2025 American League Division Series: Difference between revisions

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2025 American League Division Series
Dates October 4–8
Television Canada:
Sportsnet
United States:
Fox (Game 1)
FS1 (Games 2–4)
TV announcers Dan Shulman, Buck Martinez, and Hazel Mae (Sportsnet)
Joe Davis, John Smoltz, and Ken Rosenthal (Fox/FS1)
Radio ESPN
Radio announcers Karl Ravech, Eduardo Pérez, and Tim Kurkjian
Umpires Jordan Baker, Dan Bellino (crew chief), Adam Hamari, Roberto Ortiz, Tony Randazzo, Chris Segal
Dates October 4–10
Television FS1 (Games 1–2 and 4)
FS2/MLBN (Game 3)
Fox (Game 5)
TV announcers Adam Amin, A. J. Pierzynski, Adam Wainwright, and Tom Verducci
Radio ESPN
Radio announcers Roxy Bernstein and Gregg Olson
Umpires Chris Guccione, Alan Porter (crew chief), Jeremie Rehak, Nate Tomlinson, Alex Tosi, John Tumpane
ALWC Detroit Tigers over Cleveland Guardians (2–1)
New York Yankees over Boston Red Sox (2–1)

The 2025 American League Division Series (ALDS) are the two best-of-five playoff series in Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2025 postseason to determine the participating teams of the 2025 American League Championship Series (ALCS). These matchups are:

The team with the better regular season record (higher seed) of each series hosted Games 1, 2, and (if necessary) 5, while the lower seeded team hosted Game 3 and (if necessary) 4.[1][2]

The top two division winners (first two seeds) are determined by regular season winning percentages. The final two teams are the winners of the American League Wild Card Series, played between the league’s third to sixth-seeded teams.

The Toronto Blue Jays (94–68) clinched their fourth playoff berth since 2020 on September 21[3] and won their first American League East since 2015 on September 28 by virtue of their 8–5 head-to-head record against the New York Yankees, with a 13–4 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays in their final regular season game.[4] They played the fourth-seeded New York Yankees (94–68), who defeated their divisional archrival Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series in three games.[5] The Blue Jays and Yankees both finished the regular season with an identical 94–68 record, with the Blue Jays winning their regular season series of 8–5 over the Yankees, which gave the Blue Jays a head-to-head tiebreaker for the division title and a first-round bye. This was the first postseason meeting between the Blue Jays and Yankees. There was controversy surrounding the announcers of both teams this season. Michael Kay, the Yankees’ head play-by-play radio announcer, insisted the Blue Jays were “not a first-place caliber team” due to their run differential in July. Kay later stated he was misunderstood and reached out to former Yankees first baseman and current Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly to quell controversy.[6] In September, Blue Jays color TV analyst Buck Martinez made critical comments towards the Yankees, stating they were “not a good team” due to their numerous wild pitches, fielding mistakes, and poor base running, along with their over-reliance on home runs, according to Martinez.[7]

The Seattle Mariners (90–72) clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2022 on September 23 with a victory against the Colorado Rockies.[8] The next night, they won the American League West for the first time since 2001, ending the second longest division title drought in the majors, and also clinched a first-round bye with a Cleveland Guardians loss to the Detroit Tigers on September 25.[9][10] They will play the sixth-seeded Tigers (87–75), who defeated their divisional rival Cleveland Guardians in the Wild Card Series in three games.[11] The Mariners had a 4–2 record versus the Tigers this season, including a road sweep of the Tigers just before the All-Star break.[12] This will be the first postseason meeting between the Mariners and Tigers.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees

[edit]

Toronto won the series, 3–1.

Game Date Score Location Time Attendance 
1 October 4 New York Yankees – 1, Toronto Blue Jays – 10 Rogers Centre 3:06 44,655[13] 
2 October 5 New York Yankees – 7, Toronto Blue Jays – 13 Rogers Centre 3:04 44,764[14] 
3 October 7 Toronto Blue Jays – 6, New York Yankees – 9 Yankee Stadium 3:29 47,399[15] 
4 October 8 Toronto Blue Jays – 5, New York Yankees – 2 Yankee Stadium 3:22 47,823[16]

Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers

[edit]

Series tied, 2–2.

Game Date Score Location Time Attendance 
1 October 4 Detroit Tigers – 3, Seattle Mariners – 2 (11) T-Mobile Park 3:21 47,290[17] 
2 October 5 Detroit Tigers – 2, Seattle Mariners – 3 T-Mobile Park 2:46 47,371[18] 
3 October 7 Seattle Mariners – 8, Detroit Tigers – 4 Comerica Park 2:57 (2:53 delay) 41,525[19] 
4 October 8 Seattle Mariners – 3, Detroit Tigers – 9 Comerica Park 2:55 37,069[20] 
5 October 10 Detroit Tigers at Seattle Mariners T-Mobile Park 8:08 p.m. –[21]

Toronto vs. New York

[edit]

This was the first postseason match-up between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.

Alejandro Kirk, pictured here with the Trenton Thunder, hit two home runs in Game 1.

In the bottom of the first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a leadoff solo home run off Luis Gil to give the Blue Jays a 1–0 lead. In the bottom of the second inning, Alejandro Kirk hit another home run to extend the Blue Jays’ lead to 2–0. Yankees starter Gil pitched 2+2⁄3 innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out two batters. In the top of the sixth inning, Anthony Volpe scored to get the Yankees on the board after Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman walked Cody Bellinger. Gausman allowed four hits and one run in 5+2⁄3 innings while striking out three batters. Then, Louis Varland escaped a bases-loaded jam to preserve a one-run lead for the Blue Jays. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Blue Jays extended their lead to 3–1 when Andrés Giménez hit a RBI single to right field, scoring Daulton Varsho. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Nathan Lukes scored Giménez and Ernie Clement on a RBI double, and Guerrero Jr. scored George Springer on a sacrifice fly, extending the Blue Jays’ lead to 6–1. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Kirk hit his second home run of the game to extend the Blue Jays’ lead to 7–1. The Blue Jays scored three more runs after an RBI double from Giménez, Clement scored Myles Straw on a sacrifice fly, and a RBI single from Lukes to extend their lead 10–1. The Blue Jays got the final out of the game when reliever Jeff Hoffman struck out Volpe to give the Blue Jays the first game of the series.

It is the first postseason win for the Blue Jays since Game 4 of the 2016 American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Indians.[22]

Daulton Varsho hit two home runs in Game 2.

In the bottom of the second inning, Ernie Clement hit a two-run home run off Yankees starter Max Fried to give the Blue Jays a 2–0 lead. In the bottom of the third inning. Davis Schneider, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Daulton Varsho scored on an RBI groundout, double, and single respectively to extend the Blue Jays’ lead to 5–0. Fried pitched three innings, allowed eight hits and five runs while walking two batters and striking out only one batter. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Guerrero Jr. hit a grand slam off Yankees reliever Will Warren to extend the Blue Jays’ lead to 9–0, which was the first grand slam home run in Blue Jays postseason history.[23] A two-run home run from Varsho further extended the lead to 11–0. In the bottom of the sixth inning, George Springer hit a solo home run to extend the Blue Jays’ lead to 12–0. The Yankees got on the board after Cody Bellinger hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning. Blue Jays rookie starter Trey Yesavage pitched 5+1⁄3 innings, walking one batter and striking out eleven batters, not giving up any hits in the process. In the bottom of the sixth, Varsho hit his second home run of the game to extend the Blue Jays’ lead to 13–2. In the top of the seventh inning, Aaron Judge scored Ryan McMahon on a RBI single, and Bellinger hit a sacrifice fly to cut the Blue Jays’ lead to 13–4. Consecutive RBI hits from Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton further reduced the lead to 13–7. The Blue Jays got the final out of the game when reliever Seranthony Domínguez struck Stanton out via a blocked sweeper and took a 2–0 lead over their divisional rivals, leaving the Blue Jays one win away from reaching the ALCS for the first time since 2016, and creating a win-or-go-home situation for the Yankees in Game 3 as the series shift to the Bronx.[24]

Aaron Judge hit a three-run home run in Game 3.

In the top of the first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run home run off Yankees starter Carlos Rodón to give the Blue Jays an early 2–0 lead. In the bottom of the first, Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Aaron Judge to cut the Blue Jays’ lead to 2–1. In the top of the third inning, successive RBI hits from Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement, and Anthony Santander extended the lead to 6–1. Yankees starting pitcher Rodon was removed from the game after conceding six runs in 2+1⁄3 innings. In the bottom of the third inning, Trent Grisham scored on a line drive from Judge to cut the Blue Jays’ lead to 6–2. Giancarlo Stanton then scored Cody Bellinger on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead further to 6–3, with Blue Jays manager John Schneider removing their starter Shane Bieber after 2+2⁄3 innings. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Judge hit a three-run home run off Louis Varland to tie the game at 6–6. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a solo home run off Varland to put the Yankees ahead, 7–6. Austin Wells then hit an RBI single, scoring Amed Rosario to extend the Yankees’ lead to 8–6. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Judge scored on another sacrifice fly from Ben Rice, further extending the lead to 9–6. David Bednar pitched 1+2⁄3 innings to earn the save as the Yankees avoided elimination and forced a Game 4.[25]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in his ninth RBI of the series in Game 4.

In the top of the first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored George Springer on an RBI single, giving the Blue Jays a 1–0 lead. Blue Jays starter Louis Varland pitched 1+1⁄3 innings, allowing one hit while striking out two batters. Ryan McMahon tied the game in the bottom of the third inning with a home run off of Mason Fluharty. The Blue Jays would the retake the lead top of the fifth inning on a Springer sacrifice fly. In the top of the seventh, Nathan Lukes tacked on some insurance runs with a two-run RBI single to extend the lead to 4–1, following an error by Jazz Chisholm Jr. that prevented them from getting out of the inning. Yankees starter Cam Schlittler would leave after the error, having pitched 6+1⁄3 innings and allowing eight hits and four runs (two earned) while striking out only two batters. The Blue Jays added one more in the eighth inning on a Myles Straw RBI single to further extend their lead to 5–1. The Yankees threatened in the bottom half of the inning, but reliever Jeff Hoffman got Austin Wells to pop out to escape a bases-loaded jam and preserve the lead. The Yankees cut into the lead in the ninth when Aaron Judge scored Jasson Domínguez to trim the Blue Jays’ lead to 5–2, but Hoffman closed out the series by striking out Cody Bellinger to send the Blue Jays to the ALCS for the first time since 2016.[26]

The Yankees’ series loss resulted in the 16th consecutive season without a World Series title, the third-longest drought in franchise history.[27] In addition, Aaron Boone tied Mike Hargrove for most playoff games managed for one team without winning the World Series.[28]

Composite line score

[edit]

2025 ALDS (3–1): Toronto Blue Jays beat New York Yankees

Seattle vs. Detroit

[edit]

This is the first postseason match-up between the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers.

Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run homer in Game 1.

In the fourth inning, Julio Rodríguez hit a leadoff solo home run off Tigers starter Troy Melton to give the Mariners a 1–0 lead. Melton pitched four innings, allowed two hits and one earned run while striking out four batters. In the top of the fifth inning, Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run home run off Mariners starter George Kirby to take a 2–1 lead for the Tigers. Mariner starter Kirby pitched five innings, allowed six hits and two runs while striking out eight batters. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Rodríguez scored Randy Arozarena via a RBI single to tie the game at 2–2. The game remained at 2–2 into extra innings until Zach McKinstry hit a RBI single, scoring Spencer Torkelson in the eleventh inning. The Tigers closed out the game with Keider Montero inducing a Josh Naylor groundout to Torkelson, giving the Tigers the early lead in the series.[29]

Jorge Polanco, pictured here with the Minnesota Twins, hit two home runs in Game 2.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Jorge Polanco hit a leadoff solo home run off Tigers starter Tarik Skubal to put the Mariners in the lead at 1–0. Mariners starter Luis Castillo pitched 4+2⁄3 innings, allowing one hit and four walks while striking out only three batters. In the top of the fifth inning, Gabe Speier got the Mariners out of a jam as he struck out Kerry Carpenter to keep their one-run lead. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Polanco hit his second home run of the game off the same pitcher to extend the lead to 2–0. Tigers starter Skubal pitched seven innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs while walking a batter and striking out nine batters. In the top of the eighth, Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run RBI double to put the Tigers on the board and tie the game at 2–2. In the bottom of the eighth, Julio Rodríguez hit an RBI double for Cal Raleigh to score a go-ahead run for the Mariners to retake the lead at 3–2. Andrés Muñoz got the save for the Mariners as the series was tied at one game each. It was the first home postseason victory for the Mariners since Game 5 of the 2001 ALDS against the Cleveland Indians.[30]

Logan Gilbert struck out seven over six innings in Game 3.

Game 3, originally scheduled for 4:08 pm ET, was delayed due to rain and subsequently moved to 7:00 pm ET.[31] The Mariners scored first in the top of the third inning from a RBI single by J. P. Crawford, scoring Víctor Robles to take a 1–0 lead. Another RBI single by Randy Arozarena scored Crawford to extend the Mariners’ lead to 2–0. In the top of the fourth inning, Eugenio Suárez hit a solo home run to further the lead to 3–0. Cal Raleigh then hit an RBI single, scoring Dominic Canzone to further the lead to 4–0. Tigers starter Jack Flaherty pitched 3+1⁄3 innings, allowing four hits and four runs (three earned) while striking out six batters. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Dillon Dingler scored after Kerry Carpenter hit a force out to get the Tigers on the board. In the top of the sixth, Crawford touched Detroit reliever Brant Hurter for a solo homer to extend the Mariners’ lead to 5–1. In the top of the eighth inning, Crawford hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Luke Raley and extending the lead to 6–1. Cal Raleigh homered in the top of the ninth inning to add two more runs for the Mariners. In the bottom of the ninth, Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run RBI double to cut the Mariners’ lead to 8–3. Andy Ibáñez then scored Torkelson to cut the lead to 8–4, still with nobody out, forcing the Mariners to bring in Andrés Muñoz. The Mariners got the final out of the game when Parker Meadows lined into an unassisted double play by first baseman Josh Naylor and Ibáñez out at first. The Mariners took a 2–1 lead in the series, leaving them one win away from reaching the ALCS for the first time since 2001 and creating a win-or-go-home situation for the Tigers in Game 4.[32]

Riley Greene, pictured with the Toledo Mud Hens, hit the go-ahead solo home run in game 4 and help the Tigers to a 9−3 win.

Josh Naylor scored the game’s first run in the top of the second inning off a Dominic Canzone RBI single, giving the Mariners a 1−0 lead. Tigers starter Casey Mize finished the game, pitching three innings, giving up two hits and one run while striking out only two batters. In the top of the fourth inning, Naylor scored when Víctor Robles grounded into a double play, extending the lead to 2−0. In the top of the fifth inning, Randy Arozarena scored on an RBI single by Cal Raleigh, pushing the Mariners’ lead to 3−0. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Dillon Dingler scored Zach McKinstry, which cut the Mariners’ lead to 3−1. Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller pitched 4+1⁄3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out only two batters. Dingler scored later in the fifth inning on an RBI double by Jahmai Jones with the Mariners leading 3−2. Jones would also score in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Javier Báez, which tied the game 3−3. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Riley Greene hit a solo home run, giving the Tigers a 4−3 lead. Later in the sixth inning, Spencer Torkelson scored on an RBI single by McKinstry, extending the Tigers’ lead 5−3. With two outs in the inning, Wenceel Pérez hit a double followed by Báez hitting a two-run home run to further extend the lead to 7–3. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Gleyber Torres hit another solo home run for the Tigers, which gave them an 8−3 lead. The Tigers scored their ninth consecutive run in the bottom of the eighth inning when McKinstry scored on an RBI fielder’s choice by Báez, extending the lead to 9−3. Will Vest pitched the ninth inning in a non-save situation to give the Tigers the 9−3 victory and even the series 2−2 to force a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Seattle.

This is the Mariners’ first winner-take-all postseason game since the 2001 ALDS. For the Tigers, this situation mirrors last year with ace pitcher Tarik Skubal starting on the road for a chance to advance to the ALCS. Skubal, the prospective AL Cy Young Award favorite, is making his fourth start against Seattle this season; the Mariners have won those three other games.[33]

In the bottom of the second inning, Mitch Garver scored Josh Naylor on a sacrifice fly to center field to take a 1–0 lead for the Mariners.

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