The 2025 American League Division Series (ALDS) were the two best-of-five playoff series in Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2025 postseason to determine the participating teams of the 2025 American League Championship Series (ALCS). These matchups were:
(1) Toronto Blue Jays (AL East champions) vs. (4) New York Yankees (Wild Card Series winner): Blue Jays won the series, 3–1. (2) Seattle Mariners (AL West champions) vs. (6) Detroit Tigers (Wild Card Series winner): Mariners won the series, 3–2.
The team with the better regular season record (higher seed) of each series hosted Games 1, 2, and (if necessary) 5, while the lower seeded team hosted Game 3 and (if necessary) 4.
Background
The top two division winners (first two seeds) were determined by regular season winning percentages. The final two teams were the winners of the American League (AL) Wild Card Series, played between the league's third to sixth-seeded teams.
The Toronto Blue Jays (94–68) clinched their fourth playoff berth since 2020 on September 21 and won their first AL East title since 2015, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs on September 28 by virtue of their 8–5 head-to-head record against the New York Yankees, with a 13–4 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays in their final regular season game. They played the fourth-seeded New York Yankees (94–68), who defeated their divisional archrival Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series in three games. The Blue Jays and Yankees both finished the regular season with an identical 94–68 record, with the Blue Jays winning their regular season series of 8–5 over the Yankees that gave them a head-to-head tiebreaker for honors above. This was the first postseason meeting between the Blue Jays and Yankees. There was controversy surrounding the announcers of both teams this season. Michael Kay, the Yankees' lead TV play-by-play announcer, insisted the Blue Jays were "not a first-place caliber team" due to their run differential in July. Kay later stated he was misunderstood and reached out to former Yankees first baseman and current Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly to quell controversy. In September, Blue Jays’ color television analyst Buck Martinez made critical comments towards the Yankees, stating they were "not a good team" due to their numerous wild pitches, fielding mistakes, and poor baserunning, along with their over-reliance on home runs.
The Seattle Mariners (90–72) clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2022 on September 23 with a victory against the Colorado Rockies. The next night, they won the AL West for the first time since 2001, ending the second-longest division title drought in the majors, and also clinched a first-round bye with a Cleveland Guardians loss to the Detroit Tigers on September 25. They played the sixth-seeded Tigers (87–75), who defeated their divisional rival Cleveland in the Wild Card Series in three games. The Mariners had a 4–2 record against the Tigers in the regular season, including a road sweep of the Tigers just before the All-Star break. This was the first postseason meeting between the Mariners and Tigers.
Matchups Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees
Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers
Toronto vs. New York This was the first postseason match-up between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.
Game 1
In the bottom of the first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a solo home run off Luis Gil to give the Blue Jays a 1–0 lead. In the bottom of the second inning, Alejandro Kirk hit another home run to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 2–0. Yankees starter Gil pitched innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out two batters. In the top of the sixth inning, Anthony Volpe scored to get the Yankees on the board after Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman walked Cody Bellinger. Gausman allowed four hits and one run in innings while striking out three batters. Then, Louis Varland escaped a bases-loaded jam to preserve a one-run lead for the Blue Jays. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Blue Jays extended their lead to 3–1 when Andrés Giménez hit a RBI single to right field, scoring Daulton Varsho. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Nathan Lukes scored Giménez and Ernie Clement on a RBI double, and Guerrero Jr. scored George Springer on a sacrifice fly, extending the Blue Jays' lead to 6–1. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Kirk hit his second home run of the game to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 7–1. The Blue Jays scored three more runs after an RBI double from Giménez, Clement scored Myles Straw on a sacrifice fly, and a RBI single from Lukes to extend their lead 10–1. The Blue Jays got the final out of the game when reliever Jeff Hoffman struck out Volpe to give the Blue Jays the first game of the series.
It was the first postseason win for the Blue Jays since Game 4 of the 2016 ALCS against Cleveland.
Game 2
In the bottom of the second inning, Ernie Clement hit a two-run home run off Yankees starter Max Fried to give the Blue Jays a 2–0 lead. In the bottom of the third inning, Davis Schneider, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Daulton Varsho scored on an RBI groundout, double, and single respectively to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 5–0. Fried pitched three innings, allowed eight hits and five runs while walking two batters and striking out only one batter. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Guerrero Jr. hit a grand slam off Yankees reliever Will Warren to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 9–0, which was the first grand slam home run in Blue Jays postseason history. A two-run home run from Varsho further extended the lead to 11–0. In the bottom of the fifth inning, George Springer hit a solo home run to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 12–0. The Yankees got on the board after Cody Bellinger hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning. Blue Jays rookie starter Trey Yesavage pitched innings, walking one batter and striking out eleven batters, not giving up any hits in the process. In the bottom of the sixth, Varsho hit his second home run of the game to extend the Blue Jays' lead to 13–2. In the top of the seventh inning, Aaron Judge scored Ryan McMahon on a RBI single, and Bellinger hit a sacrifice fly to cut the Blue Jays' lead to 13–4. Consecutive RBI hits from Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton further reduced the lead to 13–7. The Blue Jays got the final out of the game when reliever Seranthony Domínguez struck Stanton out via a blocked sweeper and took a 2–0 lead over their divisional rivals, leaving the Blue Jays one win away from reaching the ALCS for the first time since 2016, and creating a win-or-go-home situation for the Yankees in Game 3 as the series shift to the Bronx.
Game 3
In the top of the first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run home run off Yankees starter Carlos Rodón to give the Blue Jays an early 2–0 lead. In the bottom of the first, Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Aaron Judge to cut the Blue Jays' lead to 2–1. In the top of the third inning, successive RBI hits from Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement, and Anthony Santander extended the lead to 6–1. Yankees starting pitcher Rodon was removed from the game after conceding six runs in innings. In the bottom of the third inning, Trent Grisham scored on a line drive from Judge to cut the Blue Jays' lead to 6–2. Giancarlo Stanton then scored Cody Bellinger on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead further to 6–3, with Blue Jays manager John Schneider removing their starter Shane Bieber after innings. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Judge hit a three-run home run off Louis Varland to tie the game at 6–6. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a solo home run off Varland to put the Yankees ahead, 7–6. Austin Wells then hit an RBI single, scoring Amed Rosario to extend the Yankees' lead to 8–6. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Judge scored on another sacrifice fly from Ben Rice, further extending the lead to 9–6. David Bednar pitched innings to earn the save as the Yankees avoided elimination and forced a Game 4.
Game 4
In the top of the first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored George Springer on an RBI single, giving the Blue Jays a 1–0 lead. Blue Jays starter Louis Varland pitched innings, allowing one hit while striking out two batters. Ryan McMahon tied the game in the bottom of the third inning with a home run off of Mason Fluharty. The Blue Jays would retake the lead in the top of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly from Springer. In the top of the seventh, Nathan Lukes tacked on some insurance runs with a two-run RBI single to extend the lead to 4–1, following an error by Jazz Chisholm Jr. that prevented them from getting out of the inning. Yankees starter Cam Schlittler would leave after the error, having pitched innings and allowing eight hits and four runs (two earned) while striking out only two batters. The Blue Jays added one more in the eighth inning on a Myles Straw RBI single to further extend their lead to 5–1. The Yankees threatened in the bottom half of the inning, but reliever Jeff Hoffman got Austin Wells to pop out to escape a bases-loaded jam and preserve the lead. The Yankees cut into the lead in the ninth when Aaron Judge scored Jasson Domínguez to trim the Blue Jays' lead to 5–2, but Hoffman closed out the series by striking out Cody Bellinger to send the Blue Jays to the ALCS for the first time since 2016.
The Yankees' series loss resulted in the 16th consecutive season without a World Series title, the third-longest drought in franchise history. In addition, Aaron Boone tied Mike Hargrove for most playoff games managed for one team without winning the World Series.
During the postgame interview with Fox, Vlad Guerrero Jr., encouraged by Fox analyst and Red Sox legend David Ortiz, chanted the "Daaaa Yankees lose!", a playful imitation of the signature call, "THEEEEEE Yankees win!", used by the Yankees' long-time radio broadcaster, John Sterling, after a Yankees win.
Composite line score 2025 ALDS (3–1): Toronto Blue Jays beat New York Yankees
Seattle vs. Detroit This was the first postseason match-up between the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers.
Game 1
In the fourth inning, Julio Rodríguez hit a leadoff solo home run off Tigers starter Troy Melton to give the Mariners a 1–0 lead. Melton pitched four innings, allowed two hits and one run while striking out four batters. In the top of the fifth inning, Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run home run off Mariners starter George Kirby to take a 2–1 lead for the Tigers. Kirby pitched five innings, allowed six hits and two runs while striking out eight batters. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Rodríguez scored Randy Arozarena via a RBI single to tie the game at 2–2. The game remained at 2–2 into extra innings until Zach McKinstry hit a RBI single, scoring Spencer Torkelson in the eleventh inning. The Tigers closed out the game with Keider Montero inducing a Josh Naylor groundout to Torkelson, giving the Tigers the early lead in the series.
Game 2