One-hundred and sixty-one games later, it all comes down to this.
After a drama-filled week of heartbreaking eliminations and champagne-popping celebrations, there is still plenty to be decided on Sunday, the final day of the 2025 MLB regular season.
In the National League, two teams remain jockeying for one final playoff spot. Over in the American League, the AL Central and AL East divisions have yet to crown a champion, and there is playoff seeding up for grabs throughout the bracket.
Here’s a breakdown of everything each team is playing for on the final day of the 2025 regular season:
Toronto Blue Jays (93-68)
What’s at stake: AL East title; No. 1 seed
The skinny: Toronto owns the tiebreaker over the Yankees, so the Blue Jays will be crowned AL East champs on Sunday (and secure the No. 1 seed in the AL) with either a win over the Rays or a New York loss to the Orioles. If Sunday doesn’t go their way, the Blue Jays will be the top wild-card team in the AL as the No. 4 seed.
Seattle Mariners (90-71)
What’s at stake: Nothing.
The skinny: Seattle clinched its first division title since 2001 earlier this week, so there’s nothing to play for on Sunday. The Mariners will be the No. 2 seed in the AL no matter what happens. It is worth watching to see if Cal Raleigh—sitting with 60 homers on the year—tries to chase Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62 homers on the final day of the regular season.
Cleveland Guardians (87-74)
What’s at stake: AL Central title
The skinny: The Guardians clinched a postseason berth Saturday in the ultimate “Guards Ball” way—on a walk-off hit by pitch in the ninth inning. Cleveland, which owns the tiebreaker over the Tigers, can claim its third AL Central title in the last four years on Sunday with either a win over the Rangers or a Detroit loss to the Red Sox. If Cleveland loses out on the division title, the Guardians would be locked into the final wild-card spot (No. 6 seed) because they lost the tiebreaker to Boston.
New York Yankees (93-69)
What’s at stake: AL East title; No. 1 seed
The skinny: New York will be chasing a division title and a chance for home-field advantage and a first-round bye on the final day of the regular season. To do so, the Yankees will need to beat the Orioles combined with the Blue Jays falling to the Rays.
Boston Red Sox (88-73)
What’s at stake: Wild-card seeding
The skinny: Boston, already having clinched a wild-card spot earlier this week, is postseason bound. But the Red Sox could either grab the No. 5 or No. 6 seed based on Sunday’s results. The Red Sox own the tiebreaker over the Guardians but would lose the tiebreaker to Detroit. If Boston loses to the Tigers on Sunday and the Guardians beat the Rangers, the Red Sox would slide to the No. 6 seed. If any other scenario happens, the Red Sox will be the No. 5 seed in the AL.
Detroit Tigers (87-74)
What’s at stake: AL Central title
The skinny: Take a sigh of relief, Detroit. The Tigers were on the brink of a historic collapse all week before clinching a postseason berth on Saturday. They could win the AL Central on Sunday with a win over the Red Sox combined with the Guardians losing to Texas. If Detroit beats the Red Sox and the Guardians take down the Rangers, the Tigers would be the No. 5 seed. If the Tigers lose on Sunday, they’ll claim the No. 6 seed and final wild-card spot in the AL.
Milwaukee Brewers (96-65)
What’s at stake: Nada.
The skinny: Fire up the tailgate grill and relax, Brewers fans. For the first time since 1982, Milwaukee will finish the season with the best record in the big leagues, meaning the Brewers will have home-field advantage at American Family Field through the World Series. Milwaukee can play spoiler on Sunday, however, if they’d like to send the division rival Reds packing.
Philadelphia Phillies (95-66)
What’s at stake: Not a thing.
The skinny: The Phillies had a chance at the NL’s top seed before losing to the lowly Twins on Saturday night. That loss locked Philadelphia into the No. 2 seed, which also comes with a first-round bye. We’ll see you in the NLDS, Phillie Phanatic.
Los Angeles Dodgers (92-69)
What’s at stake: Nothing.
The skinny: Like the Brewers and Phillies, the Dodgers don’t have anything to play for on Sunday. The NL West champs will be the No. 3 seed in the postseason and will be preparing to host a wild-card round at Dodger Stadium. There is some interesting baseball to watch for Dodgers fans on Sunday, however, to see if either the Reds or Mets will claim the final wild-card spot for a chance to play Los Angeles.
Chicago Cubs (91-70)
What’s at stake: Nothing.
The skinny: The Cubs clinched the top NL wild-card spot on Saturday, so they’ll host the Padres in the best-of-three first round of the playoffs at Wrigley Field. Aside from the postseason tilt in 2020 that had no fans in attendance, the last playoff game hosted at the “Friendly Confines” was the Cubs’ 2-1 loss to the Rockies in the 2018 wild-card game. Should be fun.
San Diego Padres (89-72)
What’s at stake: Nothing.
The skinny: As mentioned above, the Padres will be catching a flight to Chicago to open up the wild-card round at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.
Cincinnati Reds (83-78)
What’s at stake: Playoff spot.
The skinny: The Reds control their own destiny. A win over the rival Brewers, and Cincinnati is heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. It’s that simple. If they lose to the Brewers, the Reds will still get in if the Mets lose to the Marlins. But if the Reds lose to Milwaukee and the Mets beat Miami, Cincinnati will be packing its bags for Cancún.
New York Mets (83-78)
What’s at stake: Playoff spot.
The skinny: Missing the playoffs would be a disaster for Steve Cohen’s $341 million payroll. But that has a decent chance of happening Sunday. The only way the Mets get into the playoffs is with a win over the Marlins combined with the Reds losing to the Brewers. Gulp.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
Source link
