Daily Double Play: Your MLB Update

On Sunday, September 28, 2025, Major League Baseball concluded its 162-game regular season with a slate of high-stakes matchups that decided division titles, wild-card berths and home-field advantages. The day featured six decisive playoff clinchers, including the National League’s final wild-card spot, the American and National League East crowns, and the American League Central title. Across 15 games, teams battled both for postseason positioning and to build momentum heading into October. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/mlb-roundup-reds-make-nl-wild-card-despite-loss-brewers--flm-2025-09-29/?utm_source=openai))

National League wild-card drama played out in Cincinnati and Miami. In Milwaukee, the surging Brewers rallied for a 4–2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, but the loss carried little sting for Cincinnati: thanks to the New York Mets’ defeat in Miami, the Reds secured the NL’s final wild-card spot for the first time since 2020. Milwaukee’s Danny Jansen delivered a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fourth inning, and Freddy Peralta and Trevor Megill combined on two scoreless frames to seal the win, as the Brewers finished with MLB’s best record (97–65) and a first-round bye. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/baseball/reds-clinch-postseason-appearance-despite-season-ending-loss-brewers--flm-2025-09-28/?utm_source=openai)) Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins dismantled the Mets 4–0 in an emphatic shutout that eliminated New York from postseason contention. Rookie Edward Cabrera led the Marlins with five scoreless innings and seven strikeouts, and Miami’s four-run fourth inning proved decisive against three Mets pitchers. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/baseball/mets-eliminated-final-day-shutout-loss-marlins--flm-2025-09-28/?utm_source=openai))

In the American League East, the Toronto Blue Jays captured their first division crown since 2015 with a 13–4 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays. Catcher Alejandro Kirk exploded for a career-first grand slam and added a second homer later in the game, driving in six runs, while George Springer and Addison Barger each contributed two-run long balls. Toronto finished the season 94–68, edging the Yankees via a tiebreaker and earning the AL’s No. 1 seed and a bye to the Division Series. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/baseball/alejandro-kirk-blue-jays-mash-their-way-al-east-title-with-win-over-rays--flm-2025-09-28/?utm_source=openai)) In New York, the rival Yankees closed their season with a 3–2 win over Baltimore, powered by two home runs from first baseman Ben Rice, including a go-ahead solo shot in the eighth. Despite the victory, New York (94–68) fell to the wild-card round, where it will host Boston, as the Jays took the division on the head-to-head tiebreaker. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/baseball/yankees-take-care-business-vs-os-fall-short-al-east-race--flm-2025-09-28/?utm_source=openai))

The American League Central title came down to a head-to-head showdown in Cleveland. The Guardians clinched the division and their fourth straight postseason berth in dramatic fashion, walking off the Texas Rangers 9–8 in 10 innings. With the score tied 8–8, Brayan Rocchio launched a three-run homer off rookie José Corniell in the bottom of the 10th, capping a furious comeback that began with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly and a four-run rally. Earlier, Cleveland had secured the division crown when Detroit fell to Boston, setting the stage for Rocchio’s heroics at Progressive Field. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/baseball/guardians-win-al-central-then-walk-off-rangers-10th--flm-2025-09-28/?utm_source=openai))

Out West, the San Diego Padres completed a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, thumping Arizona 12–4 to finish with back-to-back 90-win seasons (90–72). Manny Machado clubbed his 27th homer and Jackson Merrill drove in three runs, while J.P. Sears provided steady starting pitching, lasting 5⅔ innings. The Padres’ offensive onslaught included a five-run first inning and multi-hit performances throughout the lineup, sending San Diego into the Wild-Card Series brimming with confidence. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/baseball/padres-finish-off-sweep-d-backs-maintain-momentum-ahead-wild-card-series--flm-2025-09-28/?utm_source=openai))

In Chicago, the Cubs polished off their regular season with a 2–0 shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals, completing a three-game sweep and finishing 92–70, their first postseason appearance since 2018. Seiya Suzuki homered for the fourth straight game, and starter Javier Assad fired 5⅓ scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Jordan Wicks notched his first career save, retiring the final nine batters, as the Cubs head into a Wild-Card matchup with San Diego. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/baseball/cubs-blank-cardinals-postseason-tune-up-game--flm-2025-09-28/?utm_source=openai))

The Kansas City Royals closed out their season on a high note, routing the Oakland Athletics 9–2 to finish with an 82–80 record, their second winning campaign in as many years. Carter Jensen collected three hits, including a 482-foot homer — the longest by a Royal in the Statcast era — and four-hit performances from Michael Massey helped build an early lead. Starter Cole Ragans struck out eight over 4⅓ innings, and Daniel Lynch IV shut down the A’s over 2⅓ perfect frames to earn the victory. ([royalsreview.com](https://www.royalsreview.com/2025-royals-game-recaps/88255/royals-crush-athletics-9-2-win-2025-finale?utm_source=openai))

Even the league’s bottom-dwellers had moments to savor. The White Sox, who finished last in the AL Central, rallied for a 6–5 loss to the Nationals in a tightly contested finale at Nationals Park. James Wood crushed a tiebreaking homer in Washington’s three-run seventh inning and added an RBI single in the eighth, finishing with three hits, as the Nationals snapped an eight-loss skid. Colson Montgomery and Brooks Baldwin homered for Chicago, but Josh Bell’s two-hit outing and Daylen Lile’s ninth homer fueled Washington’s comeback. ([espn.in](https://www.espn.in/mlb/recap?gameId=401697309&utm_source=openai))

With the dust settled, the postseason matchups are set. In the National League, the Cincinnati Reds (83–79) will venture to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers in a best-of-three Wild-Card Series, while the San Diego Padres (90–72) will host the Chicago Cubs (92–70) in the other NL Wild-Card matchup. The Milwaukee Brewers (97–65) and Los Angeles Dodgers (95–64) each earned first-round byes. In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays (94–68) and Houston Astros (93–69) await the outcomes of the wild-card games after earning division titles and first-round byes, while the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox (clinched No. 5 seed) face off in one Wild-Card series, and the Detroit Tigers (87–74) travel to Cleveland to take on the Guardians (88–74) in the other. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/mlb-roundup-reds-make-nl-wild-card-despite-loss-brewers--flm-2025-09-29/?utm_source=openai))