How To Watch The ALCS, NLCS: Big Spenders, Budget Conscious Meet
The Milwaukee Brewers will bring the best record in the majors into the NLCS against the defending World Series champion Dodgers. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
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The 2025 major league baseball season is heating up as it winds down. MLB’s penultimate playoff round begins this weekend with the American League championship series, when the Toronto Blue Jays host the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
The National League championship series will start one day later on Monday in Milwaukee, when the 97-win Brewers meet the Los Angeles Dodgers after defeating the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the NLDS Saturday. The Brewers won all six games against the Dodgers this season.
The ALCS and NLCS are best-of-seven, and the staggered starts enable MLB to maximize television exposure. The winners will play in the World Series to begin Oct. 24.
The Final Four contains champs and upstarts, big-spenders and the budget conscious.
The free-spending Dodgers, whose payroll is a major league-high $350.3 million this season, are in position to become the first repeat World Series winner since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000.
The Brewers’ payroll ranks 22nd at $126.6 million.
Toronto went all in on first baseman Vladimir Guerrero, signing him to a 14-year, $500 million contract extension two weeks into the regular season, and it paid off.
The Brewers are playing for their first World Series berth since 1982, when they lost to St. Louis in seven games in their only previous appearance.
The Mariners have never never there.
American League Championship Series Schedule
Sunday: Seattle at Toronto, FOX, 8:08 pm ET
Monday: Seattle at Toronto, FOX, 5:08 pm ET
Wednesday: Toronto at Seattle, FOX, TBD
Thursday: Toronto at Seattle, FOX, TBD
Friday: Toronto at Seattle, FOX, TBD (if necessary)
Oct. 19: Seattle at Toronto, FOX, TBD (if necessary)
Oct. 20: Seattle at Toronto, FOX, TBD (if necessary)
National League Championship Series Schedule
Monday: Los Angeles at Milwaukee, TBS, 8:08 pm ET
Tuesday: Los Angeles at Milwaukee, TBS, 8:08 pm ET
Thursday: Milwaukee at Los Angeles, TBS, TBD
Friday: Milwaukes at Los Angeles, TBS, TBD
Saturday: Milwaukee Los Angeles, TBS, TBD (if necessary)
Oct. 20: Los Angeles at Milwaukee, TBS, TBD (if necessary)
Oct. 21: Los Angeles at Milwaukee, TBS, TBD (if necessary)
A Look at the American League Championship Series
Seattle Mariners
90-72, won the AL West
World Series: Have never won
Quick take: Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto made some bold moves at the trade deadline, adding middle-of-the-order bats Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor to support 60-homer catcher Cal Raleigh and 30-30 center fielder Julio Rodriguez.
The idea was to give the reliable starting rotation a lineup it could be proud of, and it worked, advancing with a chilling 3-2, 15-inning victory over Detroit in Game 5 of the ALDS. The Mariners are making their first ALCS appearance since 2001, when they won a franchise record 116 games but fell to the New York Yankees in the ALCS.
Player to watch: Raleigh, AKA the Big Dumper, set a major league record for a catcher with 60 homers in the regular season before hitting No. 61 against Detroit in the ALCS, and he also broke Mickey Mantle’s record for homers by a switch-hitter. It may not be Raleigh’s preferred nickname — it was bestowed by a former teammate because of his large-ish posterior — but he has run with it to a likely second-place finish in the AL MVP voting to the Yankees’ Aaron Judge.
Toronto Blue Jays
94-68, won AL East in a tiebreaker with the Yankees
World Series: Won two, in 1992-93
Quick take: Never let it be said that one any of the regular-season 162 are unimportant. The Blue Jays and Yankees finished with 94 victories, but because the Jays won the season series they received a bye in the wild card round. That also gave them a few days of rest and home field advantage in the ALDS against Yanks, although they did not need it, winning in four. The Jays are in the playoffs for the fourth time in six years but have not won a game since 2016.
Player to watch: Vladimir Guerrero Jr got the big money and the name recognition, but the resurgence of playoff-tested George Springer had at least as much to do with the success of the Jays, who win with offence. Springer, 36, led the Jays with 32 homers, 18 stolen bases and a 4.8 WAR, his best season since 2019. He was the 2017 World Series MVP award with Houston.
A Look at the National League Championship Series
Milwaukee Brewers, 97-65, won the NL Central
World Series: One appearance, have not won
Quick take: Uecker Magic. The Average Joes. Whatever has inspired or motivated the Brewers, they play an old school game. Their success may be as simple as a collection of very good and selfless players who put the ball in play, take the extra base, and catch the ball behind a pitching staff that without much fanfare owns the best ERA in the National League. Manager Pat Murphy is a lock to be named NL Manager of the Year for the second straight year. The Brewers led the NL in stolen bases and on-base percentage, both rally bulders.
Player to watch: Jacob Misiorowski brought his 100-plus mph fastball to the majors in early June, and there was not much hitters could do about it. He threw 11 consecutive hitless – not scoreless, hitless – innings in his first two major league starts, both wins. He hit a few speed bumps later, but he was back to blowing hitters away in his two appearances in the NLDS. Misiorowski gave up one run in seven innings as a bulk reliever against the Cubs and was the winning pitcher both outings, including clinching Game 5. He hit 104 mph twice in Game 2, when 31 of his 57 pitches were at least 100.
Los Angeles Dodgers, 93-69
World Series: Won eight, the last in 2024
Quick take: For the Dodgers, with that payroll, it is not a successful season until they take one more step. They have made 13 straight playoff appearances, although this one required winning a wild card series for the first time since 2021. Debilitating injuries to their $113 million starting rotation hurt.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto made 30 starts, the only starter with more than 22. Blake Snell made $28.4 million for 11 regular-season starts, but he was signed for these moments. Snell has won both his postseason starts, giving up two runs in 13 innings, and will start Game 1.
Player to watch: It took the better part of five months, but the Dodgers have found the “real” Roki Sasaki, just in time. Sasaki, who signed for $6.5 million this winter, struggled early as a starter and spent most of the season in the minors, where the Dodgers revamped his delivery. He has emerged as their 100 mph closer and bullpen savior after being promoted in the final week of the regular season. He saved the first two games of the NLDS against Philadelphia and has given up one hit in 5 1/3 scoreless innings this postseason.
