Yes, I realize this is late. That is on me, and I have to better. Truth be told, the divisional round going into Saturday evening was not planned for…anyone else feel like there should be a day off no matter what between each round?

While the Championship Series kicked off last night, it’s still worth a little recap of the last round because that was some exceptional baseball.

We’ll cut to the chase and focus on just the headlines from each series. If you’re locked in on the next round, here is everything you need to know:

American League Divisional Round

Different teams! This is refreshing for most (everyone except Astros and Yankees fans) and brings some new energy to the second half of the 2025 Postseason.

Blue Jays Defeat Yankees in Four Games

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shined on the biggest stage. After inking a $500 million extension, the third-largest contract ever, Guerrero had a quality season, but this was his moment. He has owned the Yankees for some time, but absolutely destroyed them this series. It was the Vladdy Show and we all had front row seats for it.

Trey Yesavage made his name known. The offense was dominant, but so was this rookie pitcher who made just his FOURTH MLB appearance as he started Game 2 for Toronto. He was unbelievable, putting together a historic start.

Enough with the “Aaron Judge Doesn’t Show Up” narrative. Judge did quite literally everything in his power to propel the Yankees this time around in the postseason. Judge hit .500 in the Postseason with nine hits and four RBI in the series against the Jays. The rest of the Yankees offense however…

“Allow me to reintroduce myself” - Ernie Clement. You may have never heard this name before, but he absolutely RAKED in this series.

Last not certainly not least…this iconic moment ⬇️

Mariners defeat Tigers in Five Games

GAME OF THE YEAR. I don’t know how you spent your Friday night, but we could not take our eyes off the screen for four hours and 57 minutes. 15 INNINGS!!! Game 5 was absolute madness and the Mariners took it down on a 15th inning walkoff single from Jorge Polanco. At some point, we didn’t even know what to say.

Kerry Carpenter’s historic night. Despite the Tigers falling in this insane game, Carpenter put together one of the best performances ever in a winner-take-all game.

Jorge Polanco re-signing proves pivotal. It was far from a flashy move, even considered a lazy one by many, but Polanco put together a huge season and has been CLUTCH in this postseason.

Tarik Skubal further cemented his status as top dog. If Skubal wasn’t already who you consider at the best AL pitcher, and certainly top two in baseball, I would hope he is now. This guy is ridiculous.

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

When is the only time the Blue Jays and Mariners have ever faced off in the Postseason?

A) 2021 ALDS

B) 2022 AL WC

C) 1995 ALCS

D) 2000 ALDS

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National League Divisional Round

The series many expected to take the headlines was never really close. Meanwhile, the other series lasted until Saturday, but the top seed overall won their first playoff series since 2018.

Dodgers Defeat Phillies in Four Games

A new elite closer is emerging. There may not have been a bigger storyline than the arrival of closer Roki Sasaki in this series. He showed it against Cincy, and then proved to be a massive X-factor for the Dodgers in this series.

Los Angeles has the starting pitching advantage against anyone. The Dodgers bullpen may have been a huge issue, but their mostly healthy rotation is ridiculous. They can use a number of starters in potential relief spots, while still getting elite starts nightly.

Is this the end for this core in Philly? It keeps getting worse every year in the postseason and the Phillies really could not hang with the Dodgers. They have a lot of talent hitting the market this winter too...

Brewers Defeat Cubs in Five Games

The present and future is bright in Milwaukee. They’re focused on facing the Dodgers, but the Brewers might quietly have the best future in MLB. Their young stars led the way this series and they happen to have possibly the best farm system in baseball (keep an eye out for our MLB farm system rankings coming soon!).

Some shined, others faltered for the Cubs. Chicago got some excellent performances from the likes of Nico Hoerner, Michael Busch, and honestly their bullpen of 2025 breakout arms. However, some of their top bats struggled and their pitching staff seriously missed Cade Horton.

The Miz. Welcome to the bright stage once again, Jacob Misiorowski. The controversial All-Star rookie had some struggles down the stretch, but came through in a big way in two outings for Milwaukee in this series.

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Trivia Answer: B) 2022 AL WC

Seattle took down Toronto 2-0 in the 2022 AL Wild Card Round before losing to the eventual champion Astros in the Divisional Round.

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