MLB releases 2025 playoff schedule Yankees fans can probably ignore

The New York Yankees were supposed to be surging towards the postseason by now, perhaps even resting key players to keep them fresh for October as they coasted in a weak American League East. That ... did not even come close to happening.

Instead, the Blue Jays heated up and devoured the Yankees. Then, it was the Red Sox turn; both have passed the Bombers, leaving New York in third and clinging onto a playoff berth like a hawk trying to fly through Manhattan in August with a stick of butter. It's not going great! It's sloppy in the streets!

On Tuesday afternoon, like a taunt in the wind, Major League Baseball decided to officially announce their playoff schedule, and it's hard to give it the annual attention it typically merits (though that sweet World Series logo that harkens back to the 1990s briefly made us feel things — and, oop, it's gone).

Finally, MLB is here to help you plan your autumn, and we're here to answer questions like, "Should I reserve Saturday night Oct. 11 for Game 5 of the ALDS, or should I go spelunking with my new girlfriend?"

Spelunking. Always. It might suck, but at least you didn't torpedo your burgeoning relationship to watch Mariners-Tigers.

Official 2025 MLB Playoffs schedule drops as Yankees hang onto spot in playoff bracket for dear life

Peruse it, but don't absorb it, Yankee fans. After all, your team is firmly in the "one day at a time" camp, putting one foot in front of the other. Win a game. Win another one. Maintain the slimmest lead on the sixth and final playoff spot. Maybe expand it a bit? It can't, physically, contract any further. Avert your eyes from the playoff schedule unless you're absolutely dead-set on getting your hopes up.

The Yankees' regular season schedule down the stretch features plenty of games against below-.500 clubs like the Twins, Orioles, and White Sox. Everyone who's watched Aaron Boone's recent teams knows, though, that New York rarely treats these kinds of games as lead-building opportunities, especially when a fellow AL East team is involved. The projection systems are still bullish on the Yankees hanging on for dear life. The daily viewers and fans? Less so.

Look. Here's all you might need to know: the Wild Card series begins on Sept. 30, which is quite literally not even October. Fitting, given where the Yankees were supposed to be, and where they're now crossing their fingers and toes to end up.