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The 162-game marathon is over. Now, we have a sprint through October (and hopefully a day into November) to determine who wins the 2025 World Series. But, oh, boy. What a final day of the regular season. Six teams were playing for something significant Sunday, with the AL Central and AL East tied entering Game 162 and the battle for the last NL wild card also deadlocked. The two biggest takeaways from what happened Sunday? Give all the credit to the Cleveland Guardians for what they accomplished. Meanwhile, the New York Mets face a ton of questions this offseason after squandering their chance at the postseason.
Reminder that all four best-of-three Wild Card Series begin Tuesday, with all games played at the higher-seeded team’s stadium. The best-of-five Division Series start Saturday.
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Today’s Headlines
Guardians Win Central With Epic Comeback
The Cleveland Guardians were 15.5 games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers on July 8. Fittingly, the Guardians trailed 5-3 entering the seventh inning and 8-5 in the 10th. All three deficits were erased. Because of that, the Guardians are the AL Central champions for the second season in a row. Brayan Rocchio hit a three-run walk-off homer with no outs in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Guardians beat the Texas Rangers 9-8. The Guardians, who were in fourth place at 42-48 on that infamous July 8, will be the No. 3 seed and will see a familiar face in the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series that begins Tuesday against the Tigers, whom Cleveland beat five out of six times in the final two weeks of the regular season. Rocchio’s homer was just his fifth of the season and, as if we needed more drama, it clanged off the right-field foul pole, sending Guardians fans into a frenzy after the playoff dream was officially realized. The Rangers took an 8-5 lead in the top of the 10th as pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez hit a three-run homer off right-hander Zak Kent. But the Guardians came right back. Bo Naylor had a leadoff RBI double to score automatic runner George Valera. Petey Halpin drew a full-count walk before Rocchio’s clinching blast.
Largest deficits overcome to win division (1969-on) or league (1900-‘68):2025 Guardians: 15.5 GB1914 Braves: 15.01978 Yankees: 14.02012 A’s: 13.01995 Mariners: 13.01951 Giants: 13.0h/t @EliasSports
Tigers’ Tale: Historic Collapse, But Still Alive
The silver lining after the Tigers finished the regular season with just three wins in their final 16 games is that you can start from scratch in the postseason. There is no lead to protect, just a race for two wins in the AL Wild Card Series. That has to be the mindset after the Tigers fell to the Boston Red Sox 4-3 to lose their grip on a division they had controlled since the second week of the regular season. On July 8, the Tigers not only were 15.5 games ahead of the fourth-place Guardians in the Central, but 14 games ahead of the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins. All of Sunday’s scoring came early and in a flurry. Trailing 1-0 in the top of the fourth, the Tigers got a three-run homer from Javier Báez. But the Red Sox, who could have ended up as the No. 6 seed with a loss to the Tigers, punched right back in the bottom of the fourth. David Hamilton hit a two-run homer, and Jarren Duran doubled home Nick Sogard to take a 4-3 lead. After that, the Tigers were unable to push across another run and will be on the road when they face the Guardians in the playoffs.
Mets’ Mess: Eliminated After Nightmarish Finish
When the New York Mets signed Juan Soto to a record 15-year, $765 million contract in the offseason, the expectation was not only a return to the postseason, but going one step further than they did in 2024 and reaching the World Series. And when the Mets had the best record in MLB at 45-24 with a 5.5-game lead in the NL East, everything seemed to be going according to the script. But sports has a funny way of doing the unexpected. The Mets will be at home watching the postseason following their 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins, concluding a 38-55 finish to the season. The Mets lost a tiebreaker to the Cincinnati Reds for the final NL wild-card berth. Right-hander Edward Cabrera and four Marlins relievers combined on the five-hit shutout, and four players drove in runs during a four-run fourth inning. Only two team teams in MLB history — the 1905 Cleveland Napoleons (76-78) and the 1977 Chicago Cubs (81-81) — had worse records at the end of the season than the Mets (83-79) did after being at least 21 games over .500. And while it seems like pouring salt into the fresh wound, as expected, slugging first baseman Pete Alonso confirmed that he would be opting out of his contract to become a free agent.
Doing Their Thing: Reds Back Into Playoffs
Perhaps it was fitting that the Reds got into the NL playoffs with a 4-2 loss to the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. It never seemed very real that Cincinnati had a chance to be one of the six teams from the Senior Circuit. But with the Mets stumbling to the finish, the Reds took advantage by winning eight of their final 11 games to earn a ticket to the dance. The Reds, who had a 4-2 record in the season series vs. the Mets to earn the tiebreaker after both had 83-79 records, are in the playoffs for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and the first time in a 162-game season since 2013. That is exactly what manager Terry Francona was brought in to do last offseason after he sat out 2024 due to health issues. Elly De La Cruz and TJ Friedl homered for the Reds, who now get the honor of traveling to face the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in an NL Wild Card Series.
Worst To First: Jays Romp To Claim AL East
There is nothing like taking the air out of a situation so you can sit back and relax, planning on how you are going to celebrate. Entering the day tied atop with AL East with the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays scored five runs in the bottom of the first, watched the Tampa Bay Rays climb back into the game, then put it on ice with another five-run outburst in the seventh inning en route to a 13-4 triumph that gave the Jays their first East title since 2015. The Jays, who finished last in the East a year ago, will also be the No. 1 seed in the AL, earning a bye before facing the winner of the Yankees-Red Sox Wild Card Series. Alejandro Kirk hit two homers — including his first grand slam — doubled and drove in six runs to lead the 13-hit attack, while Addison Barger and George Springer hit homers in the seventh inning. The Jays sat atop the East following a four-game sweep of the Yankees to begin July, only to see New York make a late push and pull into a tie during this final week of the season. But the Jays won their final four games to get back into the playoffs as a division champion after four straight trips as a wild card.
Yankees Settle For Wild Card
If the Yankees needed a pick-me-up following the downer of not repeating as AL East champions, they have the perfect elixir. The Red Sox await the Yankees in an AL Wild Card Series. While the Yankees did their part in the regular-season finale, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 to finish with the same record as the Blue Jays, they will be a wild-card entrant this postseason after losing the season series to Toronto 8-5. There will be some regret for the Yankees, who led the division by seven games on May 28. But the runner-up in last year’s World Series finished tied for the best record in the AL. Ben Rice provided the decisive blow, hitting a tiebreaking solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning, his second homer of the day. Luis Gil, the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, allowed two runs over five innings, then four Yankees relievers combined on four shutout innings.
Stat Leaders: Raleigh’s 60, Judge’s .331, Skenes’ 1.97
Baseball was built on numbers, and there was plenty of history in this year’s statistical leaders. From Cal Raleigh setting numerous marks on the way to 60 homers, to Aaron Judge becoming just the third batting champion to have at least 50 homers, to 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes posting a ridiculous 1.97 ERA, 2025 was definitely memorable. Other MLB leaders included Garrett Crochet’s 255 strikeouts, Max Fried’s 19 wins, Carlos Estévez’s 42 saves, Tarik Skubal’s 0.89 WHIP, Kyle Schwarber’s 132 RBIs, Bobby Witt Jr.’s 184 hits, and José Caballero’s 49 steals.
By The Numbers
⚾ Two-way Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani put a final stamp on what is likely his third straight and fourth in five seasons as MVP by hitting his club-record 55th home run, all but four of which came out of the leadoff spot. It is the second time in as many seasons with the Dodgers that Ohtani has broken the club record after hitting 54 last year. One other quirk: Ohtani is the first player in MLB history to finish with 55 homers in a season. Every other number between zero and 66 had been hit before this season.
⚾ The Brewers set a club record with their 97th victory when they beat the Reds 4-2. The previous mark of 96 was set in 2008 and matched in 2011.
⚾ The Colorado Rockies lost to the San Francisco Giants 4-0, their sixth straight setback. The Rockies finished with a 43-119 record, two wins better than last year’s Chicago White Sox and one loss shy of the 1962 Mets. Their 119 losses are tied for the third-most in MLB history, the third season in a row they hit the century mark. The Rockies also had a minus-424 run differential, easily eclipsing the worst mark in MLB history (minus-329, 1932 Red Sox).
⚾ 2025 marks the first season since 2005 with zero no-hitters.
⚾ Willy Adames became the first Giants player to hit 30 homers in a season since Barry Bonds did it in 2004.
⚾ Due to being traded from the Red Sox, Giants first baseman Rafael Devers played in 163 games this season. The last player to play an extra regular-season game was Justin Morneau in 2008.
Best Moments From Yesterday
The Last Stand?
Dodgers star left-hander Clayton Kershaw made what was perhaps his final appearance in an MLB game by starting the finale. Kershaw will not be on the Dodgers’ roster for the Wild Card Series because of this start, although he could be activated for the Division Series should the NL West champs advance. First baseman Freddie Freeman came out to make the pitching change — and wanted a souvenir.
"I wanted that ball, Kersh.""Nope."lol
— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) 2025-09-28T20:54:47.968Z
Having A Ball
The Yankees autographed a bunch of balls pregame, then gave them out to fans.
‘See You Later’
Washington Nationals play-by-play announcer Bob Carpenter called his last game, as he is retiring. He received a nice ovation as the Nationals warmed up before the top of the first inning.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Brewers right-handed closer Trevor Megill (strained right flexor) and left-handed reliever DL Hall (strained right oblique) were activated from the 15-day injured list.
⚾ White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor said before Sunday’s game that he was retiring.
⚾ The Athletics will wear a gold jersey with a script Sacramento across the front in 2026.
Articles You Should Read
Stearns, Mendoza on clock after Mets’ heartless flop — Mike Vaccaro, New York Post
Dodgers hero Gibson now tries to be hero for those battling Parkinson’s — Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times
Three themes that will define the Astros’ offseason — Chandler Rome, The Athletic
Former Giant Snow played through pain in silence. After life-saving surgery, he is ready to share — Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle
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