What a year. Honestly, if you told me back in March that the Major League Baseball 2025 standings would end with a 119-loss team in Colorado and the Blue Jays duking it out in a seven-game World Series thriller, I’d have probably asked for a sip of whatever you were drinking. But here we are. The 2025 season wasn't just another 162-game grind; it was a chaotic, stat-breaking reality check for the entire league.
The Los Angeles Dodgers ended up on top, again. Boring? Maybe to some. But the way they did it—clinching their second consecutive title in an 11-inning Game 7 nail-biter against Toronto—was anything but predictable.
The AL East Bloodbath
The American League East was, predictably, a total nightmare for anyone involved. We ended the season with a literal tie at the top. Both the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees finished with identical 94-68 records. Toronto technically took the division crown because they handled the head-to-head matchup better, going 8-5 against the Bronx Bombers.
It's kinda wild when you think about it.
The Yankees put up a +164 run differential—the best in the American League—and still had to settle for a Wild Card spot. Aaron Judge was doing Aaron Judge things, hitting .331 to lead the league in average, but Toronto’s balance was just too much.
Boston didn't go quietly either. The Red Sox hung around with 89 wins, securing a Wild Card berth and making the East the only division to send three teams to the postseason. Meanwhile, the Orioles and Rays basically fell off a cliff toward the end, finishing 19 and 17 games back, respectively.
Surprise Leaders in the Central and West
The Cleveland Guardians are the team nobody talks about enough. They won the AL Central with 88 wins. It wasn't flashy. They actually had a negative run differential (-6), which basically means they were masters of winning the close ones. They held off a surging Detroit Tigers squad that finished just one game back at 87-75.
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Out West, the Seattle Mariners finally grabbed the steering wheel. They hit 90 wins exactly, staying three games ahead of the Houston Astros. The big story there? Cal Raleigh. The man hit 60 home runs. Sixty! He joined the elite club while the rest of the division sort of hovered in mediocrity. Even the Rangers, just two years removed from their own title, couldn't break past the .500 mark.
NL Standings: Powerhouses and the Basement
The National League was a tale of two extremes. In the Central, the Milwaukee Brewers were a machine. They racked up 97 wins, the most in all of Major League Baseball. They were led by a pitching staff that just refused to give up runs, finishing with a +172 differential.
- Milwaukee Brewers: 97-65 (Division Champs)
- Chicago Cubs: 92-70 (Wild Card)
- Cincinnati Reds: 83-79 (Wild Card)
The Cubs and Reds making it in meant the NL Central was just as crowded as the AL East.
Then you look at the NL West. The Dodgers won it with 93 wins, which actually feels "low" for them, but they were coasting by September. The San Diego Padres gave them a run for their money with 90 wins.
And then... there's Colorado.
Look, I don't want to be mean, but the Rockies finishing 43-119 is historic for all the wrong reasons. They were 50 games out of first place. Fifty. It's the kind of season that makes a fan base want to delete their social media accounts and go off the grid until spring training.
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The 2025 Postseason Gauntlet
When the dust settled on the regular season, the bracket was a mess of high-stakes rematches. The Dodgers had to fight through the Wild Card round—yeah, remember the new format quirks?—where they swept the Reds.
They eventually met the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. Philly had 96 wins and a powerhouse roster, but the Dodgers took them down in four games. The NLCS was even more lopsided; the Dodgers absolutely dismantled the 97-win Brewers in a 4-0 sweep.
On the AL side, it was pure drama. The Blue Jays and Mariners fought a seven-game war in the ALCS. Toronto eventually prevailed, winning Game 7 by a score of 4-3 to reach the World Series.
World Series: A Game 7 for the Ages
The World Series was a back-and-forth slugfest. Toronto took Game 1 in a blowout (11-4), but the Dodgers' pitching stabilized after that. We saw an 18-inning marathon in Game 3 that the Dodgers won 6-5.
By the time Game 7 rolled around in Toronto, the energy was vibrating. The Blue Jays led late, but the Dodgers tied it up and pushed it to extras. In the 11th inning, Los Angeles scratched across a run to win 5-4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto took home the MVP honors, cementing his status as one of the best big-game pitchers we've seen in years.
Stat Leaders That Defined the Year
If you're a numbers person, 2025 was a gold mine. We already mentioned Cal Raleigh’s 60 bombs, but look at these other lines:
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- Batting Average: Aaron Judge (.331). He’s still the king.
- Home Runs: Cal Raleigh (60), followed by Kyle Schwarber (56) and Shohei Ohtani (55).
- Pitching Wins: Max Fried (19).
- Strikeouts: Garrett Crochet (255). The man was unhittable at times.
- ERA: Paul Skenes (1.97). A sub-2.00 ERA in this era of hitting is just stupid.
Looking Toward 2026
The 2025 season also marked the end of an era. Clayton Kershaw called it a career after the World Series win, though he’s technically suiting up for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic for one last ride.
So, what's next? If you're tracking the Major League Baseball 2025 standings to project next year, watch the youth movements in Detroit and Cincinnati. Both teams outperformed their "rebuilding" labels and are primed to be serious contenders.
Also, keep an eye on the luxury tax threshold. With the Dodgers repeating, several big-market teams are expected to spend aggressively this winter to break the L.A. stranglehold.
Actionable Steps for Fans:
- Check the final box scores for the World Series to see how the Dodgers utilized their bullpen in Game 7; it’s a masterclass in modern management.
- Review the 2026 World Baseball Classic rosters, as many 2025 stat leaders are participating.
- Keep an eye on the Rockies' front office; after 119 losses, major organizational changes are inevitable.
The 2025 standings are officially in the books, but the ripple effects—especially that Blue Jays vs. Yankees tie—will be talked about at bars and on sports talk radio for a long time.