New York Mets’ Juan Soto reacts after striking out during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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We’ve reached the final day of the MLB regular season. With 161 out of 162 games completed, seven teams are certain of their playoff seeding and 17 are eliminated, but six are still undetermined with one game to play.
All 30 teams will be in action at the same time today, beginning just after 3 p.m. EDT. Of the 15 games, here are the six with postseason implications.
National League Wild Card
There are still two teams fighting for the last playoff spot in the National League. The Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets are tied at 83-78. The Reds hold the all-important tie breaker, having won four out of six head-to-head matchups against New York.
These two ballclubs weren’t supposed to be anywhere near each other in the standings. The Mets were expected to coast into October after signing Juan Soto, while the Reds haven’t made the playoffs since 2020.
Cincinnati clinches the playoff berth either with a win or a Mets loss. They’re on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers, who have the best record in baseball at 96-65. The Reds will start Brady Singer, who has a 3.95 ERA this season, against Milwaukee’s ace Freddy Peralta.
The Mets have Sean Manaea on the hill in a win-or-go-home scenario. The left-hander has a 5.80 ERA this year, and will probably be pulled early at the first sign of trouble. He’ll face the Marlins in Miami, led by their best pitcher, Edward Cabrera.
American League East
The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees are both playoff-bound, but one of them will have an express pass to the second round. They’re tied atop the American League East with 93-68 records, and the winner of the division gets to skip the best-of-three Wild Card Series. The runner-up will be the fourth seed as the top Wild Card and face the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs.
Toronto has the head-to-head tie breaker, and they have their best pitcher on the mound at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. Kevin Gausman has a 3.47 ERA over 31 starts, and he’ll matchup against 26-year-old rookie Ian Seymour, who has a 2.85 ERA over 18 games and four starts.
The Yankees need to win today’s home game against the Baltimore Orioles while they root for Toronto to lose. They have 2024 Rookie of the Year Luis Gil starting, who has a 3.29 ERA over 10 outings despite a 1.44 WHIP. Kyle Bradish will take the ball for the Orioles. He missed most of this season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he has a 2.25 ERA over five starts and 28 innings.
American League Central
After a wild finish and an epic Detroit Tigers collapse, it’s only fitting that they’ll play the Cleveland Guardians in the Wild Card round. They’re tied atop the American League Central at 87-74, and they’ll face each other as the third and sixth seed no matter what, but the winner of the division will have home-field advantage.
Cleveland holds the head-to-head tie breaker, and they’re at home facing the Texas Rangers this afternoon. Logan Allen will be their starter, featuring a 4.14 ERA. Patrick Corbin goes for Texas with a 4.34 ERA, and he has given up the most hits, runs, and homers in MLB over the last five years.
Detroit is visiting Boston, and starting pitchers aren’t announced yet for either team. Both of them will keep their powder dry since they’ll both have to play in the first round of the MLB playoffs.