MLB Pennant Race 2025: Goodbye August, Hello September Chaos

Well, baseball fans, it's that time again. The month of August is over, and now, the real fun begins.

The month of September has arrived, and it will be quite a chaotic month indeed. Of course, September is the final month of the regular season in baseball, and it's the very month where the numbers start to thin out. There are 28 days, four weeks even, left in the season. September 28 ends the 2025 regular season, and the postseason actually starts on September 30, the final day of the month. This is the fourth year of the playoff format that sends six teams per league (12 total) to the postseason. Three division winners and three Wild Cards, with the top two division winners getting byes to the Division Series. The other teams will play in the best-of-three Wild Card Series, with home field going to the better seed (#3 or #4). It's a fixed bracket all the way; the winner of #3 vs #6 faces #2, and the winner of #4 vs #5 faces #1.

Hard to believe that this will be my fifth year composing the week-by-week recap of the pennant races, but I'm changing it up this year. I will do this in the same fashion that I've done the recaps for the Stanley Cup Playoff races in March and April, and somewhat similar to the NFL Playoff races in December and early January. Instead of talking about three different storylines, I'll just give a look at the playoff picture, divided into four categories. So here goes:

American League Division Leaders

In the American League, we have an interesting trio of division leaders entering the month of September. The Detroit Tigers are proving that last year was no fluke, as they are entering the final month with a 80-58 record, which is the best in the American League, and leads the American League Central by 9.5 games. Right behind the Tigers in the AL standings: the Toronto Blue Jays, who went on a roll a few months back to take the American League East lead, and they currently sit at 79-58 and lead the division by three games. Finally, the Houston Astros hold the AL's third position at 75-62, holding a two game lead in the American League West.

American League Wild Cards

In the Wild Card race, the New York Yankees ended August on winning note following a bad stretch, and the Bronx Bombers sit at the #1 Wild Card position at 76-61. Not only are we just three games out of first place, but coming up this weekend, it's a pivotal series against the Blue Jays in The Bronx. The Boston Red Sox are close behind the Yankees at 76-62, currently holding the #2 Wild Card position. In the #3 Wild Card position, it's the Seattle Mariners at 73-64, sitting two games out of first, and they have one more series with Houston on September 19-21.

As far as behind the playoff line, the Texas Rangers, who missed the postseason last year after winning the World Series, sit 2.5 games behind the Mariners. The Kansas City Royals are three games out, and the Cleveland Guardians, last year's runners-up in the AL, are four games behind the playoff line.

National League Division Leaders

In the National League, the story there is the Milwaukee Brewers, who have been on a very hot streak that has taken them to holding baseball's best record. With an 85-53 record, the Brewers hold a 6.5 game lead over a Chicago Cubs team who appeared to have the National League Central sewn up. Next up, the Philadelphia Phillies, at 79-58, lead the National League East by six games over a New York Mets team who looked to be the favorite to (at least) win the pennant. Finally, the Los Angeles Dodgers are tops in the National League West, but it hasn't been easy for them. At 78-59, the Dodgers only hold a 2.5 game lead over the San Diego Padres, but they did win the season series over San Diego, so there's that.

National League Wild Cards

Speaking of the NL's three second place teams, they currently hold the Wild Card positions. The Cubs, at 78-59, hold the #1 Wild Card position by two games over the Padres, who sit at 76-61 and hold the #2 Wild Card position. And then there's the Mets, who are 73-64 and have the #3 Wild Card position. That's not good. A $765 million investment into Juan Soto, yet they are leagues behind in the NL East, and holding on to the third Wild Card position, the same spot they had last season.

At least the Mets aren't barely holding it. It's a four game lead over the Cincinnati Reds, who are the only team behind the playoff line with a winning record. The San Francisco Giants sit five games back, while the Arizona Diamondbacks and the St. Louis Cardinals (the latter narrowly missing the postseason last year on the extended last day) are 5.5 games behind the Mets. Oh, and we already have an elimination, as the Colorado Rockies became the first team to be eliminated from postseason contention on August 24. Yikes.

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The home stretch is here, folks. We are down to the final 28 days of the season, and as usual, the month of September will be quite thrilling. I expect some amazing moments as teams look to jockey for position, and as a Yankees fan, I do hope we manage to climb out of the hole we put ourselves in back in July, and move back on top of the East. The final 28 days will be the most telling period of this baseball season.