The 2025 Major League Baseball postseason is upon us! Pedantically, I can’t say that it’s time for October baseball because this playoff opener is on the final day of September, but so it goes. Do I even
need to say anything to hype this up? The Yankees are in the playoffs today against the Red Sox! Big days. Garrett Crochet will be a tough cookie, but Max Fried is no schmuck himself. Win the opener to get in the catbird seat of this best-of-three.
We’ll obviously have our own standard game thread for the Yankees/Red Sox game, but please feel free to use this as the thread to discuss and follow along with the other three Wild Card games throughout the day. We’ve got Guardians/Tigers and Cubs/Padres on in the afternoon before the Yanks, and then Dodgers/Reds once the dust has settled in the Bronx.
Today on the site, Nolan will preview the Arizona Fall League season, which will begin early next week, and Jeff will remember David Cone’s final start in pinstripes, which happened to coincide with Mike Mussina’s Baltimore adieu. We’ll also have Nick, Matt, and Michael with previews on the three Wild Card teams who we didn’t get to yesterday, and I’ll reveal PSA’s playoff predictions. (Also, vote in our Yankees/Red Sox poll in particular!)
Wild Card Series Game 1 Schedule:
Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers
(RHP Gavin Williams vs. LHP Tarik Skubal)
Time: 1:08 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Venue: Progressive Field (Cleveland, OH)
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres
(LHP Matthew Boyd vs. RHP Nick Pivetta)
Time: 3:08 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Venue: Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL)
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
(LHP Max Fried vs. LHP Garrett Crochet)
Time: 6:08 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Venue: Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Cincinnati Reds
(LHP Blake Snell vs. RHP Hunter Greene)
Time: 9:08 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Venue: Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, CA)
Questions/Prompts:
1. Who hits the first home run during the Yankees/Red Sox Wild Card Series?
2. Which non-Yankees Wild Card Series are you most looking forward to watching?
