The 2025 Major League Baseball postseason opened Tuesday with four wild-card series games, headlined by a renewal of the sport's fiercest rivalry as the Boston Red Sox visited the New York Yankees.
The Phillies and Braves kicked off the day in Atlanta, where Philadelphia sent left-hander Jesus Luzardo to the mound against veteran Chris Sale. The Phillies clinched their playoff berth on the final day of the regular season and now face the NL East rival Braves in a best-of-three series.
Philadelphia's lineup features Trea Turner leading off, followed by Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Alec Bohm. The Braves countered with Drake Baldwin, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Matt Olson at the top of their order.
In the American League, the Chicago White Sox faced the Houston Astros at 5 p.m. ET before the Yankees-Red Sox showdown. The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres met in the nightcap, the second NL matchup of the day.
ESPN's "PTI" panel called Yankees-Red Sox the most intriguing first-round matchup, citing the historic rivalry and the star power on both rosters. The two franchises have met in the postseason 14 times, including three American League Championship Series since 1999.
The wild-card round marks the first day of a postseason that will expand to 12 teams for the fourth consecutive year. All four series are best-of-three, with the higher seed hosting every game. Winners advance to the division series, which begins later this week.
The Phillies entered the postseason as a wild card after a late surge pushed them past the Mets in the standings. Philadelphia has reached the NLCS in each of the past two seasons, falling to the Diamondbacks in 2023 and the Braves in 2024.
Atlanta won the NL East but limped into October with questions about its rotation depth. Sale, a Cy Young candidate, gets the ball in Game 1. The Braves have not won a playoff series since their 2021 World Series title.
In Houston, the Astros began their quest for a third straight AL pennant against a White Sox team that surprised many by earning a wild-card spot. Chicago has not won a postseason series since 2005, when it captured the World Series.
The Cubs and Padres closed the night in San Diego, where the Padres hosted their first playoff game since 2022. San Diego's rotation, led by Yu Darvish and Michael King, is considered among the deepest in the National League.
All four series continue Wednesday, with Game 2 scheduled at each site. Game 3, if necessary, would be played Thursday. The division series round opens Saturday.
