The final weekend of the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season is here, and you can feel the tension everywhere. Postseason dreams are on the line, and a handful of crucial matchups will settle division titles and the last playoff spots.
Fans all over the country are bracing themselves for a dramatic finish. October baseball is waiting just around the corner, and it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement.
National League: One Wild Card Spot Left
Five National League playoff spots are already locked up. But the last wild card? That’s still up for grabs, and the race is wild.
The New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, and Arizona Diamondbacks are all fighting to keep their seasons alive. Every pitch, every at-bat, could tip the scales.
Breaking Down the NL Wild Card Battle
The Mets have been here before, leaning on veterans who know what’s at stake. The Reds? They’re riding a wave of youthful energy and just enough luck.
Arizona, last year’s underdog story, is hoping lightning strikes twice. Whoever claims that last spot will have to survive a best-of-three Wild Card Series—on the road, no less, against a division winner or a higher-seeded wild card.
American League Division Races: Too Close to Call
Over in the American League, the real drama is in the East and Central divisions. The Yankees and Blue Jays are tied at the top of the AL East.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers just keep matching each other in the AL Central. Nobody’s blinking.
Impact on Playoff Seeding
These races will shape the playoff bracket in a big way. Win the division and you’re in, maybe even with home-field advantage.
Finish second, and you’re tossed into the Wild Card round, where anything can happen. If teams are still tied after Sunday, MLB has set aside Monday, Sept. 29, for tiebreaker games—basically sudden-death showdowns that could scramble the entire playoff picture.
Key Dates to Watch
The regular season wraps up on Sunday, Sept. 28, with the Cubs hosting the Cardinals. It’s a classic rivalry, and depending on how things shake out, it could still have major playoff implications.
Tiebreakers and Playoff Start
If the standings aren’t resolved—or if weather messes with the schedule—Monday is reserved for tiebreakers. Then it’s straight into the postseason: Wild Card Series start Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Those are best-of-three. Only the sharpest teams will get through to the Division Series, which starts Saturday, Oct. 4.
MLB’s 2025 Playoff Format
This year’s postseason features 12 teams—six from each league. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Three division winners
- Three wild card teams
The top two division winners in each league get a bye, skipping the Wild Card round. The lowest-seeded division winner still has to fight through the Wild Card Series with the three wild cards.
No Reseeding — The Bracket Stays Locked
Once the Wild Card Series ends, the bracket doesn’t change. No reseeding, no shuffling—the matchups are set all the way to the League Championship Series.
That could mean some wild, unexpected showdowns if the favorites stumble early. Honestly, that’s part of the fun.
The Road to the World Series
The American League and National League champs will meet in the World Series starting in late October. Home-field advantage goes to whichever team had the better regular-season record.
Every win right now matters just a little bit more. The finish line is in sight, but nothing’s settled yet.
October Baseball Awaits
The postseason format rewards consistency and clutch performance. Over the next few days, players and fans alike will watch legacies shift, surprises unfold, and the stage set for one team’s shot at glory.
You can feel the energy—dugouts buzzing, bleachers packed, nerves on edge. The countdown to playoff baseball? It’s almost over.
When Sunday’s last out lands in a glove, the 2025 MLB postseason will be set to unleash every bit of drama this sport can muster.
Here is the source article for this story: When does MLB regular season end? Schedule, date, playoff format
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