MLB has locked in the 2025 postseason schedule, and they’re sticking with tradition. Game 1 of the World Series will start on Friday, October 24, with a potential Game 7 on November 1.
That means the league’s experiment with a flexible World Series start is officially over.
Last season, MLB tried something different – they wanted to move up the Fall Classic if both league championship series finished early. The Mets did their part, wrapping up the NLCS in five games. But the Dodgers pushed their series to six, so the plan never kicked in.
It’s worth noting how rare those early finishes actually are. Since the LCS went to best-of-seven in 1985, both leagues have wrapped up in four or five games just five times: 1989, 2001, 2002, 2014, and 2022. Last year marked the first time they even tried to build flexibility into the schedule.
How the 2025 Playoffs Will Work
The postseason kicks off with all four Wild Card series running September 30 through October 2. These best-of-three matchups will be played at the home park of the higher seed, giving those teams a clear advantage.
Twelve teams qualify under the current format. The top two seeds in each league get first-round byes – a huge edge that can’t be overstated.
From there, it’s bracket-style. The top seed faces whoever wins the 4-vs-5 Wild Card series, while the No. 2 seed meets the 3-vs-6 winner.
The Division Series starts October 4-5 in the American League. The National League begins October 4 as well, but they’ve built in an extra day between Games 1 and 2. That’s all about giving managers more pitching flexibility – something that’s become increasingly important.
The AL Championship Series opens October 12, with the NLCS following on October 13. Both series include off days after Games 2 and 5, which should help with travel and pitcher rest.
World Series Timing
This year’s World Series will be the fifth straight to open on a Friday. Before 2022, you’d have to go all the way back to 1915 to find a Friday opener. That’s quite a shift in scheduling philosophy.
If the series goes the distance, it would end on November 1 – not quite as deep into November as 2022, when the championship wrapped up on November 5.
The way I see it, MLB decided that the complexity of a flexible schedule wasn’t worth the potential benefits. With so few early finishes historically, they’re probably right to keep things simple.
