What to Expect From MLB Wild-Card Round
by Sam Cox | by Tyler Doty
The MLB Wild-Card Round has been through various iterations in recent years. It has been a controversial topic in many ways, with each change provoking a new debate about how many teams should make the postseason.
There’s no denying, though, that the wild-card matchups provide some of the most scintillating baseball of the year. It’s a chance to see good-to-great teams go toe-to-toe in short series, with their seasons on the line.
Making MLB picks for the playoffs is never easy – the small samples make it much more of a lottery than the 162-game regular-season marathon.
How Does the Wild-Card Round Work?
The MLB wild-card round features the division winner with the worst regular season record and the three non-division winners with the best records. The division winner is the third seed, regardless of their win tally, and they match up with the final wild-card team.
The first and second wild-card teams go head-to-head, too. The higher seed hosts all three of the games in a best-of-three series, taking place across three consecutive days.
Teams are competing for places in the ALDS and NLDS. The winner of the three-six matchup faces the team with the second-best regular-season record, while the four-six series goes up against the team with the most wins in the league.
2025 Wild-Card Matchups
- Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians
- Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
- Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs
When Does the Wild-Card Take Place?
The 2025 wild-card series begin on October 4. Games two and three (if required) take place on October 5 and 6, respectively.
With no travel involved, there are no rest days during the series. It also means October 4 and 5 each have four games – it’s a great day to settle down in front of the TV as a baseball fan.
Things to Watch
Cincy’s Dangerous Rotation
It seemed unlikely the Reds would make the playoffs a few weeks ago. Cincy surged down the stretch to overtake the slumping Mets, who had a nightmare second half as their rotation ground to a halt.
Their reward is a trip to Los Angeles to face the supposed juggernaut of the Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamato, and Blake Snell are starting. Los Angeles’ wRC+ was 25 points higher than Cincy’s in September.
The Reds’ best hope is their rotation keeps up with the Dodgers’ trio of aces and forces this into a low-scoring series. Generating some late-inning magic against Los Angeles’ bullpen is the Reds’ best/only chance of progressing.
Central Rivalry Continues
Cleveland chased down a slumping Detroit, winning five of their six matchups in the second half of September, to win the division and earn home-field advantage for this series.
Given that the Tigers had a 15-game lead in the AL Central a matter of weeks ago, it’s a nightmare scenario that they’re facing the wild-card series at all. Detroit has been inconsistent on offense and mediocre on the mound over the last two months.
The Tigers still look like the stronger team on paper, particularly with Tarik Skubal starting Game 1, but there’s no question Cleveland has the psychological edge.
Red Sox Aim to Build on Regular Season
Boston went 9-4 against the Yankees in the regular season. Yankee Stadium will be raucous for this series, making New York clear favorites, even with Garrett Crochet getting the ball for Boston in Game 1.
The Red Sox have the better bullpen. The Yankees have the far superior lineup, with a wRC+ 20 points higher than Boston’s in the final month of the regular season.
Tight games, led by strong starting pitching, are Boston’s path to success in this series. They cannot let this Yankees lineup get rolling with Aaron Judge coming off another historic season and Giancarlo Stanton’s postseason track record.
Pressure at Wrigley Field
The Padres and Cubs both entered this season with World Series hopes. Chicago traded for Kyle Tucker. San Diego has been waiting for a dominant regular season since building its star-studded roster.
A wild-card exit would represent a major disappointment for either team. It could push the Padres to shed salary over the winter, while the Cubs will be fighting to retain Tucker during free agency.
San Diego is hedging its bets by taking all of its rotation for this series, potentially allowing them to piggyback. Cade Horton’s absence is a blow for the Cubs.
