Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge going for history as AL playoff picture continues to form
USA TODAY Sports’ Gabe Lacques breaks down the storylines to watch in the AL as the MLB seasons winds down.
Sports Pulse
The 2025 MLB regular season concludes on Sept. 28, with the postseason beginning on Sept. 30.Six teams from each league, including three division winners and three wild-card teams, will make the playoffs.The postseason starts with a best-of-three wild-card series, followed by a best-of-five Division Series.
Major League Baseball‘s 2025 regular season ends on Sunday, Sept. 28 with the postseason officially getting underway two days later on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
The MLB playoff format that began in 2022 has three division winners and three wild-card teams in each league, beginning with a best-of-three wild-card series. The two wild-card teams who advance from each league then face the top two division winners, who receive byes to the best-of-five division series.
The LDS begins Oct. 4, the League Championship Series on Oct. 12 and the World Series on Oct. 24. The final two rounds of the postseason are best-of-seven series.
Here’s what to know for the upcoming MLB playoffs:
When do MLB playoffs start?
The 2025 MLB postseason will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 30 with all four wild-card series getting underway. The best of-three series are scheduled to run through Thursday, Oct. 2.
The best-of-five Division Series starts two days ater the conclusion of the wild-card series on Saturday, Oct. 4.
How do MLB playoffs work?
Six teams reach the postseason in each league – three division winners and three wild-card spots. The top two division winners earn a bye to the Division Series, while the other four teams in each league meet in the best-of-three wild-card series, a new format that MLB put into place in 2022.
The four wild-card series winners advance to the best-of-five LDS, facing the division winners who had a bye. The League Championship Series and World Series are each best-of-seven.
MLB playoffs scheduleWild-card series (best-of-three)Tuesday, Sept. 30 to Thursday, Oct. 2Division Series (best-of-five)League Championship Series (best-of-seven)World Series (best-of-seven)
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