Mets are left out as MLB playoff field is set on season’s final day
Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz and Noelvi Marte celebrate after a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. —AP Photo/Morry Gash
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The final playoff spot in Major League Baseball’s postseason was settled Sunday afternoon, but it certainly was not won on the field. The New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds, who began the day tied for the final National League wild-card berth, both lost—setting up a tiebreaker based on their head-to-head season series. Since the Reds took the season series from the Mets, they earned the playoff spot.
Cincinnati’s reward is a best-of-three first-round series against the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. The winner will advance to face the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series.
The Mets, with a payroll of approximately $340 million, will spend October at home despite starting the regular season 45-24 and owning Major League Baseball’s best record as late as mid-June. Both wild-card hopefuls lost on Sunday, a fitting outcome given that neither the Mets nor the Reds made particularly convincing arguments that they deserved a postseason spot.
The Mets’ squandered opportunity was all too familiar: lacking a trustworthy starting pitcher against the Miami Marlins, they pushed Sean Manaea as far as he could go, then turned to five relievers in the first four innings. Their closer, Edwin Diaz, was forced to pitch in the fifth inning. The bullpen simply ran out of arms—a problem the Mets have struggled with since July—and they now miss the playoffs entirely because of it.
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Meanwhile, in the American League, playoff representatives were locked in, but division titles and seeding remained undecided going into Sunday.
The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees entered the day tied for the AL East title and the coveted first-round bye. Similarly, the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians were tied atop the AL Central, battling for home-field advantage in the first round.
The Blue Jays and Guardians held the tiebreakers in their respective divisions, meaning an identical outcome would grant them both division titles.
The Blue Jays did not need to rely on tiebreakers. They dominated the Tampa Bay Rays to claim their first AL East crown since 2015. Catcher Alejandro Kirk went 4-for-4 with a grand slam and another home run in the decisive win, securing a much-needed first-round bye.
This rest will benefit the Blue Jays as they await the return of star shortstop Bo Bichette and key starter Chris Bassitt from injury. Outfielder Anthony Santander could also use some low-stress, live at-bats before the American League Division Series. The Blue Jays now have five days to heal and prepare.
Their win rendered the Yankees’ victory over the Baltimore Orioles moot. New York finished the season with 94 wins, tied for the third-most in baseball. The Yankees will host their longtime rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in a first-round showdown beginning Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. The winner will advance to face the Blue Jays.
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At Fenway Park, Boston fans were chanting “Yankees Suck” in the eighth inning of their game against the Tigers—a reaction to the Blue Jays’ win that confirmed the Guardians would clinch the AL Central regardless of their own game against the Texas Rangers.
The Guardians, who trailed the Tigers by 15½ games in July, completed one of the greatest division comebacks in MLB history.
By winning the division, Cleveland will host Detroit in the first round, with the winner advancing to face the Seattle Mariners.
Detroit’s late-season fall wasn’t without some silver lining. Knowing their postseason fate was sealed, the Tigers opted not to use ace left-hander Tarik Skubal on Sunday. Instead, Skubal will likely start Game 1 against the Guardians on Tuesday. The reigning—and likely repeat—American League Cy Young Award winner boasts a 0.64 ERA in four starts against Cleveland this year.
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Sunday’s action also set up intriguing pitching duels:
– In New York, Max Fried and Garrett Crochet, two of baseball’s most dominant lefties, will face off Tuesday night.
– The Dodgers will start two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell in their opener against former two-way prospect Hunter Greene, who is having another strong yet injury-plagued season for the Reds.
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The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres knew before Sunday’s games that they would meet Tuesday at Wrigley Field. They will battle for the right to face the Milwaukee Brewers next.
The Brewers finished with 97 wins, the best record in baseball, despite operating on a payroll less than a third of what the Mets spent to finish with 83 wins—and an idle October.
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