• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

MLB’s Rare October Day: Four Playoff Games, Four Possible Clinchers

There’s already been plenty of big drama and hefty viewership during the MLB postseason, something that could continue on a jam-packed Wednesday. 

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Major League Baseball’s final postseason quadrupleheader of the season Wednesday could also be a historic one for the sport.

The league will play four division series games over the course of the day, starting with the Mariners and Tigers from Detroit’s Comerica Park at 3:08 p.m. ET, and concluding with the Dodgers and Phillies from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles at 9:08 p.m. ET. In between will be the Brewers and Cubs from Chicago’s Wrigley Field at 5:08 p.m. ET, and the Blue Jays and Yankees at New York’s Yankee Stadium at 7:08 p.m. ET.

It will be the last such day of playoff games before the schedule staggers and the postseason competition narrows toward the championship series and World Series.

Four Tickets Punched on Same Day?

The jam-packed schedule also presents an unusual confluence of clinching opportunities as the Mariners, Blue Jays, Brewers, and Dodgers are each one game away from advancing to the championship series round. If all four of those teams win Wednesday, that will represent the first time MLB’s four division series ended on the same day since 1996, and just the second such occurrence since this playoff round began in 1995. 

The high drama is likely to be a further boon to television viewership that already has been on an upswing for MLB. After seeing across-the-board increases during the regular season and then unprecedented viewership in the wild-card round, Fox said late Tuesday that the early days of the American League Division Series have produced a 14% viewership increase from last year. The Blue Jays–Yankees series has been similarly strong on Sportsnet in Canada.

TNT Sports said its coverage on Oct. 4 of the start of the National League Division Series averaged 3.4 million viewers, up 30% from its comparable coverage last year of the ALDS and up 16% from its initial day of the NLDS in 2023. 

“The wild-card round gave us a start to the playoffs that could not have been better,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said this week on the Phillies Radio Network. “Our ratings were phenomenal. Obviously, you get a New York–Boston matchup [to start], it just gets everybody engaged sooner.”

Playoff exits by the Yankees and Phillies, should they happen, would be particularly bitter pills for the teams with the No. 3 and No. 4 luxury-tax payrolls, respectively, this year.

Big Stars, Big Moments

The initial games of the division series, meanwhile, have produced a new set of signature moments from some of its biggest stars. The latest exploits include a game-tying home run Tuesday by Yankees superstar Aaron Judge to help New York hold off elimination by Toronto, and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts and third baseman Max Muncy successfully executing a ninth-inning wheel play on Monday to cut down a late Phillies rally. 

“It was a best-player-in-the-game type of performance,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Judge’s Game 3 exploits. “It was special when, obviously and needless to say, we’re backs-against-the-wall.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Napheesa Collier

WNBA, Players Remain Far Apart With CBA Deadline Days Away 

A union lawyer says a deal will not be reached by Friday.

Shohei Ohtani’s Historic World Series Game 3 Sets Up High-Stakes Game 4

Ohtani will start Game 4 on the mound after another epic performance Monday.
Brian Kelly

CFB Firings Tracker: LSU Owes Brian Kelly $53 Million

The sum owed Kelly slightly tops James Franklin’s at Penn State. 
Oct 26, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; The 2025 World Series logo on the field at Dodger Stadium.

Dodger Stadium Games Could Push MLB Payouts to Record Highs

The Dodgers’ big ballpark and ticket prices help fuel postseason player pay.

Featured Today

September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin
October 25, 2025

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.
Christie's
October 21, 2025

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
Alexis Ohanian

Alexis Ohanian: Angel City Ownership Setup Was a ‘Terrible Idea’

He admits that the NWSL club’s governance was a disaster.
Capitals
October 27, 2025

Capitals Fire Assistant Coach After Domestic Abuse Investigation

Assault and abuse cases are defining the start of the NHL season.
Oct 24, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho (5) celebrates after hitting a two run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth inning during game one of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre.
October 27, 2025

World Series Games Set Ratings Records on Canada’s Sportsnet

Canada continues to watch MLB broadcasts at historic levels.
Sponsored

Why Alexis Ohanian Is Betting Big on Women’s Sports

Alexis Ohanian reflects on his evolution from Reddit cofounder to one of today’s most dynamic sports investors.
October 26, 2025

Lamar Jackson’s Practice Status Flip Sparks NFL Investigation

Baltimore could be disciplined for not properly disclosing Lamar Jackson’s status.
Rob Manfred
October 25, 2025

Canada Could Get MLB Expansion Team, Manfred Says

The league has noted fast-rising fan interest north of the border. 
October 24, 2025

MLB Union Chief on Alert As NBA Gambling Scandal Unfolds

The union leader addresses labor and gambling-related concerns.
October 23, 2025

Underdog Blue Jays vs. Dodgers’ Mega-Payroll on MLB’s Global Stage

The high-profile matchup caps what has been a breakthrough season for the league.