2025 MLB Wild Card Series Begin

The 2025 MLB postseason begins with four best-of-three Wild Card series as the top two division winners in each league — Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Toronto and Seattle — earned byes and home-field advantages into the Division Series. Sportsbooks list the Philadelphia Phillies as narrow World Series favorites at roughly +425–+450, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners close behind around +500–+550. Despite finishing with the best regular-season record, the Brewers are trading lower in futures at about +800, while longshots such as Cincinnati, Cleveland and Detroit are priced much higher. Wild-card matchups are Dodgers vs. Reds (all games in Los Angeles), Padres at Cubs, Tigers at Guardians in Cleveland, and Yankees hosting the Red Sox, with winners advancing to face the rested division champions beginning Oct. 4. Betting action is concentrated on the Dodgers despite Philadelphia being the official favorite, and oddsmakers say byes will help teams set rotations and keep the postseason landscape fluid.