MLB releases 2025 postseason schedule, with Wild Card battles starting Sept. 30
Major League Baseball unveiled its full postseason timetable on Monday, a schedule that will kick off the four Wild Card Series just over a month before the regular season wraps. The expanded playoff format means more October baseball and no tiebreaker games.
Key dates and round-by-round overview
– Wild Card Series: Sept. 30–Oct. 2
– Best-of-three matchups featuring four series: AL and NL Wild Card A and B, with games on ESPN platforms
– Division Series: Oct. 4–Oct. 11
– ALDS: Games on FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes
– NLDS: Games on TBS, truTV, HBO Max
– Note: Both leagues alternate home-field advantages according to the seeding
– League Championship Series: Oct. 12–Oct. 21
– ALCS: FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes
– NLCS: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
– World Series: Oct. 24–Nov. 1 (potential Game 7 on Nov. 1)
– Games hosted by the team with the better regular-season record (as indicated by the schedule)
Season wrap and context
– MLB’s regular season ends on Sept. 28
– The expanded postseason format means there are no tiebreaker games
– The World Series schedule includes travel days as needed, with games spread across late October into early November
What to watch for
– A month-long sprint of eliminations in October, culminating in a best-of-seven Fall Classic
– The Wild Card rounds, which begin the postseason and set the stage for the Division Series and beyond
– Fan access across multiple networks and streaming platforms, with different rounds airing on ESPN, FOX/FS1, FOX Deportes, TBS, truTV, and HBO Max
Summary
MLB has laid out a comprehensive postseason roadmap: Wild Card play starts Sept. 30, followed by the Division and League Championship Series, and a World Series that could extend into early November. The schedule reinforces a fall feast of baseball, built around the regular-season finish on Sept. 28 and the expanded playoff format that eliminates tiebreaker games. A hopeful note for fans is the potential for dramatic, high-stakes series across multiple platforms in October.