The 2025 MLB postseason is almost here. The regular season will come to a close on Sunday, September 28, setting the stage for a playoff field where there\u2019s no clear dominant team. Fans can expect plenty of chaos, drama, and unpredictability. We wouldn\u2019t have it any other way. <\/p>\n
12 teams make the MLB playoffs, six from each league. Two teams from each league (the division winners with the best records) will receive first-round byes, while the remaining four teams from each league will compete in the Wild Card round. The Wild Card round will be conducted in a best-of-three format, with the winners advancing to the Division Series.<\/p>\n
Below is everything you need to know about the 2025 MLB postseason schedule and format:<\/p>\n
When do the 2025 MLB playoffs begin?<\/p>\n
The 2025 MLB Playoffs will begin on Tuesday September 30, with four games taking place in the Wild Card Series.<\/p>\n
When is the 2025 World Series?<\/p>\n
The 2025 World Series is scheduled to begin on Friday October 24, and would go through Saturday November 1 if the series goes seven games. <\/p>\n
2025 MLB Playoffs: Which Teams Are In?National League:<\/p>\n
Philadelphia Phillies (clinched National League East)<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Brewers (clinched playoff spot)<\/p>\n
American League:<\/p>\n
TBD<\/p>\n
Who Holds the Tiebreakers in 2025 MLB Postseason?<\/p>\n
There are no more Game 163s to determine playoff spots. Tiebreakers are determined mathematically, starting with head-to-head record, then intradivisional record (if needed), and finally interdivisional record (if needed).<\/p>\n
Who Has Home-Field Advantage For the 2025 World Series?<\/p>\n
Home-field advantage goes to the team with the best record. If the teams have the same record, home-field advantage will be determined by tiebreakers.<\/p>\n
What is the 2025 MLB Postseason Schedule?Wild Card Series: September 30-October 2What is the format for the Wild Card Series?<\/p>\n
The Wild Card Series is a best-of-three format. The lowest-seeded division winner (with the worst record of the three division winners) will face off against the lowest-seeded Wild Card team. The other Wild Card Series will consist of the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds. All games will take place at the site of the highest-seeded team.<\/p>\n
(Airing on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2)<\/p>\n
\ufeffDate<\/p>\n
Series <\/p>\n
Matchup <\/p>\n
\ufeff9\/30\/25<\/p>\n
AL Wild Card A, Game 1<\/p>\n
AL Wild Card B, Game 1<\/p>\n
NL Wild Card A, Game 1<\/p>\n
NL Wild Card B, Game 1<\/p>\n
10\/1\/25<\/p>\n
AL Wild Card A, Game 2<\/p>\n
AL Wild Card B, Game 2<\/p>\n
NL Wild Card A, Game 2<\/p>\n
NL Wild Card B, Game 2<\/p>\n
10\/2\/25<\/p>\n
AL Wild Card A, Game 3 *<\/p>\n
AL Wild Card B, Game 3 *<\/p>\n
NL Wild Card A, Game 3 *<\/p>\n
NL Wild Card B, Game 3 *<\/p>\n
Division Series: October 4-11Is the Division Series still a best-of-five?<\/p>\n
Yes. The Division Series is played in a 2-2-1 format, with the highest-seeded team having home-field advantage (Games 1-2 and 5 if necessary)<\/p>\n
(ALDS airing on FOX\/FS1\/FOX Deportes; NLDS airing on TBS\/Tru TV\/HBO Max: Game times are TBA)<\/p>\n
*if necessary<\/p>\n
\ufeffDate<\/p>\n
Series<\/p>\n
Matchup<\/p>\n
10\/4\/25<\/p>\n
ALDS A, Game 1<\/p>\n
ALWC A Winner at AL Division Winner #1<\/p>\n
ALDS B, Game 1<\/p>\n
ALWC B Winner at AL Division Winner #2<\/p>\n
NLDS A, Game 1<\/p>\n
NLWC A Winner at NL Division Winner #1<\/p>\n
NLDS B, Game 1<\/p>\n
NLWC B Winner at NL Division Winner #2<\/p>\n
10\/5\/25<\/p>\n
ALDS A, Game 2<\/p>\n
ALWC A Winner at AL Division Winner #1<\/p>\n
ALDS B, Game 2<\/p>\n
ALWC B Winner at AL Division Winner #2<\/p>\n
10\/6\/25<\/p>\n
NLDS A, Game 2<\/p>\n
NLWC A Winner at NL Division Winner #1<\/p>\n
NLDS B, Game 2<\/p>\n
NLWC B Winner at NL Division Winner #2<\/p>\n
10\/7\/25<\/p>\n
ALDS A, Game 3<\/p>\n
AL Division Winner #1 at ALWC A Winner<\/p>\n
ALDS B, Game 3<\/p>\n
AL Division Winner #2 at ALWC B Winner<\/p>\n
10\/8\/25<\/p>\n
NLDS A, Game 3<\/p>\n
NL Division Winner #1 at NLWC A Winner<\/p>\n
NLDS B, Game 3<\/p>\n
NL Division Winner #2 at NLWC B Winner<\/p>\n
ALDS A, Game 4 *<\/p>\n
AL Division Winner #1 at ALWC A Winner<\/p>\n
ALDS B, Game 4 *<\/p>\n
AL Division Winner #2 at ALWC B Winner<\/p>\n
10\/9\/25<\/p>\n
NLDS A, Game 4 *<\/p>\n
NL Division Winner #1 at NLWC A Winner<\/p>\n
NLDS B, Game 4 *<\/p>\n
NL Division Winner #2 at NLWC B Winner<\/p>\n
10\/10\/25<\/p>\n
ALDS A, Game 5 *<\/p>\n
ALWC A Winner at AL Division Winner #1<\/p>\n
ALDS B, Game 5 *<\/p>\n
ALWC B Winner at AL Division Winner #2<\/p>\n
10\/11\/25<\/p>\n
NLDS A, Game 5 *<\/p>\n
NLWC A Winner at NL Division Winner #1<\/p>\n
NLDS B, Game 5 *<\/p>\n
NLWC B Winner at NL Division Winner #2<\/p>\n
Championship Series: October 12-21<\/p>\n
(ALCS airing on TBS, truTV and HBO Max; NLCS airing on FOX, FS1, and FOX Deportes: Game times are TBA)<\/p>\n
*if necessary<\/p>\n
\ufeffDate<\/p>\n
Series<\/p>\n
Matchup<\/p>\n
10\/12\/25<\/p>\n
ALCS, Game 1<\/p>\n
AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
10\/13\/25<\/p>\n
NLCS, Game 1<\/p>\n
NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
ALCS, Game 2<\/p>\n
AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
10\/14\/25<\/p>\n
NLCS, Game 2<\/p>\n
NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
10\/15\/25<\/p>\n
ALCS, Game 3<\/p>\n
AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
10\/16\/25<\/p>\n
NLCS, Game 3<\/p>\n
NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
ALCS, Game 4<\/p>\n
AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
10\/17\/25<\/p>\n
NLCS, Game 4<\/p>\n
NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
ALCS, Game 5 *<\/p>\n
AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
10\/18\/25<\/p>\n
NLCS, Game 5 *<\/p>\n
NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
10\/19\/25<\/p>\n
ALCS, Game 6 *<\/p>\n
AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
10\/20\/25<\/p>\n
NLCS, Game 6 *<\/p>\n
NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
ALCS, Game 7 *<\/p>\n
AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
10\/21\/25<\/p>\n
NLCS, Game 7 *<\/p>\n
NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed<\/p>\n
2025 World Series: October 24-November 1 <\/p>\n
(World Series airing on FOX: Game times are TBA)<\/p>\n
*if necessary<\/p>\n
\ufeffDate<\/p>\n
Series<\/p>\n
Matchup<\/p>\n
\ufeff10\/24\/25<\/p>\n
World Series, Game 1<\/p>\n
League Champ #2 at League Champ #1<\/p>\n
10\/25\/25<\/p>\n
World Series, Game 2<\/p>\n
League Champ #2 at League Champ #1<\/p>\n
10\/27\/25<\/p>\n
World Series, Game 3<\/p>\n
League Champ #1 at League Champ #2<\/p>\n
10\/28\/25<\/p>\n
World Series, Game 4<\/p>\n
League Champ #1 at League Champ #2<\/p>\n
10\/29\/25<\/p>\n
World Series, Game 5 *<\/p>\n
League Champ #1 at League Champ #2<\/p>\n
10\/31\/25<\/p>\n
World Series, Game 6 *<\/p>\n
League Champ #2 at League Champ #1<\/p>\n
11\/1\/25<\/p>\n
World Series, Game 7 *<\/p>\n
League Champ #2 at League Champ #1<\/p>\n
2025 MLB Playoff RulesWhat Are The Replay Rules for the 2025 MLB Playoffs?<\/p>\n
Managers get just one challenge during the regular season, but they are afforded two challenges in the postseason. If a challenge is successful, the manager keeps their challenge; they lose one of their challenges if the original call is confirmed. From the eighth inning onward, the crew chief can still review certain calls if a team has exhausted their challenges. <\/p>\n
Will the Runner-on-Second Rule Apply in Extra Innings During the 2025 MLB Playoffs?<\/p>\n
No. As opposed the regular season, the bases will be empty to begin extra innings and the game will be played under those circumstances until completion.<\/p>\n
Can MLB Teams Replace Injured Players During the Playoffs?<\/p>\n
Yes. Teams can replace an injured player during a series, but that player will be deemed ineligible for the remainder of the series and the following round should the team advance.<\/p>\n
Additionally, a pitcher may only be replaced by another pitcher and a position player may only be replaced by another position player.<\/p>\n
MLB Postseason Roster Eligibility Rules Explained<\/p>\n
Any player on the 40-man roster or injured list as of noon ET on September 1 is eligible for the postseason. Players who were in the organization (and not on the 40-man roster) by that deadline may also replace someone on the 10-day or 60-day injured list, provided the injured player has served the minimum required time (10 days for the 10-day IL, 60 days for the 60-day IL). The substitute must also be added to the 40-man roster before joining the postseason roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025 MLB postseason is almost here. The regular season will come to a close on Sunday, September…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":148056,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,85],"class_list":["post-148055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}