Chasing October: Wild-card series takeaways for every Game 1

theScore provides running analysis and insights throughout the 2025 MLB wild-card series, starting Tuesday and running through Thursday if necessary. Keep checking back for updates as the opening round unfolds.

Jump to:
DET vs. CLE I SD vs. CHC I BOS vs. NYY

9th inning: That was more adventurous than the Dodgers likely wanted it to be, but it's over. Dave Roberts needed to call upon four different relievers to close it out after Snell dominated through seven frames. Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henriquez combined to record one out while allowing three runs on two hits and three walks. A clean inning from Blake Treinen might build the righty's confidence after a shaky conclusion to the year during which he allowed 12 runs (10 earned) over his 9 1/3 innings in the final month. Of course, Roberts probably didn't think he'd need to call upon Treinen at all when the score was 8-0. They've still got Tanner Scott and potentially Roki Sasaki to lean on Wednesday. Thanks for sticking with us throughout the day.

8th inning: The story of the day has been incredible pitching performances and Blake Snell joins the chorus. The veteran left-hander had never worked into the seventh inning over 10 career postseason starts entering Tuesday. But against the Reds, he managed to go a full seven frames while allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out nine. For a while it seemed like a shutout was in play due to Snell's efficiency but Elly De La Cruz's speed ended that. The Reds scored their first run of the series on what would've been a double play if basically any human being other than De La Cruz was running to first.

5th inning: On a day that began with Guardians baseball nearly prevailing over the Tigers thanks to dribblers up the middle, bunts and other small-ball shenanigans, it's nice to see the Dodgers are still the Dodgers. Three homers from three different players through five innings - Ohtani, Edman, and now Teoscar Hernández have L.A. cruising 6-0 with two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell dealing on the bump.

3rd inning: The story continues for Greene. He gives the homer up to Ohtani then he strikes him out next time up. Edman, who Greene struck out in the first, then homers in the third. The Reds righty has incredibly elite stuff but he is still honing his command in his fourth MLB season. And his night ends after three. Five earned runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Veteran skipper Terry Francona aggressively summons Scott Barlow from the 'pen for the start of the fourth.

Meanwhile, on the Dodgers side, if Edman is recapturing his early-season form, it might be curtains for the Reds awfully quickly. The glove-first infielder posted an .818 OPS in the first month this year but really regressed in the second half, hitting worse than even his pretty paltry career norms. This Dodgers lineup simply isn't as deep as the ones baseball fans have been used to seeing but they did still rank second this year by wRC+.

1st inning: Welcome to the postseason in Chavez Ravine, Hunter Greene. You're not in regular-season Cincinnati anymore.

Look, a Shohei Ohtani homer was inevitable. It's best to cough it up right away and settle the nerves. And Greene bounced back pretty nicely. The flamethrowing righty also surrendered a single to Mookie Betts but rallied to strike out Freddie Freeman, eventually stranding Betts and Teoscar Hernández with a Tommy Edman punchout as well. Greene misses bats but can give up barrels at times. We're seeing both sides of that right away.

9th inning: Did this game ever turn once Max Fried exited. Aaron Boone received 6 1/3 innings from his starter but needed five relievers to get the final eight outs. The Yankees' bullpen combined to allow three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out only two in 2 2/3 innings. Aroldis Chapman certainly made things as tough as he could on himself in the ninth. The left-hander loaded the bases with three consecutive singles to open the inning before retiring Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Trent Grisham to preserve the 3-1 win. With questions surrounding the Red Sox starting pitching behind Crochet, Cora only having to use Crochet and Chapman in Game 1 could prove to be huge.

8th inning: That's as good as it gets from Garrett Crochet. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow prioritized acquiring an ace this winter and boy, did he ever find one in the left-hander. Crochet allowed one run over 7 2/3 innings, striking out 11 without surrendering a walk. His 117 pitches were the most in a postseason game since 2019. Alex Cora went with closer Aroldis Chapman - who's only worked multiple innings once this season - instead of Garrett Whitlock to secure the final out of the eighth. Aaron Judge is now looming in the ninth.

7th inning: Max Fried walked off the mound at Yankee Stadium with a 1-0 lead after throwing 6 1/3 shutout innings in his New York postseason debut. The left-hander was excellent, striking out six on 102 pitches. And then a leaky bullpen came into play. Aaron Boone turned to 2024 postseason hero Luke Weaver, who immediately issued an 11-pitch walk to Ceddanne Rafaela, a double to Nick Sogard, and a two-RBI single to pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida before being removed. Sogard's double is notable, as the Red Sox challenged the arm of Aaron Judge. Alex Cora raised some eyebrows by stacking so many right-handed hitters in his starting lineup, but the gambit paid off with Yoshida being available to hit in a big spot once Fried left. Cora will have another big decision to make soon with Crochet at 94 pitches heading into the bottom of the seventh. The left-hander's retired 13 straight since Volpe's homer.

4th inning: Fried was cruising early, retiring 11 of the first 13 batters before running into trouble in the fourth. The left-hander put runners on second and third but battled back from a 3-0 count to strike out Jarren Duran to end the threat. Fried's looked like an ace so far, striking out five over four innings while already generating 11 whiffs on four different pitches. Everything's working tonight. Boston might not get many more opportunities as good as that one.

2nd inning: Of course it was Anthony Volpe. New York's much-maligned shortstop opens the scoring with an opposite-field homer off Crochet. It's the first home run for Volpe in 16 games, dating back to Aug. 29, and would've been a homer in every ballpark other than Fenway. For as good as Crochet's been this season, he's been bitten by the long ball down the stretch. The left-hander's now allowed 13 home runs over his last 59 innings (10 starts).

1st inning: The Yankees opened with back-to-back singles, but Garrett Crochet buckled down to strike out Cody Bellinger on an elevated 98-mph four-seamer before inducing an inning-ending double play off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton. Crochet ended up only throwing 13 pitches in the opening frame.

9th inning: The Cubs couldn't have drawn up a better win. Chicago took the lead in the fifth with back-to-back home runs and manufactured an insurance run in the eighth with a sacrifice bunt and sac fly. Matthew Boyd was solid in an abbreviated outing, and the bullpen was lights out from there. Daniel Palencia, Drew Pomeranz, Andrew Kittredge, and Brad Keller combined to throw 4 2/3 perfect innings. San Diego's last baserunner came with one out in the fifth. Remarkably, it was the Cubs' first postseason win since 2017.

7th inning: The bullpens look ridiculous today. The Cubs deployed former closer Daniel Palencia in the fifth and he proceeded to throw 1 2/3 hitless innings, striking out two. Palencia was making just his third appearance since coming off the IL and looked great, throwing 13 of his 17 pitches for strikes while topping out at 101.2 mph. Mason Miller stole the show, though. The Padres flamethrower entered in the seventh and struck out Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Miller got four whiffs on 13 pitches and threw five pitches 101.4 mph or harder. The Padres paid a premium for Miller at the deadline, but days like these make the price worth it.

5th inning: Craig Counsell brought out the early hook, removing Boyd after 58 pitches before he could turn the lineup over a third time. It's quite the contrast to the early game that saw Tarik Skubal and Gavin Williams combine to throw over 200 pitches. Boyd turned in a strong performance, allowing one run over 4 1/3 innings. Chicago immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning, with Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly taking Nick Pivetta deep for a 2-1 lead. Pivetta had done a great job of keeping the ball in the park over the regular season, posting a career-best 1.1 HR/9. Chicago had just one hit over the first four innings.

2nd inning: The Padres are on the board. Back-to-back doubles from Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts allow San Diego to open the scoring. Bogaerts' return from the IL late in the regular season gave the Friars a boost, and they'll need him to lengthen a lineup that's struggled to produce runs at times. Case in point: Bogaerts advanced to third on an error and was immediately stranded after the Padres' next three hitters failed to get the ball out of the infield. Pivetta looks incredible early with four strikeouts.

1st inning: Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd got choked up Monday when speaking about making the Game 1 start but kept his emotions in check during an impressive 12-pitch inning. The 34-year-old was an appropriate choice to start the opener after an incredible season in which he posted a 3.21 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 179 2/3 innings. Nick Pivetta received a bit of an early scare when Michael Busch hammered his second pitch of the game 378 feet but it stayed in the yard. Pivetta struck out Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker after allowing Nico Hoerner to reach on a single. Keep an eye on how Pivetta works with Freddy Fermin, who is catching him for the first time.

9th inning: Basically a dream start to the postseason for the Tigers, who miraculously remained in the field despite their epic collapse in the second half of the season. Skubal went 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out a career-high 14. The Guardians could've moved the fences in 100 feet just for their at-bats and it wouldn't have mattered. Detroit had to rely on Will Vest for the final four nail-biting outs, but everyone else is rested for Wednesday's Game 2. Meanwhile, Cleveland burned two very high-leverage guys in Gaddis and Cade Smith in the loss. Detroit needs one more win to make the Guardians' historic 15.5-game comeback to claim the division moot.

7th inning: Williams' day is done. The righty surrendered a leadoff double to Riley Greene to kick off the seventh. After a mound visit, Williams then coughed up a single to Wenceel Pérez that easily could've been an out if Jhonkensy Noel managed to keep his foot on the bag. Noel was eventually charged with an error on the play and the hit was erased from Williams' record. First out of the 'pen is Hunter Gaddis, who gives up the lead on a sacrifice bunt from Zach McKinstry. Small-ball aficionados are feasting. Williams' line closes at two runs (zero earned) on five hits and one walk over six frames. He did his job. Skubal has done his even better in this incredible pitchers' duel to open the postseason.

4th inning: There's no question Skubal is amped up this afternoon. Everything the southpaw throws is at least 1 mph faster than his season norm. How long can the adrenaline last? An 0-2 dribbler up the middle by leadoff man Angel Martínez is followed by a full-count walk to José Ramírez. After bouncing back to retire the next two hitters on six straight strikes, Skubal surrenders another chopper up the middle and the game is tied. A brilliant attempt at making the play by Skubal is overturned on review. The ball hasn't left the infield this inning. This is Guardians baseball.

1st inning: The first run comes courtesy of a Spencer Torkelson RBI single, but it's Kerry Carpenter's baserunning in the previous at-bat that really generated the tally. The Tigers DH was able to round first and head for second on a poorly fielded ground ball by right fielder Johnathan Rodríguez. It's ruled a single and a one-base error. The Guardians finished with 18 outfield errors, third-most among the teams in the playoff field. They ranked as the fourth-worst defensive outfield in the majors this year (and by far the worst of the postseason crowd) by Statcast's outs above average.

1st inning: And the 2025 MLB postseason is underway. Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams gets a quick one-pitch out on a lazy Parker Meadows fly ball to left field. He's got a tough assignment going up against the reigning and presumptive AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. The Tigers open as heavy favorites to win Game 1 (-165, according to ESPN BET and theScore Bet) and slight faves to win the series (-120) despite being on the road for all three games. And that line makes sense given Cleveland is the only team in the playoff field with a negative run differential. Things certainly aren't hopeless for the AL Central champs, though. Skubal made his last two starts of the year against the Guardians, and the Tigers lost both (the lefty was credited with one of the losses). In total over those outings, Skubal allowed four runs (two earned) on 11 hits and five walks over 12 innings while striking out 17. Meanwhile, Williams' last two starts of the regular season also came against the Tigers and he won both, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out 21 over 11 frames.