The Wild Card series just wrapped up, so let’s get you caught up. For starters, the wild card is a 3-game series; therefore, the first team to win two games moves on. Starting with the American League, which featured a series between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians, as well as another series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. For more on these teams’ regular seasons and their postseason previews, click here.
The 2025 MLB Postseason bracket after the wild card games—photo by MLB.com.
The Detroit Tigers vs. The Cleveland Guardians
The Tigers took the lead in the first inning after Spencer Torkelson hit an RBI single. The game would remain 1-0 until the 4th inning, when Gabriel Arias hit a RBI single, tying the Tigers 1-1. In the 7th inning, the Tigers had runners on 1st and 3rd when Zach McKinstry executed a perfect sacrifice bunt, allowing the runner on 3rd to score. All this time, Tarik Skubal was absolutely dealing on the mound for the Tigers and would achieve a new career high in strikeouts: 14. The Tigers’ bullpen would hold on to secure the 2-1 win, and they would take a 1-game lead in the series.
In Game 2, the Guardians needed a win to stay alive, and they would do so in convincing fashion. The Guardians lead the whole game after George Valera hit a solo homer in the 1st. In the 2nd inning, Chase DeLauter of the Guardians drew a walk in his first MLB at-bat. Javier Báez scored the Tigers’ only run of the game in the 4th with an RBI single. The game remained tied until the 8th, when Bryan Rocchio hit a home run, which started an offensive explosion out of the Guardians. Daniel Schneemann had an RBI double, followed by Bo Naylor hitting a 3-run bomb to cap off a 5-run 8th by the Guardians. The 8th inning offense would be enough to secure a 6-1 victory over the Tigers, forcing a game 3.
Game 3 would remain scoreless until the top of the 3rd when Kerry Carpenter hit an RBI double down the line, allowing Detroit to take a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the second, Jose Ramírez drove in the Guardians’ first run on an RBI single. Ramírez would then be caught stealing 2nd, crushing the Guardians’ momentum. Then, in the 6th, Dillon Dingler hit a solo home run to make it 2-1 Tigers. Detroit would continue to add to its lead in the 7th when Wenceel Pérez drove in two runs on a single, followed by a Spencer Torkelson RBI single and another RBI single by Riley Green, bringing the score to 6-1 Tigers. In the 8th, Cleveland showed some life when a ground ball was thrown to first, and the pitcher Will West, who came over to cover, dropped the ball, allowing two runs to score. Those two runs made it 6-3 Tigers, and the game remained that way, allowing the Tigers to eliminate the Guardians. Now, the Tigers move on to play the Seattle Mariners.
The Boston Red Sox vs. The New York Yankees
This series added another chapter to the century-long rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees. This would be the 6th time the teams met in the postseason, and as expected, it was a series that will be remembered for years to come.
In Game 1, Anthony Volpe hit a solo homer to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the 2nd. Max Fried of the Yankees was able to keep the Red Sox at bay until he was pulled in the 7th inning, being replaced by Luke Weaver. Weaver almost immediately gave up two runs when Masataka Yoshida hit a two-run single. On the mound for the Red Sox, Garret Crochet threw 117 pitches, making it into the 8th. In the 9th, the Red Sox added on an insurance run with an Alex Bregman RBI double. Aroldis Chapman, who is the hardest-throwing pitcher in history, closed out the game for the Red Sox, keeping it 3-1 and earning a save.
In Game 2, the Yankees needed to win to stay alive, and they took a 2-run lead in the 1st when Ben Rice hit a two-run homer off Brayan Bello. In the 3rd, the Red Sox would respond with a 2-run single by Trevor Story. However, the momentum would shift when the Yankees turned a clutch 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. In the 5th inning, Trent Grisham of the Yankees would advance to 2nd base on a wild pitch and then score on an RBI single by Aaron Judge, making it 3-2 Yankees. Then, in the 6th, Trevor Story launched a solo home run to tie the game. The game remained tied until the 8th, when Austin Wells lined one to the right, allowing Jazz Chisholm to score all the way from 2nd. The Yankees would win the game 4-3, forcing a game 3.
In Game 3, the pitchers would duel it out, keeping the game scoreless until the 4th inning, when the Yankees, fresh off a game-saving defensive play in the top of the 4th, exploded for four runs via RBI singles by Amed Rosario and Anthony Volpe, along with an error that allowed two more runs to score. The Yankees’ bullpen would shut out the Red Sox and eliminate them with a 4-0 win. Now, the Yankees play another rival, the Toronto Blue Jays, in the ALDS.
The Cincinnati Reds vs. The Los Angeles Dodgers
The Reds barely made the postseason, and they drew a tough matchup with the defending World Series champion Dodgers. As expected, things did not go the Reds’ way.
In Game 1, Shohei Ohtani set the tone with a leadoff home run for the Dodgers. The Dodgers never looked back and, in the 3rd, Teoscar Hernández hit a 3-run homer back-to-back with Tommy Edman making it 5-0 LA. In the 5th, Hernández hit his second home run of the night, making it 6-0. Next, in the 5th, Ohtani hit his second home run of the night, making it 8-0. The Reds showed some life in the 7th with an RBI single by Elly De La Cruz, followed by an RBI double by Tyler Stephenson, making it 8-2. In the bottom of the 7th, the Dodgers piled on with two more runs, one of which was on an error. In the 8th, Sal Stewart would walk with the bases loaded, making it 10-3. Spencer Steer would then hit an RBI single, making it 10-4, and then Elly De La Cruz walked with the bases loaded, driving in another run. The score would remain 10-5, and the Dodgers would win game 1.
In Game 2, with their backs against the wall, the Reds would strike first, scoring two runs in the 1st on a single by Sal Stewart. The Dodgers would get one back in the 3rd with an RBI single by Mookie Betts. Then, in the 4th, Kiké Hernández drove in a run with a double, followed by an RBI single by Miguel Rojas, giving the Dodgers the lead at 3-2. In the 6th, Ohtani drove in a run with a single, and Mookie Betts drove in another with a double. The Dodgers would pile on in the 6th with a Teoscar Hernández 2-run double, making it 7-2 Dodgers. In the 7th, Mooke Betts hit another RBI double, making it 8-2. In the 8th, the Reds would score two runs on a single by Sal Stewart and a sac fly by Tyler Stephenson. The 8th inning would come to an end when Alex Vesia escaped a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout, shutting down the Reds’ offense. The Dodgers would go on to win 8-4, eliminating the Reds and advancing to the NLDS against the two-seed in the NL, the Philadelphia Phillies.
The San Diego Padres vs. The Chicago Cubs
The Cubs-Padres series was seen as a must-watch baseball as both teams had been consistent and clutch all season long. The series was supposed to be one of the highlights of the wild card, and it did not disappoint.
In Game 1, the Padres would jump out to a 1-0 lead after an RBI double by Xander Bogaerts in the 2nd inning. The Cubs struck back, scoring three runs, securing a one-game lead with their 3-1 win. The Cubs scored their first two runs when Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly hit back-to-back home runs. In the bottom of the 8th, Nico Hoerner would add an insurance run with his sacrifice fly.
In Game 2, the Padres again would jump out to an early 1-0 lead after Fernando Tatis Jr. scored on a sacrifice fly by Jackson Merrill. Then, in the top of the 5th inning, Manny Machado hit a 2-run homer to make it 3-0 Padres. The Padres bullpen would seal the 3-0 victory, highlighted by Mason Miller throwing a 104.5 mph pitch, which is the fastest ever postseason pitch. The Padres tied the series 1-1 against the Cubs, forcing a winner-take-all game 3.
In Game 3, the Cubs would take the lead early with an RBI single by Pete Crow-Armstrong and a walk by Dansby Swanson with the bases loaded to drive in the Cubs’ 2nd run. Then, in the bottom of the 7th, Michael Busch hit a solo home run to make it 3-0 Cubs. The Padres showed some life at the top of the 9th when Jackson Merril hit a solo home run, but that would be the only run the Padres could muster. The Cubs would take a 3-1 victory and advance to the NLDS for the first time since 2017. They are matched up against the Brewers, who are the No. 1 seed in the NL, and this is a must-watch series for baseball fans.
