknown of free agency. The Jays ranked 20th in MLB Pipelineâ€s latest farm system rankings, and, while the club can expect to leave no stone unturned in supporting Vladdy, we all know how difficult routine contention can be in the AL East.
Phillies
UI: 9, or the number of seasons that managing partner John Middleton has been the Phillies†control person
Middleton, along with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, has made his mark and done all he can to get this team pointed to the Promised Land. The Phillies have responded with four straight postseason appearances, including an NL pennant in 2022.
But the Phils havenâ€t been able to finish the job, and time is ticking with this particular core that — in keeping with our UI listed here — has nine players north of 30 who have been worth at least one Win Above Replacement this season, per Baseball-Reference. The Phillies will do all they can to keep Kyle Schwarber, closer Jhoan Duran was not a rental addition (heâ€s under wraps through 2027), and hopefully theyâ€ll have Zack Wheeler back healthy next season. But thereâ€s no time like the present in a sport that skews younger and younger.
Yankees
UI: 8.7, or Aaron Judgeâ€s average 162-game Baseball-Reference WAR in his career
The Yankees were a 10 on this scale last year, given that it was their only season of contractual control with Juan Soto. You could argue they are again a 10 after last yearâ€s frustrating Fall Classic appearance — the franchiseâ€s first since 2009. Especially with Judge in his age-33 season.
All fair. But itâ€s the Yankees. Maybe they win it all, maybe they donâ€t. Either way, next year, theyâ€ll presumably get Gerrit Cole back, theyâ€ll field another lineup that puts up well north of 200 homers, theyâ€ll have periods of poor play that cause fans and hosts to lose their minds on WFAN and then, one year from now, theyâ€ll be right back here, in the October field, ready to try again. Weâ€ll put the UI high because of the Judge factor, but weâ€re not maxing it out.
Tigers
UI: 8.6, or Tarik Skubalâ€s strikeouts per nine (9.5) minus his walks per nine (0.9) in last yearâ€s postseason
Forgive the tortured means by which the UI Machine included Skubal, but this ranking is all about Skubal. Heâ€s a generational pitcher on a generational run — possibly the first AL pitcher to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards in a quarter century. And heâ€s eligible for free agency after 2026.
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris has publicly dismissed the notion of a “Skubal window†and said he sees the Tigers as a potential “powerhouse†for years to come. He might not be wrong. But given the injury rate, premier pitching is a fickle mistress, and, though the Tigers didnâ€t show a great deal of urgency at the Trade Deadline (or in their play after it), they have to maximize their Skubal opportunity, however long it lasts.
Cubs
UI: 8, or how many postseasons have passed since the Cubs last won it all
Eight sure sounds better than 108, doesnâ€t it? If the number is at nine by this postseasonâ€s end, itâ€s not the end of the world for a franchise that has a real financial edge on its NL Central opponents.
But the Cubs gave up a lot to get one year of Kyle Tucker, they’re paying a lot for Craig Counsell, they rank 19th in MLB Pipelineâ€s farm system rankings and they didnâ€t get the dynasty so many of us thought was on tap when that 2016 team won it all. So, the UI is ramped up at Wrigley.
Mets
UI: 6, or how many past Mets teams reached the postseason without reaching the World Series
Befitting this delightfully strange franchise, this UI is a strange result. After all, the Mets reached the NLCS last year and added Juan Soto to a club that now carries a roughly $340 million payroll. Itâ€s a World Series-or-bust situation.
And yet, the Mets played so poorly for so long this season and had to rely so much on rookies in their rotation that theyâ€ve somehow recast themselves as underdogs, a la 2024. Falling short would probably just compel them to amp up the aggression in the offseason again.
The UI, quite frankly, doesnâ€t know what to make of all this, so somewhere just north of middle of the scale seems about right.
Reds
UI: 5, or how many postseason games the Reds have won since capturing the World Series in 1990
Terry Francona took over a team that had averaged 86 losses in the previous four years and had a lot to sort through, roster-wise.
Reaching the World Series for the first time since Franconaâ€s last season as a player would obviously be nice, but late-season contention is a nice stepping stone, and, should they qualify, the Reds first would have to take the next logical step of actually winning a playoff game for the first time since 2012.
Red Sox
UI: 4, or how many titles the Red Sox have won this century
Sure, itâ€s been a while (relatively speaking) since Boston won it all. But if the Sox fall short this postseason, an objective observer could cry no tears for a team that has enjoyed so much postseason success since 2004, traded its best hitter in June, extended Garrett Crochet and called up the since-injured Roman Anthony. The Red Sox are good, on the whole, but they seem to still be in the early stages of figuring out what their next truly great team will look like. When taken within the context of all that was said and assumed at the time of the Rafael Devers trade, a World Series title this year would qualify as a pleasant — even humorous — surprise.
Astros
UI: 2, or how many World Series titles theyâ€ve won in the last decade
People have been forecasting the end of this Astros era for years now, and yet, they keep contending. They were limping to the finish line this year, and maybe time is finally catching up with them. But seven division titles between 2017-24, plus four pennants and two titles in that span, is a marvel in the modern game, with so many postseason rounds. Anything else that comes on the tail end of that run is gravy.
Dodgers
UI: 1, or how many years since their last World Series title
Itâ€s hard for a defending champ to have a UI much higher than one. The Dodgers might pose an argument to rank higher, given their enormous financial outlays, their dynastic visions, their 30-something MVP core of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and the pending retirement of Clayton Kershaw.
But that sort of nuance doesnâ€t sway the UI Machine, which simply sees a team with all the resources in the world trying to win its third World Series of the decade. Not very urgent, really.
KL Rahul of India (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) Lucknow : Brilliant centuries by KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan and a fine halfcentury by skipper Dhruv Jurel helped India ‘A†register a superb victory over Australia ‘A†in the second four-day ‘unofficial test†here on Friday.In the process, India ‘A†clinched the two-match series 1-0. India, chasing a formidable target of 412, were anchored by Rahul, who scored a superb, unbeaten 176 off 210 runs (16×4, 4×6).Sudharsan scored a brilliant 172-ball 100 (9×4, 1×6) as India ‘A†romped home by five wickets just before the tea interval on the final day at the Ekana International stadium. It was the sixth-highest successful run chase in the countryâ€s first-class history. Rahul and Sudharsan put together a solid partnership of 143 off 228 runs for the fourth wicket. Sudharsan fetched his eighth first-class hundred in 170 balls, vindicating his call-up for the upcoming home Tests against the West Indies.Brief scores: India ‘A†194 (Sudharsan 75, Thornton 4-36, Murphy 2-48) & 413/5 (Rahul 176*, Sudharsan 100, Jurel 56, Murphy 3-114) beat Australia ‘A†420 (Edwards 88, Murphy 76, Suthar 5-107) & 185 (McSweeney 85*, Brar 3-42, Suthar 3-50) by 5 wickets .
Prior to Friday afternoon’s 12-1 win over St. Louis, the Cubs activated Tucker from the 10-day injured list following his nearly month-long bout with a left calf strain. Tucker returned to the lineup as a designated hitter, going 1-for-4 with a single, one walk and two runs scored for the North Siders, as he continues to work toward being back at full speed when it comes to running.
“In an ideal world, you come back and you have a lot more games and at-bats,†Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “Whether itâ€s two or three games, hopefully, he can recognize pitches well and get back in the swing of things quickly, because weâ€re going to face a lot of good pitching in the postseason.â€
In order to add Tucker back to the active roster, veteran infielder Carlos Santana accepted an option to the Arizona complex, per manager Craig Counsell. By agreeing to that move, Santana can remain in the fold as an experienced depth piece for the postseason.
“He wonâ€t be with us this weekend,†Counsell said. “But then as the playoffs starts, he will rejoin us and essentially be on the taxi squad for the playoffs. He cannot be recalled until his [10] days are up, but if thereâ€s an injury or we advance further in the playoffs, then heâ€ll be eligible for those rosters.â€
Tucker exited Chicago’s game on Sept. 2 due to the calf issue, which he noted had been bothersome for a few days prior to that setback. He attempted to return swiftly, but persistent issues with the leg necessitated a trip to the IL on Sept. 9. Tucker visited his long-time physical therapy group in Tampa last week, rejoined the Cubs on Tuesday and ramped up activity in recent days.
In 133 games this season entering Friday, Tucker hit .270 with 22 homers, 25 doubles, 73 RBIs, 25 stolen bases and an .854 OPS for the Cubs. Before landing on the IL, he hit .400 with four homers and a 1.289 OPS in his previous 11 games. Tucker was back in the lineup on Friday as Chicagoâ€s cleanup hitter.
“Heâ€s our best hitter,†Hoyer said. “The way he conducts at-bats is contagious, so I do think itâ€s really important to have him in there. It just lengthens our lineup and makes us better.â€
Horton on track for playoffs
Cubs rookie Cade Horton played catch on Friday, taking a step forward after exiting his start on Tuesday due to tightness in his mid-back and rib-cage area. Counsell noted the righty will have a bullpen session in the coming days and remains on target to be available for the postseason.
“Weâ€re comfortable just moving forward and continuing him just progressing,†Counsell said. “Weâ€ll see how he feels as the week goes. But so far, so good.â€
An MRI exam showed “some areas of concern†in Hortonâ€s ribs, but the Cubs had another physician review the imaging and Counsell said it “confirmed†a comfort level with proceeding as planned. Horton, 24, left his last outing after three innings (29 pitches) due to the issue, which initially flared as he battled illness and coughing recently.
While the Cubs have not revealed their rotation plans for the NL Wild Card Series, Horton is lined up as a possibility for Game 1 (Tuesday) or Game 2 (Wednesday) against San Diego. In the second half, the NL Rookie of the Year contender spun a 1.03 ERA for the North Siders.
“Heâ€s been as good as any pitcher in baseball in the second half,†Hoyer said. “Heâ€s been amazing. Iâ€m hopeful that heâ€s the Rookie of the Year. He threw today. The next step would be a bullpen. Weâ€ll keep moving forward.â€