Updated 2025 MLB Playoff Bracket, Standings After Tigers, Guardians Clinch Spots

It was more dramatic than anyone anticipated even a couple weeks ago, but the Detroit Tigers are headed back to the postseason for the second consecutive year.

Detroit punched its playoff ticket Saturday with 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

The Tigers weren't the only team to secure their ticket to the playoffs on Saturday.

The Cleveland Guardians clinched a playoff berth with a 3-2 walk-off win over the Texas Rangers.

The Houston Astros were meanwhile eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday.

Now that the Tigers and Guardians are officially in the postseason, here are the updated MLB standings and projected playoff matchups.

Projected NL Playoff Matchups

• First-round bye: Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies
• Wild Card Series: No. 3 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. No. 6 Cincinnati Reds; No. 4 Chicago Cubs vs. No. 5 San Diego Padres

Projected AL Playoff Matchups

• First-round bye: Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners
• Wild Card Series: No. 3 Cleveland Guardians vs. No. 6 Detroit Tigers; No. 4 New York Yankees vs. No. 5 Boston Red Sox

Current Standings

NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies (95-66)*
2. New York Mets (83-78)
3. Miami Marlins (78-83)
4. Atlanta Braves (75-86)
5. Washington Nationals (66-95)

NL Central

1. Milwaukee Brewers (96-65)*
2. Chicago Cubs (91-70)*
3. Cincinnati Reds (83-78)
4. St. Louis Cardinals (78-83)
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (71-90)

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (92-69)*
2. San Diego Padres (89-72)*
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (80-81)
4. San Francisco Giants (80-81)
5. Colorado Rockies (43-118)

NL Wild Card

1. Chicago Cubs
2. San Diego Padres
3. Cincinnati Reds

AL East

1. Toronto Blue Jays (93-68)*
2. New York Yankees (93-68)*
3. Boston Red Sox (88-73)*
4. Tampa Bay Rays (77-84)
5. Baltimore Orioles (75-86)

AL Central

1. Cleveland Guardians (87-74)*
2. Detroit Tigers (87-74)*
3. Kansas City Royals (81-80)
4. Minnesota Twins (70-91)
5. Chicago White Sox (59-102)

AL West

1. Seattle Mariners (90-71)*
2. Houston Astros (86-75)
3. Texas Rangers (81-80)
4. Athletics (76-85)
5. Los Angeles Angels (72-89)

AL Wild Card

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Detroit Tigers

*Denotes clinched playoff spot

One year after a late-season surge spurred the Tigers into the playoffs as a wild card, they came out of the gate in 2025 as one of the most dominant teams in MLB.

There were only five days this season, with the last one being April 22, in which the Tigers weren't at least tied for first place in the AL Central. They led by as many as 14 games in early July and looked like they would cruise to their first division title since 2014.

Instead, a brutal stretch that started on Aug. 24 and didn't really let up until the end of the regular season put not only their division title hopes in serious jeopardy, but their playoff aspirations in general.

The Guardians, who once trailed the Tigers in the AL Central by 15.5 games, took sole possession of first place on Sept. 24. Detroit fell to the third wild card spot after a 7-19 stretch from Aug. 24 to Sept. 24.

Even with a lot of questions about what the Tigers have left in the tank after their late-season swoon, one big thing they have going for them is arguably the best pitcher in baseball leading their staff.

Tarik Skubal followed up his 2024 Cy Young season with possibly an even better year in 2025. He ranks second in the junior circuit in ERA (2.21).

The Tigers still rank a respectable 11th in MLB in runs scored, but they will hope to get back to the level they were at prior to their September swoon. They scored the eighth-fewest runs since Aug. 24.

If the Tigers are going to make a deep playoff run, it will be on the strength of Skubal at the top of the rotation and the belief they can be one of the best teams in MLB because that was the level they played for four months.

Even more than just looking like an afterthought in their own division, the Guardians playoff odds were at less than five percent as recently as Sept. 10 after a 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals.

A red-hot stretch in September that saw Cleveland win 17 of 19 games, including 10 straight, propelled the team into the playoffs for the seventh time in the past 10 seasons.

All of this happened after a midseason stretch that included a 10-game losing streak from June 26-July 6 and two pitchers, Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase, being placed on administrative leave amid MLB's investigation into gambling allegations.

The Guardians are one of the lowest-scoring teams in MLB, but their pitching staff has made huge strides over the course of this season. They rank fourth in ERA, with the bullpen having the second-lowest ERA in MLB during the month of September.