Today is the last scheduled off day for nearly three weeks…it’s about to get real.

The Wild Card round wrapped up with three excellent winner-take-all games yesterday and the stage is now set for the final eight MLB teams of 2025.

The Divisional round begins tomorrow and we’ve got you covered with a recap of the Wild Card round and a preview for all four series coming up!

Wild Card Round Recap

That was electric.

The first round of the 2025 MLB Postseason is in the rearview mirror and we have to take some time to appreciate an awesome first round!

Yankees Defeat Red Sox in Three Games

What more could ask for in a Wild Card Series?! This was incredible, start to finish. The Red Sox took Game 1 in New York, but the Yankees came out victorious in the series.

CAM SCHLITTLER. If you didn’t know the name before yesterday, you do now. Simple as that. The rookie pitched one of the best games you will see to clinch the series. I’m telling you…watch the highlights.

The Red Sox would have won if Garrett Crochet could throw every game. He led the way for Boston in Game One with an unbelievable performance in his first career postseason start.

Tigers Defeat Guardians in Three Games

The Tigers blew a massive division lead to the Guardians in September, but it’s Detroit getting the last laugh now. This series went back and forth, but the Tigers finished it out in Game 3 to make up for the blown lead during the regular season.

Tarik Skubal was a man amongst boys in Game 1. He was unbelievable and set the tone for the first, leading Detroit to win in the first game of the series.

Javy Baez came through in the clutch. The All-Star seriously regressed in the second half after a resurgent first half, but came up big for Detroit this series. Baseball is better with El Mago on his A-game.

Cubs Defeat Padres in Three Games

This series was all about the pitching as just 11 runs combined were scored across the three games at Wrigley, with the Cubs having the timely hitting to get it done in the first and last game of the trio.

Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, and Carson Kelly led the way for the Cubs offense with all of them delivering when it mattered most in the two Chicago victories. It was rough in the first games, but Pete Crow-Armstrong seemingly broke his slump with three hits in the deciding Game 3.

The defensive duo of Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner was spectacular. Game 3 may not have even gone in the Cubs’ favor had these two not been patrolling the middle infield!

Padres pitching in Game 2 was unreal. Led by Mason Miller piecing together one of the best innings you’ll ever see, the pitching from San Diego nearly found a way to get them out of this round…despite a brutal offense.

Dodgers Defeat Reds in Two Games

The only series to not go the distance was somewhat of a mismatch from the jump, but the Reds fought hard to at least make both games competitive. The Dodgers handled this one, though, and set up an incredible matchup with the Phillies.

Mookie Betts looks like he’s back. It’s been a rough season for Betts, but the absolutely best version of him shined in the clinching Game 2 and reminded us the type of player he becomes in the postseason.

Los Angeles might have their postseason closer. Roki Sasaki out of the bullpen was a treat to watch. He was absolutely nasty, flashing the best version of his deadly fastball/splitter combination.

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Divisional Round Preview

It’s time for the next round of what is shaping up to an incredible postseason! And the matchups are only getting better this round…

Shoutout to our amazing staff of writers and editors for Justbaseball.com because the content has been ELITE!

Yankees vs. Blue Jays

^{Full article written by Ethan Hyatt}

The No. 1 seed in the American League this season, the Toronto Blue Jays, host the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series starting Saturday, October 4.

While the Yankees have toiled through a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, the Jays have been resting up over the past week to prepare for this second-round matchup.

The Blue Jays have enjoyed their most successful regular season performance since the 2015 season and their seventh division win in franchise history while the Yankees are chasing their 28th World Series championship.

Tigers vs. Mariners

^{Full article written by Jay Staph}

For the first time since 2020, there’s a new team atop the American League West. The Seattle Mariners took home the division, finishing 90-72, and the first of their challenges is just a day away, as they take on the Detroit Tigers.

For the Mariners, they enter the Postseason with arguably the best rotation in the sport, and one of the best overall rosters they’ve had in recent memory. Even with the first-round bye, they’ll still be one of the most feared teams in October play.

For the Detroit Tigers, this matchup is a chance to really make a statement against a juggernaut. After conquering their biggest rival, the Cleveland Guardians, this matchup is a chance to prove that they’re the team we saw earlier in this season.

Dodgers vs. Phillies

^{Full article written by Clay Snowden}

It’s the clash of the coasts, east meets west. The Dodgers enter the NLDS after handling the Reds with ease, sweeping Cincinnati while putting up 18 runs across two games. The Phillies enter the series red hot, after finishing 17-8 in September, and well rested after their few days off.

I don’t think either team needs much of an introduction. Both are stacked with experienced veterans who are no strangers to the bright lights of October. Each team has reached the World Series within the past five years, but only the Dodgers went home with hardware.

This is one of those series that should be a heavyweight matchup. The Dodgers are on a path to becoming a dynasty, while the Phillies might be on their last push with this current core. It’s a matchup that, on paper, looks like it could go the distance, with margins so slim it might come down to who can make one less mistake.

Cubs vs. Brewers

^{Full article written by Joey Peterson}

The Chicago Cubs will take a short trip up I-94 to take on the Milwaukee Brewers and kick off a best-of-five NLDS matchup. The Brewers, who went 6-7 against the Cubs in the regular season, head into the playoffs as the top seed in the NL and are looking to secure their first World Series title in franchise history.

The Cubs would love nothing more than to rain on their parade and secure their first championship since 2016.

For most of the season, the Brewers have felt like the team of destiny. But everybody knows that the Cubs have as much firepower as any in baseball and are riding some serious momentum from an electric series win against the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round.

Other Headlines

🤯 While it has yet to be confirmed, it sounds like there is a very good chance that Albert Pujols will be announced as the next manager of the Angels!

Just Baseball Discord

We launched a Just Baseball community on Discord!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat while also providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the entire Just Baseball staff.

The Discord is BUMPING during the Postseason right now, don’t miss out.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

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