The postseason field has been reduced to four teams, primarily on a chalk basis. Each member of the bottom four is a division winner and three of the clubs received first round byes. The Dodgers were the only club to advance past the wild-card round, and the reigning World Series champions aren’t exactly underdogs. In fact, each of the Brewers, Mariners and Blue Jays had many more questions to answer about their playoff preparation given their recent lack of postseason success, yet all three teams were up to the task of winning their League Championship Series games.
Only the Yankees have reached the World Series more times than the Dodgers, who are vying for the franchise’s 23rd trip to the Fall Classic. Los Angeles is the defending champion aiming for its third ring in six seasons, against three teams with far less postseason resumes. The Blue Jays are a perfect 2-0 in the club’s only two World Series appearances, but they last reached the Series in 1993. The Brewers’ only appearance in the Series was so long ago (in 1982) that the club was still in the American League, and Milwaukee fell in a seven-game nail-biter to the Cardinals. The Mariners can get a big albatross off their back just by winning the AL pennant, as Seattle is the only team in Major League Baseball that has never reached a World Series.
The ALCS between the Sailors And Blue jays has added historical significance since the two teams both joined the MLB in 1977. The only previous playoff series between the two expansion cousins came in 2022, when Seattle defeated Toronto in straight games in the best-of-three wild-card series, mounting an epic comeback from an 8-1 run deficit to earn a 10-9 win in Game 2. That crushing loss was part of the 0-6 playoff record the Jays had during the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. era, before Toronto broke out with a dominant victory over the Yankees in this year’s ALDS.
Blue Jays hitters erupted for 34 runs and a collective .338/.373/.601 slash line over the four games against New York. While that level of explosion came as a surprise, Toronto led the league in both batting average and OBP this season, while also finishing at the top of the table in runs and OPS. Seattle’s season numbers weren’t all that impressive, yet the club has since become one of the best offensive teams in baseball. Josh Naylor And Eugenio Suarez were acquired at the trade deadline. Guided by these two great bats, Julio Rodriguez, Jorge Polancoand the all-around brilliance of the MVP candidate Cal RaleighThe Mariners’ high-powered lineup will pose a huge challenge for the Jays’ pitching staff.
In terms of run prevention, the Blue Jays have a significant advantage on defense. Toronto had a collective +51 Defensive Runs Saves and +14 Outs Above Average in the regular season, compared to Seattle’s +9 DRS and -30 OAA. This could potentially help the Jays counter the Mariners’ deeper rotation, as in Bryan Woo expected to return from injury in the ALCS, all five of the M’s regular starters will be available in some capacity. How exactly these starters will be deployed is still a subject of discussion George Kirby, Logan GilbertAnd Luis Castillo they all had to pitch during Seattle’s 15-inning marathon with the Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS.
The Blue Jays held a 4-2 lead in the season series against the Mariners this year and have home field advantage as the AL’s top seed. That’s a big deal for a Jays team that is 56-27 at Rogers Center during the regular season and playoffs, plus the Mariners’ road record is just 40-43. In terms of the National League, the Brewers and Dodgers each had identical 52-29 home records in the regular season, and Milwaukee was an impressive 45-36 away from home, while the Dodgers were just 41-40 on the road.
The other startling statistic is Milwaukee’s perfect 6-0 record against Los Angeles this season. Just as intimidating as the Evaders‘ star-studded selection can be, the Brewers have had their number in 2025 and will now have to try again in the postseason. LA has won the only two previous postseason series between the two franchises, including a seven-game win in the 2018 NLCS.
That 2018 season was the last time the Brew Crew won a playoff series until their five-game win over the Cubs in this year’s NLDS. The series as a whole was a demonstration of the kind of quality pitching and timely hitting that the Brewers have enjoyed all season. A relative lack of power is really the only downside for a lineup that racked up huge numbers, but Andreas VaughnThe turnaround in his career since being acquired by the Brewers in June has added a new dimension to the offense.
A few shaky starts Freddy Peralta And Quinn Priester at Wrigley Field could be red flags for the Brewers against LA Peralta pitched well enough in Game 1 that his Game 4 performance might be a hiccup, but if Priester can’t get on track, the Brewers will have to lean even harder on a bullpen that has already logged plenty of innings in the NLDS. Milwaukee is as creative as any team in maximizing its pitching staff, so expect plenty of unconventional pitching usage as the Brewers will try to keep the Dodgers at bay.
After a somewhat disappointing regular-season season by their high standards, the Dodgers may have moved on to October, beating the Reds in the wild card series and then eliminating the Phillies in a four-game NLDS. Even with multiple stars (Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Vrijmanand injury reduced Will Smith) have yet to roll to the plate, the Dodgers have been aided by a red-hot Mookie Betts and contributions from their seasoned lineup.
Roki SasakiThe club’s emergence as the club’s top choice at Closer has been huge for Los Angeles and addresses perhaps the team’s biggest weakness. Now, if Sasaki is a high-leverage option late in games and the excellent LA starting rotation stays in shape, the Brewers have a fairly narrow window to strike against the rest of the struggling Dodger bullpen.
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