Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) pitches to the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning at Rogers Centre on Sept. 25, 2025.

The final days of the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season are here, with teams facing hugely-important games in the battle for playoff spots.

For some teams, like the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies, the theme is much more about keeping on track during impressive seasons. Much of the National League playoff picture is settled, with five of six spots claimed already.

For others, these last few days of the regular season will feel an awful lot like an early start to the postseason. Entering play Sept. 26, there were ties atop two American League divisions, with the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays level in the AL East while the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers duke it out for the AL Central crown. There's also a wild battle for that last NL wild-card berth, with the New York Mets hoping to hold off the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Here's what to know about when the 2025 MLB season ends, as well as a look at the looming playoff picture:

When does MLB regular season end?

The 2025 MLB regular season is just about done, with only a handful of games left to play league-wide.

The scheduled end date for the regular season is Sunday, Sept. 28. The final game on the schedule will see the Chicago Cubs host their NL Central rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, with a 3:20 p.m. ET start time on the docket.

That said, diehard baseball fans should keep Monday, Sept. 29 open. In the event of a tie atop a division, a one-game tiebreaker would be needed to settle the issue. While such occasions are somewhat uncommon, as of Friday evening, there are ties atop two divisions: the AL East (with the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays both holding 91-68 records) and the AL Central (both the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers are 86-73).

MLB has left open one day between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs in case there needs to be a one-game tiebreaker to settle the postseason qualifiers or to cover for any potential rainouts during the season's final weekend.

When do MLB playoffs start?

The four-round MLB playoffs are scheduled to start with the American League and National League Wild Card Series, which will be best-of-three battles that begin on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

From there, the four Division Series are all scheduled to start on Saturday, Oct. 4.

How does MLB playoff bracket work?

The MLB playoffs do not re-seed, with the bracket set in stone once the playoffs start.

Here's how the bracket works in both the American League and the National League:

Wild Card Series

  • Third-best division winner (3) vs. third-best wild card (6)
  • Best wild card (4) vs. second-best wild card (5)

Division Series

  • Best division winner (1) vs. winner of 4-5 Wild Card Series
  • Second-best division winner (2) vs. winner of 3-6 Wild Card Series

Championship series

  • Two Division Series winners (higher seed gets four home games)

World Series

  • ALCS winner vs. NLCS winner (team with best regular-season winning percentage gets four home games)

MLB playoff format, explained

The 2025 MLB playoff format is a familiar one for baseball fans. Twelve teams in total will qualify for the postseason, with six teams each coming from the American League and National League.

Each league is divided into three divisions: Central, East and West. The top three playoff seeds in both leagues will go to the teams that finish atop those divisions at the end of the 162-game regular season. The three division winners all advance to the playoffs, joined by the three remaining teams with the best record (regardless of division).

The two division winners with the best records will get a bye directly to the Division Series, while the third division winner and the other three clubs have to play in a Wild Card Series. The two Wild Card Series winners will take on the top two division winners in the Division Series round, with the winners of those pairings advancing to the Championship Series.

The two teams to come out on top at that stage will meet in the 2025 World Series.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When does MLB regular season end? Schedule, date, playoff format

Reporting by Jason Anderson, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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