DETROIT — Detroit Tigers general manager Scott Harris said he extended manager A.J. Hinch’s contract during the 2025 season and insisted ownership will provide the resources necessary to sign ace Tarik Skubal to a long-term deal.
Harris and Hinch had a news conference, wrapping up their season that ended with a 3-2, 15-inning loss at Seattle in Game 5 of the AL Division Series and looking ahead to next year and beyond.
“I wish we weren’t here right now,” Harris said. “I wish we were in Toronto, preparing for Game 2 of the ALCS.”
Harris said he approached Hinch during the season, his fifth in Detroit, about extending his contract for a second time and they reached a deal quickly. Harris also signed Hinch to a long-term contract in 2023.
“He’s one of the best managers in the game,” Harris said.
Harris declined to say how long Hinch is under contract.
“We want him to be here as long as he’s willing to be here,” Harris said. “I want to work with him as long as I can possibly work with him.”
The Tigers also would like to have Skubal report to work in Detroit for years to come, but know that will be costly. He won the AL Cy Young Award and was the league’s pitching Triple Crown winner in 2024. He followed that with a career-low 2.21 ERA and a career-high 241 strikeouts.
“He’s the best pitcher in baseball,” Harris said. “He’s hopefully going to win a second Cy Young.”
Skubal signed a one-year, $10.15 million contract during the last offseason — avoiding salary arbitration — and he’s set to become a free agent after the 2026 season.
To keep him off the market, team owner Chris Ilitch would have to spend many millions.
Harris insisted Ilitch will support the organization with what is needed for payroll, including what it would take to keep the 28-year-old lefty long term.
“I have no concerns about that,” Harris said.
Harris does have concerns about why the Tigers collapsed in September, when they blew the biggest lead in division or league history, and their poor performance at the plate in the postseason.
“I deserve to get those questions and we deserve the negative narrative that is swirling around this team,” he said.
Detroit had the best record in baseball for much of the season, then slumped into the trade deadline when Harris did not make a major move.
While Harris did not regret passing on pitchers he was offered, he said it is fair to question why he didn’t add a bat to the lineup.
The Dodgers last season took down the New York Yankees to win the franchise’s second World Series title in five years and first in a full season since 1988. Los Angeles’ 2020 championship triumph came in a COVID-shortened campaign.
And Dave Roberts’ club has a chance this postseason to snap MLB‘s decades-long drought without a back-to-back World Series winner.
Has an MLB team won back-to-back World Series?
There have been several repeat champions in MLB history, but it’s been over two decades since the last one.
Who was the last MLB team to win back-to-back World Series?
The Yankees won three straight World Series titles from 1998-2000, standing as the most recent team to win consecutive championships.
How many MLB teams have won back-to-back World Series?
Since the Fall Classic debuted in 1903, there have been 14 instances of a team winning at least two straight World Series.
What are the most World Series won in a row?
The longest championship streak belongs to the Yankees, who won five straight World Series from 1949-53. The Yankees also own the second-longest World Series title streak, winning four straight from 1936-39.
List of back-to-back World Series champions
Here’s a full look at all of the World Series championship streaks in MLB history:
New York Yankees: 3 straight from 1998-2000
Toronto Blue Jays: 2 straight from 1992-93
New York Yankees: 2 straight from 1977-78
Cincinnati Reds: 2 straight from 1975-76
Oakland Athletics: 3 straight from 1972-74
New York Yankees: 2 straight from 1961-62
New York Yankees: 5 straight from 1949-53
New York Yankees: 4 straight from 1936-39
Philadelphia Athletics: 2 straight from 1929-30
New York Yankees: 2 straight from 1927-28
New York Giants: 2 straight from 1921-22
Boston Red Sox: 2 straight from 1915-16
Philadelphia Athletics: 2 straight from 1910-11
Chicago Cubs: 2 straight from 1907-08
How many World Series have the Dodgers won?
The Dodgers own eight World Series titles: 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988, 2020 and 2024.
MILWAUKEE — Pat Murphy and his Milwaukee Brewers adopted an underdog mentality even as they produced the best regular-season record in the major leagues this year.
Their NL Championship Series matchup with the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers enables them to embrace that approach even more. The series starts with Game 1 in Milwaukee.
The Dodgers are seeking their third World Series title in six years, boast the game’s biggest star in three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and have a record spend of payroll and luxury tax totaling $509.5 million. The Brewers play in the smallest market in the major leagues, have never won a title and made their lone World Series appearance in 1982.
One more indication of the contrast between these teams: The Dodgers’ projected luxury tax bill of nearly $168 million exceeds Milwaukee’s entire payroll of $124.8 million.
“The Dodgers are a powerhouse. What can you say?” Murphy said.
BetMGM has established the Dodgers as minus-220 favorites, meaning it gives the Dodgers a 68.8% chance of winning the series. Someone would have to bet $220 on the Dodgers to win $100 if they take the series.
“It doesn’t matter what people say,” Brewers second baseman Brice Turang explained. “It matters what we believe in here.”
There’s one problem with the Brewers’ underdog narrative. They won all six of their regular-season meetings with the Dodgers.
No wonder Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts takes umbrage with the notion that this is a David vs. Goliath matchup.
“They’re just gritty,” Roberts said. “They’re tough. And they take on Murph’s personality. They’ve got some guys that can slug. They’ve got some athleticism. They really defend well. They can pitch well. So it’s like they’re going to be in every game. They’ve got complete buy-in, and so they’re hungry. So those things are components that are scary.”
When teams meet in postseason after sweep
The 2003 New York Yankees went 7-0 against Minnesota in the regular season and 3-1 against the Twins in the ALDS. Six years later, the Yankees went 7-0 against the Twins again in the regular season and swept them in the ALDS.
But the New York Mets swept the Chicago Cubs 4-0 in the 2015 NLCS despite going 0-7 against them during the regular season. And the 2007 Yankees went 6-0 in the regular season against Cleveland, which won their ALDS matchup 3-1.
San Francisco beat Kansas City in a seven-game 2014 World Series after going 0-3 again the Royals in the regular season. Detroit swept St. Louis in the 2006 regular season before getting swept by the Cardinals in the World Series.
Who’s pitching?
Roberts said the Dodgers plan to start Blake Snell in the opener. Murphy didn’t announce a Game 1 starter but mentioned the possibility of using an opener.
Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta and Los Angeles’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game 2.
Ohtani’s hitting slump
Ohtani is expected to win his fourth MVP award after batting .282 with 55 homers and 102 RBIs in the regular season, but he went 1 for 18 with nine strikeouts in the Dodgers’ NL Division Series win over Philadelphia.
He homered three times in the Dodgers’ six meetings with the Brewers.
Roberts said he plans to have Ohtani pitch in one game this series. He added that Ohtani’s hitting slump isn’t the reason the Dodgers opted against having him pitch Game 1.
“I expect a different output from Shohei on the offensive side this series,” Roberts said. “But, yeah, pushing him back was no bearing on the offensive performance.”
Sasaki’s surge
The Brewers will be getting their first look at Dodgers rookie pitcher Roki Sasaki, who was injured for both of Los Angeles’ regular-season series with Milwaukee.
Sasaki has been spectacular in a bullpen role during the postseason. He has struck out five while allowing one hit and no walks in 5 1/3 shutout innings.
Brewers’ shot at revenge
Milwaukee was a win from a World Series appearance in 2018 before losing 5-1 at home to the Dodgers in Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS. This marks Milwaukee’s first NLCS berth since.
Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich was the NL MVP during that 2018 season. The only other Brewers remaining from 2018 are pitchers Brandon Woodruff and Peralta. Woodruff isn’t expected to pitch in the NLCS as he deals with a right lat strain.
Who’s hot, who’s not
Jackson Chourio batted .389 with six RBIs in Milwaukee’s NLDS win over the Cubs, though he did much of his damage early in that series. Andrew Vaughn and William Contreras homered twice in the NLDS. Chad Patrick threw 4 2/3 shutout innings, while Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run over seven innings.
Milwaukee’s Joey Ortiz batted .154. Turang homered in Game 5 but went 3 of 20 in the series.
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández has hit .308 with three homers and nine RBIs in six playoff games. Mookie Betts is hitting .385 during the postseason. Snell is 2-0 and has allowed just two runs over 13 postseason innings. Tyler Glasnow threw 7 2/3 shutout innings in the NLDS.
Will Smith has gone 2 for 13 and Andy Pages is 1 of 24 in the playoffs.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts watches his team work out at American Family Field in Milwaukee on Sunday ahead of the NLCS against the Brewers. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had indicated the Dodgers would likely add a pitcher for the NLCS, which is a best-of-seven round with only two off days.
In Casparius, they did so with a right-hander capable of pitching multiple innings at a time (he bounced between the rotation and bullpen earlier this year) and being used as an option against right-handed-heavy parts of an opposing lineup.
Casparius, a 26-year-old rookie who played a minor role in last year's postseason’s run to a World Series, became one of the Dodgers’ biggest success stories during the first half of the season. Over his first 20 appearances (all but one of which came in relief, and included 14 that went beyond one inning), he had a 2.54 ERA, a .194 batting average against, and 44 strikeouts to only seven walks.
His production was so impressive, the Dodgers eventually moved him into the rotation in early June.
From then on, however, his season started to turn.
In his five outings as a starter or bulk-man following an opener, Casparius had an 8.24 ERA and gave up six home runs 19 ⅔ innings; all while at times, the Dodgers believed, potentially tipping his pitches on the mound.
Eventually, he returned to a strictly relief role, but appeared to run out gas down the stretch, posing a 4.50 ERA from July 9 to Sept. 5 before being demoted to triple-A.
Although Casparius has not been back in the majors since then, his time in the minors seemed to help. He got back to dominating right-handed hitters. He gave just two runs in five outings. And he has been back around the Dodgers during each of the first two rounds of the playoffs, when the team carried only 11 pitchers (not including two-way player Shohei Ohtani) because of the shorter series.
Adding Casparius meant the Dodgers had to trim someone from their position player group. They did that by taking Rushing off the roster, with the team no longer needing three catchers in the NLCS thanks to Will Smith’s recovery from a fractured hand.
Rushing, a former top prospect who had a difficult rookie season, was largely a non-factor in the first two rounds of the playoffs, getting just one pinch-hit at-bat at the end of a Game 3 blowout against the Philadelphia Phillies last week.
Removing Rushing does leave the Dodgers with one less left-handed bat on the bench, especially after they elected to keep Justin Dean and Hyeseong Kim (who are defensive and base-running specialists) on the roster over outfielder Michael Conforto (who would have been a more legitimate candidate for the NLCS given the Milwaukee Brewers’ more right-handed-heavy pitching staff).
But the Dodgers decided to largely stick with the group that has gotten them this far, adding an extra arm ahead of a best-of-seven showdown that represents the next step in their World Series title defense.
After outlasting the Chicago Cubs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Milwaukee Brewers take on the Dodgers beginning tonight for the National League pennant.
Feels like we just went through this exercise with Milwaukee and we did prior to Game 5 of the NLDS. Pat Murphy has not yet announced his starter for Game 1. (He has announced Freddy Peralta will take the ball for Game 2 Tuesday.) Murphy's options are the same as they were for Game 5 a handful of days ago: Jose Quintana, Quinn Priester, or an arm out of the bullpen. He chose Door #3 for the Brew Crew's last game. As we noted prior to Game 5 of the NLDS, Quintana offers plenty of postseason experience, Priester offers a rested arm (but one that got rocked against the Cubs), and the bullpen features a variety of arms including the rookie flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski. Stay tuned.
The Dodgers enter the series rested and confident. Blake Snell has started one game in each of LA's first two rounds of the playoffs and won both games. Against the Phillies in the Division Round, the Cy Young winner allowed just one hit and struck out nine over six, shutout innings. On a staff of aces, Snell has been the most reliable pitcher this postseason for the Dodgers.
Lets dive into Game 1 of the NLCS and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Dodgers at Brewers - NLCS Game 1
Date: Monday, October 13, 2025
Time: 8:08PM EST
Site: American Family Field
City: Milwaukee, WI
Network/Streaming: TBS
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Odds for the Dodgers at the Brewers - NLCS Game 1
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers (-157), Milwaukee Brewers (+128)
Spread: Dodgers -1.5 (+109)
Total: 7.5 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Dodgers at Brewers - NLCS Game 1
Pitching matchup for October 13, 2025: Blake Snell vs. TBD
Dodgers: Blake Snell (5-4, 2.35 ERA) Last outing: 10/6 at Philadelphia - 6IP, 0ER, 1H, 4BB, 9Ks Snell has struck out 9 in each of his 2 postseason starts and at least 9 in 4 of his last 5 appearances overall
Brewers: TBD
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Dodgers at Brewers
As a team, the Brewers have 5 hits in 33ABs (.152) against Blake Snell
William Contreras and Blake Perkins each have 1 extra base hit against Snell in their careers
Christian Yelich is 2-6 (.333) in his career against Snell
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s NLCS Game 1 between the Dodgers and the Brewers
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s game between the Dodgers and the Brewers:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Milwaukee Brewers at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.5.
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Its a quick turnaround for the Blue Jays and Mariners as they prepare for Game 2 of the ALCS this afternoon in Toronto. Logan Gilbert is slated to take the mound for Seattle against Toronto rookie Trey Yesavage.
Seattle took Game 1 by the score of 3-1. George Springer went yard on the first pitch of the game from Bryce Miller but that was one of only two hits the Seattle right hander and for that matter pitching staff allowed on the evening. Cal Raleigh homered for Seattle in the sixth to even the score at one and Jorge Polanco drove in the other two runs for Seattle.
Gilbert last took the ball in the Mariners' 3-2, 15-inning ALDS-clinching win over the Detroit Tigers. He came on in relief in the 10th and 11th innings allowing three hits but no runs. Prior to that Gilbert started and went six innings allowing but one run in Game 3 of the ALDS.
Yesavage has not pitched since Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees on October 5. That night, the right hander was special shutting out the Yankees over 5.1 innings. He did not allow a hit and walked just one batter. Of the 16 outs he recorded, 11 were by strikeout.
Lets dive a little deeper into Game 2 and perhaps find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Mariners at Blue Jays - ALCS Game 2
Date: Monday, October 13, 2025
Time: 5:03PM EST
Site: Rogers Centre
City: Toronto, ON
Network/Streaming: FOX
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Odds for the Mariners at the Blue Jays - ALCS Game 2
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Seattle Mariners (+114), Toronto Blue Jays (-138)
Spread: Blue Jays -1.5 (+146)
Total: 7.5 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Mariners at Blue Jays - ALCS Game 2
Pitching matchup for October 13, 2025: Logan Gilbert vs. Trey Yesavage
Mariners: Logan Gilbert: 6-6, 3.44 ERA Last outing: 10/10 vs. Detroit - 2IP, 0 ER, 3H, 0BB, and 2Ks In 131 innings this season, Gilbert has struck out 173 opposing hitters
Blue Jays: Trey Yesavage: 1-0, 3.21 ERA Last outing: 10/5 vs. Yankees - 5.1IP, 0ER, 0H, 1BB, and 11Ks The rookie has appeared in only four games this season all since a call-up in the middle of September
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Mariners at Blue Jays - ALCS Game 2
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 6-15 (.400) including 2 HRs in his career against Logan Gilbert
George Springer is 4-15 (.267) with 1 HR in his career against Gilbert but has struck out 7 times as well
Not one player from Seattle has ever face Trey Yesavage
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Mariners and the Blue Jays - ALCS Game 2
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s game between the Mariners and the Blue Jays:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Seattle Mariners at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.5.
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As the 2025 Mets devolved from a team with World Series hopes to one that missed the playoffs, the main culprit behind their fall was the pitching -- the starting rotation specifically.
Among the issues?
The season-ending injuries suffered by Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill in June, the summer struggles of Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga, and the transition from reliever to starter that led to truncated starts by Clay Holmes.
When it comes toDavid Peterson, it was a tale of two seasons.
The left-hander charged out of the gate and maintained his excellence through Aug. 1, earning his first All-Star nod along the way.
Things changed after that, with Peterson regressing to the point where he wasn't a serious consideration to start the Mets' final game of the season against the Marlins in Miami, which he was on regular rest for.
Should he be part of the Mets' starting rotation calculus, or is it time for New York to explore a trade?
New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson (23) reacts after allowing a grand slam home run to San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Citi Field / Vincent Carchietta - Imagn Images
WHY IT COULD MAKE SENSE TO TRADE PETERSON
The last nine starts of Peterson's season were alarmingly bad, as he posted an 8.42 ERA while allowing 52 hits in 41.2 innings.
If you include just the last five starts, he had a 12.54 ERA while allowing 33 hits in 18.2 innings.
The ERA cited above is a inflated a bit due to the clunker Peterson had on Sept. 23, when he surrendered five runs on five hits in just 1.1 innings against the Cubs in Chicago. That was his last appearance of the season.
Peterson's issues down the stretch were shocking after the way he pitched over the first four months (when he posted a 2.83 ERA), but they were also a reminder that he has never put together back-to-back strong seasons.
Peterson also hasn't been an innings-eater, with the 168.2 frames he threw in 2025 being the highest total of his career by far.
Before this past season, Peterson's previous high was 121.0.
Jul 10, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Mets pitcher David Peterson (23) delivers during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Mitch Stringer - Imagn Images
WHY IT COULD MAKE SENSE TO KEEP PETERSON
While the last few months of Peterson's season were unsightly, there's reason to believe he was also the recipient of bad luck on balls in play.
Peterson's ERA over his final nine starts was 8.42, but his FIP was 3.88 -- suggesting that lots of bounces did not go his way and that poor defense behind him played a part.
It's also fair to wonder whether the innings increase was partially to blame for how poorly he performed in August and September, with Peterson's downturn going pretty much hand-in-hand with him passing his previous career high for innings in a season.
There's also Peterson's contract status to take into account.
With Peterson entering his final season of arbitration, his expected salary is $7.6 million. That means he is low-risk, high-reward.
In the event Peterson struggles, he can easily be replaced without the Mets having to think too hard about it. One way or the other, there is no commitment beyond 2026.
Health should also be considered here.
Unlike Manaea and Senga, Peterson -- whose last major injury came in 2023 and resulted in offseason hip surgery -- made 30 starts in 2025 as he took the ball every turn without issue.
New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson (23) throws against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Using logic and deductive reasoning, it's fair to believe that three pitchers might be penciled in right now as members of the Mets' 2026 rotation: Holmes, Manaea, and Nolan McLean.
That would leave room for two (or three, if the Mets use a six-man rotation) other members of the starting staff.
But even with New York potentially having lots of options, they learned the hard way this past season that you can truly never have enough starting pitching.
In a world where the Mets are pitching-rich and feel comfortable, they can always explore a trade of Peterson during the 2026 season. They could also utilize him in relief, where he excelled during the 2024 postseason. Or perhaps he's just good and needed and sticks in the rotation.
That's why it should be an easy call to retain Peterson this offseason, whether the team envisions him beginning the year in the rotation or not.
The World Series has been around for more than 120 years, but some teams are still waiting for their chance to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Teams like the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and Athletics have been crowned champions plenty of times in their history. Other teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals and, most recently, the Texas Rangers have gotten their first taste of World Series glory in the 21st century.
Several teams are still chasing their first championship in 2025, though. Could this be the year that another first-time champion joins the club?
Let’s look at the MLB teams that have never won a World Series title:
Which MLB teams have never won the World Series?
After the Rangers won their first title in 2023, there are still five MLB organizations have never won the World Series — including two that are still alive in the 2025 postseason.
Milwaukee and Seattle are both seeking their first World Series as they battle in the NLCS and ALCS, respectively. If they can both advance to the World Series, we will be guaranteed to have a first time winner.
MLB teams with multiple World Series appearances but no titles
Two of the teams that have never won the World Series have played in it multiple times.
Among the teams without a title, the Rays have the most recent World Series appearance. Tampa Bay made its World Series debut in 2008 and lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. It got back to the World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Then there are the San Diego Padres. The team reached the World Series for the first time in 1984 and got back in 1998. The Padres made it to the NLCS in 2022, but it was the Phillies that reached the Fall Classic thanks to a gentleman’s sweep. The last two years have ended with losses in the NLDS (2024) and NL Wild Card (2025).
MLB teams with one World Series appearance but no title
The Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies each have one World Series appearance under their belts.
Milwaukee’s came in 1982, back when it was in the American League. The Brewers took a 3-2 series lead over the Cardinals before dropping Games 6 and 7 in St. Louis. Now, the Brewers are seeking their first World Series appearance in 43 years as they face the Dodgers in the 2025 NLCS. Their closest call to making it back came on the same stage against the Dodgers in 2018 when they lost in Game 7 of the NLCS.
The Rockies stormed into the 2007 World Series after sweeping their way through the NLDS and NLCS. They got a taste of their own medicine in the World Series, though, as the Red Sox broke out the brooms in four games. Colorado has won just one postseason game since clinching the 2007 NL pennant, and it hasn’t finished above .500 in a season since 2018.
MLB teams with no World Series appearances
The World Series has never taken place in Seattle — but that could be changing in 2025.
The Mariners are the only MLB team that has yet to reach the Fall Classic, though they have come close.
The team reached the ALCS three times from 1995 to 2001. The 2001 ALCS defeat at the hands of the Yankees came after the Mariners tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs with an MLB-record 116 regular season wins. Their closest calls came in 1995 and 2000, when they lost in six games.
Reaching the playoffs, let alone the World Series, has been a struggle ever since. Seattle went through a 20-year playoff drought before clinching a berth in 2022, where it won a Wild Card Series over the Toronto Blue Jays before getting swept by the Astros in the ALDS. Now, they’ll have to defeat the Blue Jays again in the 2025 ALCS to make their Fall Classic debut.
The World Series has been around for more than 120 years, but some teams are still waiting for their chance to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Teams like the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and Athletics have been crowned champions plenty of times in their history. Other teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals and, most recently, the Texas Rangers have gotten their first taste of World Series glory in the 21st century.
Several teams are still chasing their first championship in 2025, though. Could this be the year that another first-time champion joins the club?
Let’s look at the MLB teams that have never won a World Series title:
Which MLB teams have never won the World Series?
After the Rangers won their first title in 2023, there are still five MLB organizations have never won the World Series — including two that are still alive in the 2025 postseason.
Milwaukee and Seattle are both seeking their first World Series as they battle in the NLCS and ALCS, respectively. If they can both advance to the World Series, we will be guaranteed to have a first time winner.
MLB teams with multiple World Series appearances but no titles
Two of the teams that have never won the World Series have played in it multiple times.
Among the teams without a title, the Rays have the most recent World Series appearance. Tampa Bay made its World Series debut in 2008 and lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. It got back to the World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Then there are the San Diego Padres. The team reached the World Series for the first time in 1984 and got back in 1998. The Padres made it to the NLCS in 2022, but it was the Phillies that reached the Fall Classic thanks to a gentleman’s sweep. The last two years have ended with losses in the NLDS (2024) and NL Wild Card (2025).
MLB teams with one World Series appearance but no title
The Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies each have one World Series appearance under their belts.
Milwaukee’s came in 1982, back when it was in the American League. The Brewers took a 3-2 series lead over the Cardinals before dropping Games 6 and 7 in St. Louis. Now, the Brewers are seeking their first World Series appearance in 43 years as they face the Dodgers in the 2025 NLCS. Their closest call to making it back came on the same stage against the Dodgers in 2018 when they lost in Game 7 of the NLCS.
The Rockies stormed into the 2007 World Series after sweeping their way through the NLDS and NLCS. They got a taste of their own medicine in the World Series, though, as the Red Sox broke out the brooms in four games. Colorado has won just one postseason game since clinching the 2007 NL pennant, and it hasn’t finished above .500 in a season since 2018.
MLB teams with no World Series appearances
The World Series has never taken place in Seattle — but that could be changing in 2025.
The Mariners are the only MLB team that has yet to reach the Fall Classic, though they have come close.
The team reached the ALCS three times from 1995 to 2001. The 2001 ALCS defeat at the hands of the Yankees came after the Mariners tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs with an MLB-record 116 regular season wins. Their closest calls came in 1995 and 2000, when they lost in six games.
Reaching the playoffs, let alone the World Series, has been a struggle ever since. Seattle went through a 20-year playoff drought before clinching a berth in 2022, where it won a Wild Card Series over the Toronto Blue Jays before getting swept by the Astros in the ALDS. Now, they’ll have to defeat the Blue Jays again in the 2025 ALCS to make their Fall Classic debut.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts watches his team work out at American Family Field on Sunday ahead of Game 1 of the NLCS on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Pat Murphy, the gregarious manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, was in no hurry to wrap up his news conference Sunday.
He compared Mookie Betts playing shortstop to Stephen Curry playing forward. He anointed Freddie Freeman as his favorite player even though “he’s ruined Brewers history many times.” He read off names from an eight-year-old Dodgers scouting report that included Yasiel Puig, Rich Hill and Curtis Granderson.
“I love Kenley Jansen,” Murphy said. “You guys miss him?”
All good things must come to an end, even a manager working his audience with the rapport of a standup comedian. The Dodgers’ time in the press conference room was fast approaching.
“I don’t want to take up any of the Dodgers’ precious time,” Murphy cracked. “They’re on a shoestring budget.”
Murphy is only too happy to play into the predominant story line for the National League Championship Series: The defending World Series champions, with a payroll three times that of the Brewers, against a plucky little outfit representing baseball’s smallest market.
If he can say anything that puts a little more pressure on the Dodgers, good for him. Back in July, when the Brewers swept the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, Murphy told a roomful of reporters: “No disrespect to the great fans of Japan baseball, but they can’t name five guys in our lineup.”
Christian Yelich. Jackson Chourio. Hmmm, does Ryan Braun still play here?
Let’s get real, though: The NLCS opens here, not at Dodger Stadium, because the Brewers won more games than the Dodgers — and every other major league team — this season. And the Brewers did that because they swept the season series from the Dodgers — a sweep in Milwaukee right before the All-Star break, then a sweep in L.A.
On Saturday, after the Brewers won the division series, Murphy kicked off the clubhouse celebration with this toast: “All year long, they called us the Average Joes. Today, you’re the not-so-fricking Average Joes.”
The Dodgers learned that the hard way this summer. They aren’t buying what Murphy is selling.
“I’m not falling for the Average Joes. They’re not,” said Blake Snell, the Dodgers’ Game 1 starting pitcher.
Said infielder Miguel Rojas: “They showed the whole league and the world that they were the best team in the league during the regular season. They deserve it.”
But back to Murphy, who pointed out the Dodgers players are the ones that appear on your screen not only in games, but in commercials.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy knows there's nothing "average Joe" about the Dodgers. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
“They have the star power,” he said, “and they’re great players.”
And his Brewers?
“You can’t look on paper and say, ‘How many of our position players would be on the Dodgers?’ You can’t really project that many of them would,” Murphy said. “But somehow they find a way.”
The Dodgers, though ...
Murphy on Shohei Ohtani: “He’s one of the all-time greats.”
Murphy on Snell: “I’ve been very disappointed when he’s pitched and I’m in the stadium. He’s really good.”
Murphy on the Dodgers’ newfound closer, Roki Sasaki: “Throwing 100 with a split? That shouldn’t be fair. We’re going to try to petition the league and see if we can get him suspended for something.”
That last part was a joke, but this is not: The league website ranked the top starting pitchers remaining in the playoffs. The ranking included four Dodgers before any of the Brewers.
And this is no joke, either: On Sunday, Fangraphs projected the Dodgers’ chance of winning the World Series at 44% and the Brewers’ chance at 11%.
The good fans of Milwaukee were not amused by the pronouncements of Times columnists Dylan Hernández (“The Dodgers are returning to the World Series.”) and Bill Plaschke (“The rest of their journey should be the easy part.”).
At one point Sunday, Murphy referred to the Dodgers as “America’s team.” I’d argue the Brewers should be America’s team, the poster boys for how a team with smart and stable management can compete with a team with an unlimited payroll.
Would you prefer for your team to be owned by someone whining about the Dodgers and their payroll, or someone dedicated to beating them?
Still, consider baseball’s final four: The Dodgers, the defending champions, gunning for their third title in six years. The Toronto Blue Jays, 32 years removed from their last championship. The Brewers and Seattle Mariners, each with no championships.
“I know, being from Seattle,” Snell said, “how important a World Series is there, and the fans, how excited they are, and how crazy the city was in Seattle when they beat Detroit.”
L.A. bleeds Dodger blue. Perhaps the rest of the country — two countries, in fact — is ready for some fresh blood.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani works out at American Family Field in Milwaukee on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“I think they’re happy to see us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
The Dodgers led the majors in road attendance this season, and last season too.
“People love for fresh blood,” Roberts said, “until you potentially see TV ratings.
“But I think they love seeing the Dodgers, whether they like rooting against us or for us.”
The Brewers beating up the big-market bully really would be good for baseball. Milwaukee is not a fluke like, say, the 2021 San Francisco Giants. The Brewers are in the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years. They are a model franchise.
They are not, however, about to face the Dodgers they faced in July. That team ran Michael Conforto, James Outman and Esteury Ruiz through two outfield spots, and that team never deployed Snell or Ohtani on the mound against Milwaukee.
The World Series has been around for more than 120 years, but some teams are still waiting for their chance to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Teams like the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and Athletics have been crowned champions plenty of times in their history. Other teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals and, most recently, the Texas Rangers have gotten their first taste of World Series glory in the 21st century.
Several teams are still chasing their first championship in 2025, though. Could this be the year that another first-time champion joins the club?
Let’s look at the MLB teams that have never won a World Series title:
Which MLB teams have never won the World Series?
After the Rangers won their first title in 2023, there are still five MLB organizations have never won the World Series — including two that are still alive in the 2025 postseason.
Milwaukee and Seattle are both seeking their first World Series as they battle in the NLCS and ALCS, respectively. If they can both advance to the World Series, we will be guaranteed to have a first time winner.
MLB teams with multiple World Series appearances but no titles
Two of the teams that have never won the World Series have played in it multiple times.
Among the teams without a title, the Rays have the most recent World Series appearance. Tampa Bay made its World Series debut in 2008 and lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. It got back to the World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Then there are the San Diego Padres. The team reached the World Series for the first time in 1984 and got back in 1998. The Padres made it to the NLCS in 2022, but it was the Phillies that reached the Fall Classic thanks to a gentleman’s sweep. The last two years have ended with losses in the NLDS (2024) and NL Wild Card (2025).
MLB teams with one World Series appearance but no title
The Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies each have one World Series appearance under their belts.
Milwaukee’s came in 1982, back when it was in the American League. The Brewers took a 3-2 series lead over the Cardinals before dropping Games 6 and 7 in St. Louis. Now, the Brewers are seeking their first World Series appearance in 43 years as they face the Dodgers in the 2025 NLCS. Their closest call to making it back came on the same stage against the Dodgers in 2018 when they lost in Game 7 of the NLCS.
The Rockies stormed into the 2007 World Series after sweeping their way through the NLDS and NLCS. They got a taste of their own medicine in the World Series, though, as the Red Sox broke out the brooms in four games. Colorado has won just one postseason game since clinching the 2007 NL pennant, and it hasn’t finished above .500 in a season since 2018.
MLB teams with no World Series appearances
The World Series has never taken place in Seattle — but that could be changing in 2025.
The Mariners are the only MLB team that has yet to reach the Fall Classic, though they have come close.
The team reached the ALCS three times from 1995 to 2001. The 2001 ALCS defeat at the hands of the Yankees came after the Mariners tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs with an MLB-record 116 regular season wins. Their closest calls came in 1995 and 2000, when they lost in six games.
Reaching the playoffs, let alone the World Series, has been a struggle ever since. Seattle went through a 20-year playoff drought before clinching a berth in 2022, where it won a Wild Card Series over the Toronto Blue Jays before getting swept by the Astros in the ALDS. Now, they’ll have to defeat the Blue Jays again in the 2025 ALCS to make their Fall Classic debut.
TORONTO (AP) — Bryce Miller overcame a shaky first inning and gave the tired Seattle Mariners the start they needed in the AL Championship Series opener.
Miller pitched six sharp innings, Jorge Polanco hit a go-ahead single in the sixth and the Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they returned to the ALCS for the first time in 24 years.
“The year, personally, didn’t go how I had planned and how I had hoped for but we’re in the ALCS and I got to go out there and set the tone,” Miller said. “I felt great.”
Seattle slugger Cal Raleigh added a tying solo home run, his second homer of the postseason after leading the major leagues with 60 in the regular season.
“That was a big lift,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said of Raleigh’s drive in a two-run sixth.
George Springer homered on the first pitch from Miller, who then escaped a two-on jam in a 27-pitch first inning.
Anthony Santander singled in the second for Toronto’s only other hit, and Seattle pitchers retired 23 of the Blue Jays’ final 24 batters. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz combined to throw just 100 pitches less than 48 hours after the Mariners needed 209 pitches to outlast Detroit over 15 innings.
“The job Bryce Miller did tonight was phenomenal,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “After that first inning, he went into a different gear. You saw him getting ahead, using all his stuff.”
Miller, the winner, struck out three and walked three in six innings, throwing 76 pitches. The three relievers each had eight-pitch, 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz getting the save.
Raleigh tied the score in the sixth with his ninth homer in 14 games at Rogers Centre. Kevin Gausman had held batters to 0 for 16 on splitters in the postseason before Raleigh’s homer.
“I was trying to get bat on ball, really just trying to put something in play,” Raleigh said, wearing a T-shirt with the words: “JOB’S NOT FINISHED.” “I didn’t want to punch out again.”
Polanco hit a go-ahead single later in the inning and added an RBI single in the eighth.
“He’s been huge from both sides of the plate,” Raleigh said .
AL West champion Seattle traveled to AL East winner Toronto on Saturday after a 3-2 home victory over the Tigers on Friday to win the Division Series, the longest winner-take-all game in Major League Baseball history.
Seattle, the only MLB team to never host a World Series game, held Toronto to two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits and 34 runs in their four-game Division Series against the New York Yankees.
“We’re a really good offense,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Today it just didn’t work out.”
Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 9 for 17 with three homers and nine RBIs against the Yankees but finished 0 for 4 Sunday with three groundouts.
“This is going to be a hard-fought series, man,” Schneider said. “These guys will be ready for it.”
Raleigh’s homer was his fourth in 15 at-bats against Gausman, who took the loss.
“Up to that point, I’d been throwing the ball really well and had the game right there,” Gausman said. “This one’s on me.”
Gausman allowed two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.
“Great hitters capitalize on mistakes,” Schneider said. “That split from Kev just kind of leaked back over the middle a little bit.”
Raleigh hit a one-out single off Gausman in the first and advanced to third on Julio Rodríguez’s base hit but was thrown out at the plate by third baseman Addison Barger on Polanco’s grounder.
Polanco, who had the game-ending single Friday, singled against Brendon Little to drive in Rodríguez, who had chased Gausman with a two-out walk.
Polanco added another RBI single against Seranthony Domínguez.
Eugenio Suárez doubled off the top of the right-field wall against Louis Varland in the seventh. The 395-foot drive would have been a homer in 15 of 30 big league ballparks, including Seattle.
Blue Jays RHP Trey Yesavage will start Game 2 on Sunday afternoon. In his fourth big league appearance and first postseason start, Yesavage set a Blue Jays postseason record by striking out 11 Yankees in 5 1/3 hitless innings in Division Series Game 2 on Oct. 4. RHP Logan Gilbert will start for the Mariners, two days after throwing 34 pitches over two innings of relief.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani works out at American Family Field in Milwaukee on Sunday ahead of Game 1 of the NLCS on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
All the Dodgers needed to do was slot Snell in for Game 1 on Monday, making him an option to pitch again on four days’ rest in Game 5. Then, they could have Ohtani go in Game 2 on Tuesday, allowing him to pitch before Wednesday’s scheduled off-day (which has been the team’s preference for the two-way star) and be available for another start if the series returns to Milwaukee for Games 6 and 7.
On Sunday, however, manager Dave Roberts announced a different plan.
Snell will indeed go in Game 1, trying to build upon the 1.38 ERA he posted in his first two outings this postseason.
But instead of Ohtani in Game 2, it will be Yamamoto who gets the ball — pushing Ohtani’s next pitching appearance to sometime later this series, Roberts said.
“We just don’t know which day,” Roberts said of when Ohtani will get the ball. “But he’ll pitch at some point.”
That alignment came as a surprise, but also had benefits from the Dodgers’ perspective.
Unlike Ohtani, who has gotten at least six days off between every one of his pitching outings since the start of July, Yamamoto has routinely pitched on five days’ rest this season. By starting him in Game 2, he can stay on that same schedule to pitch a potential Game 6 — something the Dodgers would have been less comfortable having Ohtani do.
By pushing Ohtani back to at least Game 3, of course, the Dodgers will sacrifice their ability to get him two starts in this series. However, even if he pitches in one of the Dodgers’ home games later this week, Ohtani could come out of the bullpen in a potential Game 7; the kind of relief opportunity the team had hinted at for weeks down the stretch this season.
Because Ohtani will make just one pitching start in the NLCS, Roberts said it’s not as imperative that it come before an off-day, either.
“You have two other guys that potentially can pitch on regular rest,” Roberts said. “So [it’s about] how do you get your best pitchers the most innings in a potential seven-game series?”
Outside of pitching considerations, however, there’s another reason delaying Ohtani’s next pitching outing could also make sense.
In the NLDS, Ohtani went one for 18 at the plate with nine strikeouts. He looked particularly out of sorts in Game 1, when he struck out four times in what was his first career playoff game both hitting and pitching.
Coming out of the series, Roberts emphasized the need for Ohtani to “recalibrate” at the plate, noting that the team was “not gonna win the World Series with that sort of performance” from its biggest star.
And while Roberts insisted on Sunday that Ohtani’s offensive slump had “no bearing” on the team shuffling its rotation, giving Ohtani two games at the start of the NLCS to solely focus on hitting certainly won’t hurt his efforts to straighten out his swing.
“I expect a different output from Shohei on the offensive side this series,” Roberts said.
For at the least the next couple days, that will be his only objective.
TORONTO — Toronto rookie Trey Yesavage says his family has been subjected to abuse since his impressive postseason debut last weekend against the New York Yankees.
“Living in this world where there’s so many different opinions and feelings which results in a lot of hate, it’s sad to see that people close to me are being attacked for my performances on the field,” Yesavage said Sunday before the AL Championship Series opener against Seattle.
“These people have done nothing to warrant negativity for my actions, whether that’s my parents, my brothers, my girlfriend, family,” he added. “It’s just really sad. I know I have the platform to address it, so I am. I hope that people can realize that those individuals have nothing to do with what happens on the field. If you have a problem, I’m a man. I can take whatever opinions anybody has about me or my life. So I just wanted to get that out there.”
Yesavage, scheduled to start Game 2 on Monday, declined to answer a follow-up question about the matter.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Yesavage didn’t speak to him before making his comments.
“It’s unfortunate that that’s a reality,” Schneider said of the abuse. “I commend him for saying what he said and for backing up the people that love and support him.”
Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler, who grew up a Red Sox fan in Walpole, Massachusetts, said his family received online abuse before he beat Boston to win the Wild Card Series for New York.
Making his fourth big league appearance, Yesavage set a Blue Jays postseason record by striking out 11 Yankees in 5 1/3 hitless innings in AL Division Series Game 2 on Oct. 5. Eight strikeouts came on the split-finger fastball of the 22-year-old right-hander, who induced 18 swings and misses, including 11 on the splitter.
“He’s definitely something that we’re going to have to figure out,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson. “The big split, they’re tough pitches, obviously.”
Yesavage went 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA in three September starts. Including his postseason start, he has 27 strikeouts in 19 1/3 big league innings.
“He’s pretty special,” Blue Jays teammate Addison Barger said. “To be able to do what he did in the regular season and in the Division Series, it’s kind of unrealistic, but he’s been able to do it. It’s been amazing to watch and we’re super excited to have him.”
The Mariners, who used three starting pitchers in Friday’s 15-inning win over Detroit, have not announced a starter for Game 2.
“We’re going to see how guys feel today and likely announce that after the game,” Wilson said.
MILWAUKEE — Andrew Vaughn and Jacob Misiorowski were both in the minor leagues with separate organizations at the start of June, one on the way up and the other on the way down.
Four months later, they played key roles in helping the Milwaukee Brewers reach the National League Championship Series.
Vaughn hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth inning that put Milwaukee ahead for good Saturday night in its 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the decisive Game 5 of their NL Division Series. Misiorowski earned his second win of the series by allowing just one run over four innings in relief.
“It’s insane,” Misiorowski said during the Brewers’ clubhouse celebration. “It’s everything I’ve worked for, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Their arrivals in Milwaukee were indirectly connected.
When Misiorowski was promoted from the minor leagues in June, he took Aaron Civale’s spot in Milwaukee’s rotation. Civale reacted to the bullpen assignment by saying he wouldn’t mind getting traded to a team that would allow him to continue starting.
The Brewers then sent Civale to the Chicago White Sox in a deal that brought them Vaughn. Civale ended up finishing the season with the Cubs, and he pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings in this series.
At the time of the trade, there was little reason to believe Vaughn would become a major factor for Milwaukee this season. He had batted .189 with a .218 on-base percentage and .314 slugging percentage in 48 games with the White Sox, who eventually sent him to the minor leagues. The Brewers initially kept him in the minors after acquiring him.
But he got called back up to the majors July 7 after Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins went on the injured list with a sprained left thumb. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy greeted Vaughn by letting him know he would probably get sent right back to the minors if he continued chasing pitches outside the strike zone.
Vaughn homered off Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto in his first at-bat with the Brewers and improved his chase rate in making a remarkable transformation. He batted .308 with a .375 on-base percentage and .493 slugging percentage in 64 games with Milwaukee.
“This guy’s a gamer,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. “He’s been through a lot, and he’s failed, just like all of us. We’ve all failed in this sport. If you haven’t, you haven’t been doing it long enough. So we’ve all failed. For that guy to come in here and be himself and put the team on his back at times this year is really awesome.”
Vaughn offered simple reasons for his dramatic improvement.
“Change of scenery, being around some different coaches, different stuff and just playing free,” he said.
Vaughn put the Brewers ahead Saturday by connecting on a 3-2 pitch from Colin Rea and hitting a 383-foot drive over the left-field wall with two outs in the fourth. That cleared the way for Misiorowski to earn the Game 5 win.
Misiorowski had his own ups and downs this season.
The flamethrowing right-hander burst onto the scene and made such an impact that he earned an All-Star Game selection after making just five starts, a stretch that included winning head-to-head pitching matchups with Cy Young Award favorite Paul Skenes and three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw.
Then the rookie went on the injured lift with a left tibia bruise. He returned in mid-August but allowed 22 runs over 32 2/3 innings the rest of the season, a slump that led to concern about how much the Brewers could trust the excitable right-hander in a postseason setting.
“We weren’t easy on him,” Murphy said. “I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to pump him up. I wanted to find out what he had, because I knew with that kind of stuff, he could really help us.”
He helped them tremendously.
Misiorowski threw three shutout innings in a Game 2 victory while reaching a peak velocity of 104.3 mph and hitting at least 100 mph on 31 of his 57 pitches. Misiorowski entered in the second inning of Game 5 and immediately gave up a tying homer to Seiya Suzuki, but the 23-year-old silenced the Cubs from there.
He struck out three while allowing three hits and just the one run. He averaged 100.3 mph on his 17 fastballs, with 10 of them reaching at least 100 mph.
And for the first time in his brief major league career, Misiorowski didn’t walk a single batter.
Misiorowski’s stellar NLDS performance virtually assures he will play a vital role when the Brewers face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series beginning Monday.
“You see how much Miz cares,” Arnold said. “That’s what it’s about. In a game like tonight, you can see he’s bleeding blue and gold.”
