Fall is here, which means the MLB playoffs will be as well.
But first, the final week of the regular season is delivering plenty of drama, particularly in the American League, where one division is experiencing a historic turnaround and another might have an unexpected finish on its hands, too.
Yahoo Sports is breaking down the top storylines on Wednesday.
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Tigers on verge of colossal collapse
The postseason came early for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians. They’re in the middle of a three-game series with massive playoff ramifications.
The red-hot Guardians took Game 1 after rallying in the sixth inning Tuesday night against Tigers ace Tarik Skubal for a 5-2 victory. Cleveland has won 11 of its last 12 games and is 17-5 in September. The Guardians have moved into a tie for first in the AL Central with the Tigers, who were up 15 1/2 games on the Guardians in July and who have now lost 10 of their last 11 games, including seven in a row.
Cleveland holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
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Detroit, meanwhile, is in an absolute free fall. Even Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner who is a candidate for the award again this year, couldn’t catch himself Tuesday night in the sixth. He committed an embarrassing error while fielding a bunt from Angel Martínez, accidentally pelted a bunt-squaring David Fry with a 99 mph fastball to the face, whipped only the 11th wild pitch of his career and then balked for the second time in his career. In the process, the Guardians plated game-tying and go-ahead runs before adding two more insurance runs the following inning.
Detroit, which was notably swept by Cleveland from Sept. 16-18, has scored more than two runs only twice during its seven-game skid.
Even on Sept. 10, before the Tigers lost 10 of their next 11 games, they had a 9 1/2-game lead in the division with just 16 games left to play. If the Guardians win the AL Central, they will have erased the largest deficit to take a division in MLB history, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.
Mariners one win away from first AL West title since 2001
The Seattle Mariners clinched a playoff berth Tuesday night with a comeback win over the Colorado Rockies — as well as a New York Yankees win over the Chicago White Sox — and now they’re a win away from their first AL West title since 2001.
Mariners right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo will be on the bump Wednesday. His 3.63 ERA is far superior to the 6.00 ERA Rockies righty Tanner Gordon is sporting going into the late-season matchup at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.
If the Mariners can sweep the lowly Rockies, they’ll lock up the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs, meaning they’ll have a bye in the wild-card round and home-field advantage for the AL Division Series.
The Mariners’ storybook 2025 season has featured a switch-hitting protagonist: Catcher Cal Raleigh has turned into a home-run-mashing sensation. He’s within striking distance of MLB’s 10th 60-homer season, and he needs four dingers to tie Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62 that the Yankees star set in 2022.
Red Sox have a chance to make things interesting atop AL East
Trevor Story celebrates with Wilyer Abreu after Abreu scores on a double against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 23, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
(Cole Burston via Getty Images)
Somewhat quietly, the Boston Red Sox are holding steady for the second wild-card spot in the AL. They topped the Blue Jays Tuesday night 4-1, shrinking their magic number to three.
The Red Sox can open a window for their arch rivals with continued winning against the Jays. The Yankees, after all, just clinched a playoff berth Tuesday with a walk-off win over the AL Central bottom-feeding White Sox and now are just one game behind Toronto in the AL East race. That said, it’s important to note that the Jays own the tiebreaker over the Yanks.
Still, with the Red Sox pestering the Blue Jays — and with the Yankees finishing the season with two more games against the White Sox and then a three-game series against the lowly Baltimore Orioles — a change atop the division isn’t out of the question.
Toronto has already secured a playoff spot and leads the AL with 90 wins, but it sure would like a bye into the ALDS.
Mets hanging by a thread while surging Reds, D-backs lurking for final NL wild-card spot
A two-run, eighth-inning home run from Francisco Alvarez lifted the New York Mets to a 9-7 victory over the Chicago Cubs Tuesday night. And, so, the Mets remained in the third and final wild-card spot, albeit just one game up on both the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Both the Reds and D-backs have tiebreakers over the Mets. The Reds lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday, whereas the D-backs exposed a struggling Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen with a walk-off win.
Although Arizona has won seven of its last nine games, its final five games are against the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. The Reds, on the other hand, have two more games at home versus the Pirates before hitting the road for a three-game series with a Milwaukee Brewers team that’s eyeing the top seed in the NL.
The Mets’ win Tuesday was merely their fifth since Sept. 5. New York has dropped 11 of its last 16 outings.
What to watch Wednesday…
Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians, 6:40 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds, 6:40 p.m. ET
Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET
Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. ET
New York Mets at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m. ET
Colorado Rockies at Seattle Mariners, 9:40 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m. ET
Houston Astros at Athletics, 10:05 p.m. ET
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