Summer is rapidly becoming fall, and that means the 2025 Major League Baseball playoffs are right around the corner.

The final days of the regular season will be tension-packed, and for some teams the 162-game campaign may come down to whether they can snag enough wins in September’s final days. In the American League in particular, the stress levels are sky high, with close races in all three divisions.

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Over in the National League, several teams already know they’re going to the postseason. The Philadelphia Phillies have claimed the NL East, while the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers can be sure that there are playoff games to come. Still, the door isn’t closed for a handful of clubs, meaning that every game will count.

Here’s what to know about the start date for the 2025 MLB playoffs, as well as how the bracket works:

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2019 NLDS Game 5: Kershaw pitched in relief and blew a two-run lead in the eighth inning of the winner-take-all game against the Nationals.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2019 NLDS Game 5: Kershaw pitched in relief and blew a two-run lead in the eighth inning of the winner-take-all game against the Nationals.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2014 NLDS Game 4: Kershaw took a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning, but Matt Adams’ three-run homer proved to be the winner for the Cardinals.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2017 World Series Game 4: Kershaw gave up six runs in 4.2 innings to start the Dodgers’ extra-inning loss in Houston

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2022 NLDS Game 2: Kershaw gave up three runs in five innings and got a no-decision in LA’s loss to the Padres.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2016 NLDS Game 4: Kershaw gave up five runs in 6.2 innings against the Nationals.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2019 NLDS Game 5: Kershaw came in to pitch the eighth inning with a 3-1 lead and gave up back-to-back home runs to start the frame in the eventual extra-inning loss against the Nationals.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2014 NLDS Game 1: Kershaw gave up eight runs and took the loss against the Cardinals.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2017 World Series Game 4: Kershaw gave up six runs in 4.2 innings to start the Dodgers’ extra-inning loss in Houston

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2009 NLCS Game 5: Kershaw pitched two innings in relief against the Phillies, giving up Shane Victorino’s home run.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2018 NLCS Game 1: Kershaw took the loss against the Brewers, surrendering four earned runs in three innings, including a home run by pitcher Brandon Woodruff

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2023 NLDS Game 1: Kershaw only recorded one out against the Diamondbacks, getting shelled for six runs on six hits in the first inning.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2018 World Series Game 5: Kershaw took the loss in the Red Sox’s title clincher, giving up five runs on three home runs in seven innings at Dodger Stadium.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2014 NLDS Game 4: Kershaw took the loss in the deciding game against the Cardinals.

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14 most devastating Clayton Kershaw MLB postseason photos

2016 NLDS Game 4: Kershaw gave up five runs in 6.2 innings against the Nationals.

MLB playoff bracket: Wild card standings, AL and NL division standings 2025

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When do MLB playoffs start?

The four-round MLB playoffs are scheduled to start with the American League and National League Wild Card Series, which will all be best-of-three battles that begin on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

From there, the four Divisional Series pairings are all scheduled to start on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The final game of the regular season, at least based on start time, will see the Chicago Cubs host their NL Central rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. That game is scheduled to get underway at 3:20 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28.

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MLB has left open one day between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs in case there needs to be a one-game tiebreaker to settle the postseason qualifiers or to cover for any potential rainouts during the season’s final weekend.

How does MLB playoff bracket work?

The MLB playoffs do not re-seed, with the bracket set in stone once the playoffs start.

Here’s how the bracket works in both the American League and the National League:

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Wild Card Series

Third-best division winner (3) vs. third-best wild card (6)

Best wild card (4) vs. second-best wild card (5)

Division Series

Best division winner (1) vs. winner of 4-5 Wild Card Series

Second-best division winner (2) vs. winner of 3-6 Wild Card Series

Championship series

Two Division Series winners (higher seed gets four home games)

World Series

ALCS winner vs. NLCS winner (team with best regular-season winning percentage gets four home games)

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken shakes hands with fans after breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record with 2,131.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken shakes hands with fans after breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record with 2,131.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken Jr. gets a base hit in the eighth inning of his 2,131st consecutive game September 6, 1995.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken Jr. acknowledges fans as the game became official to set the record of 2,131 consecutive games played, September 6, 1995.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Kelly Ripken holds son Ryan and watches on September 6, 1995.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles shakes hands with fans at Camden Yards on September 6, 1995.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken Jr. raises his arms to acknowledge the fans as he takes a victory lap around Camden Yards.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken Jr. hugs his wife Kelly during a post-game ceremony.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken Jr. waves to the crowd as he is driven around the field during a post-game ceremony.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken Jr. reaches over the outfield wall to shake hands with cheering fans as one fan falls over the wall at Camden Yards.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken Jr. waves to fans during a parade in his honor.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken, Jr. autographs a baseball bat before presenting it to US President Bill Clinton, his daughter Chelsea and Vice President Al Gore.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken Jr. runs around the crowd at Camden Yards in Baltimore greeting fans.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken Jr. tips his hat to the fans in the middle of the fifth inning at Camden Yards.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken signs autographs for fans at Camden Yards before a game against the California Angels during which he broke Lou Gehrig”s record.

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Remembering Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ night 30 years later

Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles gets a hug from Ken Singleton on September 6, 1995.

MLB playoff format, explained

The 2025 MLB playoff format is a familiar one for baseball fans. Twelve teams in total will qualify for the postseason with six teams each coming from the American League and National League.

Each league is divided into three divisions: Central, East and West. The top three playoff seeds in both leagues will go to the teams that finish atop those divisions at the end of the 162-game regular season. The three division winners all advance to the playoffs, joined by the three remaining teams with the best record (regardless of division).

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The two division winners with the best records will get a bye directly to the Division Series, while the third division winner and the other three clubs have to play through a Wild Card Series. The two Wild Card Series winners will take on the top two division winners in the Division Series round, with the winners of those pairings advancing to the Championship Series.

The two teams to come out on top at that stage will meet in the 2025 World Series.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When do MLB playoffs start? Postseason schedule, format