The MLB postseason is less than a month away, and there are some close Wild Card and Divisional battles in both the American League and the National League. Ties are somewhat rare in a 162-game season, but they are far from unheard of. Tiebreaker rules were recently changed in MLB, so how will they work for the 2025 playoffs?
How are tiebreakers determined for MLB playoffs?
Prior to 2022, MLB teams with a tie in their records played a 163rd game to determine who finished higher in the standings. Baseball has done away with that idea since expanding the playoff field to 12 teams, and tiebreakers are now determined mathematically. This stands true for both division titles, seeding, and Wild Card postseason births.
Head-to-head records are the first deciding factor in a tiebreaking scenario. If the teams have the same record against each other, then records against division opponents is the next criteria used after that. Records against conference opponents outside of divisional matchups serves as the third tiebreaker.
The fourth and fifth tiebreaking scenarios would only come into play in extremely rare circumstances. The fourth scenario is record against intraleague teams during the last half of the season. If that criterion is also tied, the final tiebreaker would come down to whether or not a team won their last intraleague game of the season. If both teams won/lost that game, MLB would backtrack intraleague games until there was one team that won and one that lost.
Furthermore, there are tiebreaking scenarios for when three teams have the same record. If three teams have identical records and the same record against one another, then the highest winning percentage in interdivisional games will get the nod. In order, the next three resolving factors are winning percentage in intraleague games, winning percentage in intraleague games during the last half of the season, and records in the last intraleague game of the year.
In a three-way tie, if teams don't have identical records against each other, then if a team has a better record against both of the teams with which they are tied with, the edge would go to that team. If no team has a better record against both other teams, then overall win percentage against the two other teams is the first step looked at.
There are also ways to settle four-way ties. Deciding factors are in order as follows: If the tied club has a better record against all three teams, then they break the tie. The highest winning percentage against the other three teams is the next determining factor. Winning percentage in intradivision games, winning percentage in intraleague games, winning percentage during the last half of the season against intraleague teams, and the final game of the season are also potential factors.
Tiebreaking scenarios for 2025 MLB season
Note: Tiebreaking scenarios are from MLB.com prior to games played Thursday.
AL East
Blue Jays:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Mariners, Yankees, Red Sox
- Lose tiebreaker vs. nobody
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Astros (0-3, three games left)
Yankees:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Mariners, Royals
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Blue Jays, Red Sox
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Astros (2-3, one game left), Tigers (1-2, three games left)
Red Sox:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Astros, Royals, Yankees
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Blue Jays
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Mariners (3-3), Tigers (0-3, three games left)
AL West
Astros:
- Win tiebreaker vs. nobody
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Red Sox, Tigers
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Blue Jays (3-0, three games left), Mariners (5-5, three games left), Royals (3-3), Yankees (3-2, one game left)
Mariners:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Rangers, Tigers, Guardians
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Blue Jays, Yankees
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Astros (5-5, three games left), Rays (3-3), Red Sox (3-3), Royals (2-2, three games left)
Rangers:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Red Sox
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Mariners, Royals, Yankees
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Astros (4-3, six games left), Guardians (3-0, three games left), Rays (3-3)
AL Central
Tigers:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Astros
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Blue Jays
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Red Sox (3-0; three games left), Yankees (2-1; three games left)
AL Wild Card
Royals:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Rangers
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Red Sox, Yankees
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Astros (3-3), Guardians (4-5, four games left), Mariners (2-2, three games left), Rays (3-3)
Rays:
- Win tiebreaker vs. nobody
- Lose tiebreaker vs. nobody
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Guardians (1-2, four games left), Mariners (3-3), Rangers (3-3), Royals (3-3)
Guardians:
- Win tiebreaker vs. nobody
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Mariners, Red Sox
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Rangers (0-3, three games left), Rays (2-1, four games left), Royals (5-4, four games left), Yankees (3-3)
NL East
Phillies:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Cubs
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Mets
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Dodgers (2-1, three games left), Padres (3-3)
Mets:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Dodgers, Giants, Phillies
- Lose tiebreaker vs. nobody
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Cubs (2-1, three games left), Padres (0-3, three games left), Reds (1-2, three games left)
NL West
Dodgers:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Padres
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Brewers, Cubs, Mets
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Phillies (1-2, three games left)
Padres:
- Win tiebreaker vs. nobody
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Dodgers
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Cubs (3-3), Mets (3-0, three games left), Phillies (3-3), Reds (1-2, three games left)
NL Central
Brewers:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Dodgers, Phillies
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Cubs
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Padres (1-2, three games left), Phillies (3-1, two games left)
Cubs:
- Win tiebreaker vs. Brewers, Dodgers
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Phillies
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Mets (1-2, three games left), Padres (3-3), Reds (5-4, four games left)
NL Wild Card
Giants:
- Win tiebreaker vs. nobody
- Lose tiebreaker vs. Mets, Padres
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Reds (3-3)
Reds:
- Win tiebreaker vs. nobody
- Lose tiebreaker vs. nobody
- Tiebreaker TBD vs. Cubs (4-5, four games left), Giants (3-3), Mets (2-1, three games left), Padres (2-1, three games left)
