The 2025 MLB playoffs continue Thursday with the wild-card round concluding, as wins by the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees on Wednesday forced three decisive Game 3s.
The day begins with the Detroit Tigers playing the Cleveland Guardians for a trip to the ALDS, where the Seattle Mariners are waiting. The Tigers won the first game, but the Guardians responded with a 6-1 rally in Game 2. With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Brayan Rocchio launched a home run to start a five-run inning, and Bo Naylor later added a three-run homer to seal the victory. For Thursday’s finale, Jack Flaherty will pitch for the Tigers against the Guardians’ Slade Cecconi.
Next is the Padres-Cubs matchup, where Yu Darvish and Jameson Taillon will take the mound. San Diego kept its season alive with a 3-0 win on Wednesday. The Cubs used six different pitchers in Game 2 but were unable to stop Manny Machado, who hit a 416-foot two-run homer.
The final game of the night will feature the latest installment of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, with Connelly Early and Cam Schlittler on the mound. After being benched in Game 1, New York’s Jazz Chisholm Jr. bounced back to score the winning run on Wednesday and force a Game 3.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were the only team to sweep their wild-card series, advancing to the NLDS to face the Philadelphia Phillies. They outscored the Cincinnati Reds 18-9 over the two games. The Dodgers’ victory was a team effort, led by a dominant performance from Mookie Betts, who batted .667. Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández each hit two home runs in the series. On the mound, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both secured wins with high strikeout numbers.
