The 2025 American League Wild Card Series were the two best-of-three playoff series in Major League BaseballâÂÂs (MLB) 2025 postseason to determine the participating teams of the 2025 American League Division Series (ALDS). Both Wild Card Series began on September 30, with Game 2s scheduled for October 1. ESPN was the broadcaster for most of both series (except for Game 3 of the Guardians vs Tigers series which was on ABC) in the United States, together with ESPN Radio.
These matchups are:
The lowest-seeded division winner and three wild-card teams in each league play in a best-of-three series after the end of the regular season. The winners of each league's wild card rounds advance to face the two best division winners in that league's Division Series. The Houston Astros failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2016, ending the second-longest consecutive postseason streak in MLB.
Entering the final day of the season, the American League East and American League Central had yet to be decided. The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, who both had at least a -game lead atop the American League East division at one point this season, were tied at 93âÂÂ68. The Blue Jays won the season series 8âÂÂ5, thus holding the head-to-head tiebreaker, so the Yankees must finish ahead of them to win the AL East division. The winner of the AL East division will have home-field advantage throughout the American League postseason as the top seed, while the runner-up will have to play against the fifth-seeded team (also undetermined as of the start of the final day the season) at home in the Wild Card Series. In the American League Central division, the Detroit Tigers were trying to salvage a division they once led by games. The Cleveland Guardians, who themselves were games back of the Tigers on August 31, entered the final day of the season tied for the division lead at 87âÂÂ74. If both teams finished tied, the Guardians would win the division due to owning the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Tigers. The winner of the AL Central division will be the third seed and have home-field advantage for the Wild Card Series and the runner-up will start their postseason on the road.
The results of the final day of the season: The Blue Jays and Yankees both won, thus giving the Blue Jays the AL East, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. In the AL Central, the Guardians won, while the Tigers lost, giving Cleveland the AL Central title.
The Cleveland Guardians (88âÂÂ74) clinched their eighth postseason berth in the last ten seasons on September 27 and won the AL Central after a Detroit Tigers loss to the Boston Red Sox on September 28, followed by their own win against the Texas Rangers. They were locked into the three seed as they had the worst record among AL division winners. They played host to their divisional rivals, the Detroit Tigers (87âÂÂ75), who clinched a postseason berth on September 27. The Guardians won the season series, 8âÂÂ5. This was a rematch of the ALDS match-up from last year that the Guardians won in five games.
The New York Yankees (94âÂÂ68) clinched their eighth playoff berth in nine seasons on September 23, but failed to clinch the AL East after the Blue Jays won. They hosted their archrivals, the Boston Red Sox (89âÂÂ73), who clinched their first postseason appearance since the 2021 season with a Ceddanne Rafaela walk-off triple against the Detroit Tigers on September 26. The Red Sox won the season series, 9âÂÂ4. This was the sixth YankeesâÂÂRed Sox playoff matchup, with the most recent being a Red Sox's Wild Card Game win in 2021.
As the top two seeds, the Toronto Blue Jays (94âÂÂ68) and Seattle Mariners (90âÂÂ72) earned a first-round bye and have home-field advantage in the ALDS. Just seven games separated the top-seeded Blue Jays and the sixth-seeded Tigers in the standings.
This is the second postseason match-up between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers. Last year, the Guardians defeated the Tigers in the American League Division Series in five games.
In the top of the first inning, Spencer Torkelson hit a RBI single to left field to give the Tigers a 1âÂÂ0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Guardians tied the score when Gabriel Arias hit a RBI single off Tarik Skubal after a tag play was challenged and overturned. In the top of the seventh inning, the Tigers took the lead back after Zach McKinstry hit a sacrifice bunt, scoring Riley Greene from third to give the Tigers a 2âÂÂ1 lead. Tarik Skubal threw innings, allowing just one run, and striking out a career-high 14 in his performance against the Guardians. Will Vest got the save for the Tigers after going innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one batter. Shortstop Javier Báez got the final out of the game when C. J. Kayfus hit a pop fly to him in shallow left field.
In the bottom of the first inning, George Valera hit a solo home run to give the Guardians a 1âÂÂ0 lead. In the top of the fourth inning, Riley Greene scored on a bases loaded Javier Báez single, tying the game at 1âÂÂ1. Dillon Dingler scored behind Greene, but Cleveland challenged Zach McKinstry's safe call at third base. The call was overturned, which resulted in Dingler not scoring on the play, as he had not reached home plate before McKinstry was tagged out. Tigers pitcher Casey Mize exited the game after three innings, giving up one run while striking out only one batter. Tanner Bibee pitched innings as he allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out six. In the bottom of the eighth, Brayan Rocchio hit a solo home run off Troy Melton for the Guardians to retake the lead at 2âÂÂ1, followed by Daniel Schneemann hitting an RBI double, and a three-run home run by Bo Naylor to extend the Guardians' lead to 6âÂÂ1. C. J. Kayfus got the final out of the game as Dillon Dingler lined out with the bases loaded. The series is now tied and Game 3 will be the second consecutive winner-take-all game between the two teams in as many seasons.
According to Sarah Langs, Rocchio hit the first go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later when facing elimination in Cleveland postseason history. The Tigers left 15 runners on base in the game.
In the top of the third inning, Parker Meadows scored on an RBI double by Kerry Carpenter, giving the Tigers a 1âÂÂ0 lead. Slade Cecconi pitched innings, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out three batters. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Guardians tied the game 1âÂÂ1, when George Valera scored on an RBI single by José RamÃÂrez. Jack Flaherty pitched innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out four batters. Dillon Dingler hit a solo home run off Joey Cantillo in the top of the sixth inning to give the Tigers a 2âÂÂ1 lead. Cantillo pitched innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out three batters. In the top of the seventh inning, the Tigers extended their lead to 4âÂÂ1, when Javier Báez and Meadows scored on a Wenceel Pérez RBI single. Later in the inning, Carpenter scored on an RBI single by Spencer Torkelson, pushing the Tigers' lead to 5âÂÂ1. Pérez completed the Tigers scoring when he ran home on an RBI single by Riley Greene for a 6âÂÂ1 lead. Erik Sabrowski and Hunter Gaddis combined to pitch only innings, where they allowed five hits and four runs while striking out no batters. Tigers reliever Tommy Kahnle allowed one-out hits to Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan, putting runners on second and third in the bottom of the eighth inning. The two scored with two outs when José RamÃÂrez reached base on a fielding error by Will Vest, cutting the Tigers' lead down to 6âÂÂ3. However, Vest threw out RamÃÂrez when he tried to advance to second base on the error, ending the inning with no further damage. Vest closed out the series for the Tigers with a 1âÂÂ2âÂÂ3 ninth inning. The Tigers won the series 2âÂÂ1, and advanced to the ALDS to face the Seattle Mariners.
This was the Tigersâ first postseason victory over a team from their current division since winning the American League pennant in 1984.
2025 ALWC (2âÂÂ1): Detroit Tigers beat Cleveland Guardians
This is the sixth postseason meeting between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. The Yankees won the first two match-ups, the 1999 American League Championship Series and the 2003 American League Championship Series, while the Red Sox have won the last three, the 2004 American League Championship Series, the 2018 American League Division Series, and the 2021 American League Wild Card Game.
In the bottom of the second inning, Anthony Volpe hit a solo home run off Garrett Crochet to give the Yankees a 1âÂÂ0 lead. In the top of the fourth inning, Max Fried got out of a jam by striking out Jarren Duran as runners were on second and third bases to keep the one-run Yankees lead. Fried had a good outing, allowing four hits but didn't allow any runs at all and striking out six batters in shutout innings. He also became the first pitcher with a scoreless start of six-plus innings in a Yankee playoff debut since Mike Mussina in the 2001 ALDS, per Sarah Langs. In the top of the seventh, Masataka Yoshida hit a two-RBI single to give the Red Sox a 2âÂÂ1 lead. In the top of the ninth inning, Alex Bregman hit an RBI single to extend the Red Sox's lead to 3âÂÂ1. Garrett Crochet pitched innings as he allowed four hits and one earned run while striking out 11. Aroldis Chapman earned the save, escaping the bases-loaded jam with no outs in the bottom of the ninth, preserving a 3âÂÂ1 win as the Red Sox got their 13th postseason victory over their arch rivals.
According to OptaSTATS, the Yankees were the first team in MLB postseason history to have the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth but not score a run and lose the game.
In the bottom of the first inning, Ben Rice hit a two-run home run off Brayan Bello to give the Yankees a 2âÂÂ0 lead. In the top of the third inning, Trevor Story hit a two-RBI single to score Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela, tying the game at 2âÂÂ2. Bello only pitched innings, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out zero batters. Trent Grisham scored on a two-out RBI single by Aaron Judge in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Yankees a 3âÂÂ2 lead. In the top of the sixth inning, Story hit a solo home run to tie the game at 3âÂÂ3. Rodón pitched six innings, giving up four hits and three runs while striking out six batters. Yankees relief pitcher Fernando Cruz escaped a bases-loaded jam to end the bottom of the seventh inning after Story got out via a fly out to center field. Austin Wells hit a two-out RBI single to score Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the bottom of the eighth inning. David Bednar got the save with a perfect inning as the Yankees got the victory, and even the series to force a winner-take-all Game 3.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Cody Bellinger scored by an RBI single from Amed Rosario to give the Yankees a 1âÂÂ0 lead. Giancarlo Stanton then scored by an RBI single from Anthony Volpe to extend the Yankees' lead to 2âÂÂ0. Rosario and Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored when Austin Wells reached base on a fielding error by Nathaniel Lowe, extending the Yankees' lead to 4âÂÂ0. Red Sox starting pitcher Connelly Early pitched innings, allowing six hits and four runs (three earned runs) while striking out six batters. He became the youngest pitcher to start a postseason game since Babe Ruth, per MLB's Twitter account. Cam Schlittler had a dominant outing, allowing five hits while striking out 12 batters in eight innings. He became the first pitcher in postseason history with 8+ scoreless innings with 12+ strikeouts and no walks, per Sarah Langs. Then, David Bednar closed out the game and the series for the Yankees to advance to the ALDS, where they would face their division rival, the Toronto Blue Jays.
With their series win, the Yankees became the first team under the current playoff format to win their wildcard series after losing the first game in the series.
2025 ALWC (2âÂÂ1): New York Yankees beat Boston Red Sox