MLB Pennant Race 2025: The Switch
With two weeks left, two teams punch tickets, and one division has a new leader
You know, for all of the complaints about how long baseball season is, it really goes by in a flash. It seems like yesterday that we were all looking forward to Opening Day, but here it is, the middle of September. We have two weeks--14 measly days--remaining in the 2025 MLB season, and there's still quite a bit to decide. But we do have a few developments from this past week.
On September 13, the Milwaukee Brewers became the first to lock up a spot in this year's postseason. That's a position they've been quite familiar with; this is (at least) the second straight year that Milwaukee's the first team to clinch. The Brewers backed into the spot; they clinched when the Mets lost on Saturday. The following day (September 14) saw the Philadelphia Phillies lock in a spot, doing so when the San Francisco Giants were defeated soundly by the Los Angeles Dodgers. So that's two spots down, ten overall to go.
So with two weeks left, here's how the postseason picture looks:
American League Division Leaders
The Toronto Blue Jays are still #1 in the American League, leading by two and a half games over the Detroit Tigers, who recently dropped two of three to the lowly Miami Marlins. The Jays enter the final two weeks with a four game lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East, and Toronto's magic number to win the division is now at nine. The Detroit Tigers' lead in the American League Central is down to 6.5 games, which is still the highest in the Junior Circuit. Detroit's magic number to win the Central is seven, and they have two sets with the Cleveland Guardians left. And then there's the American League West. For the first time since June 1, the Seattle Mariners, winners of nine straight, are all alone in first place with two weeks left. The Mariners lead the Houston Astros by a single game, and the two clubs will meet one more time in Houston from September 19-21, which will determine the winner of the season series. Seattle's magic number to win the West: eleven.
American League Wild Cards
Yes, it's the Wild Card picture, but I can't help but be amused by this: the Yankees lording over the two biggest cheaters who have plagued us, the Red Sox and Astros. The Yankees and Red Sox just finished their last set of the regular season, with the Bronx Bombers taking two of three in Fenway. New York still sits in the #1 Wild Card position by a hair or two over the Red Sox, and if that holds, their Wild Card Series meeting will be at Yankee Stadium. Boston sits a game ahead of Houston, who is now barely hanging on to a postseason position; sitting just two games ahead of the Texas Rangers, and 2.5 ahead of the Guardians. In fact, the two Lone Star State franchise will face each other starting on Monday.
For any of my fellow Yankee fans wondering, we're eight wins away from the postseason.
National League Division Leaders
The order of the National League's division leaders hasn't changed. The Milwaukee Brewers are still #1, the Philadelphia Phillies are #2, and the Los Angeles Dodgers (the only one of the three who hasn't clinched yet) are #3. The postseason-bound Brewers' next focus is locking up the National League Central, and their magic number to do that is eight. The Phillies (also postseason-bound) entered Sunday with a chance to lock up the National League East, but did not do so. Even so, they can win the East as soon as Monday--their magic number is one. The Dodgers have a narrow 2.5 game lead in the National League West, and they have a magic number of 10 to win the West.
National League Wild Cards
The National League Wild Cards are the same, but for a brief while, they weren't. The Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres remained in the #1 and #2 Wild Cards, but #3 was a bit of a journey. The New York Mets have been losing. A lot. For a brief while on Saturday, the Mets were behind the playoff line. It took the Giants losing to the Dodgers for the Mets to move back up again, and Sunday saw the Mets snap their eight-game losing streak and pick up a game on the Giants. So the Mets stand a game and a half ahead of the playoff line, with the Giants, Diamondbacks, and Reds all on their trail. Oh man!
* * *
We are down to the final two weeks of the season, reaching that point where the magic numbers get smaller and the postseason picture starts to get real clear. We should see more tickets punched in the next week, and that will set up a very amazing final week. But that's the final week. This is the penultimate week. And I think the penultimate week will be absolutely captivating.
About the Creator
Clyde E. Dawkins
I'm a big sports fan, especially hockey, and I've been a fan of villainesses since I was eight! My favorite shows are The Simpsons and Family Guy, etc.
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