Three biggest series to watch in final week of MLB season

The 2025 MLB season may have reached its final stretch, but so much remains on the line ahead of the playoffs. 

From intense postseason pushes to spoilers standing in the way and everything in between, the last week of regular-season play promises to be exciting. 

Here are three series to keep an eye on. 

Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians

Who could've guessed this series would be for all the AL Central marbles? 

That's where we stand, as the Guardians have miraculously pulled to within a game of the Tigers in the division standings heading into play on Sunday. It's even crazier to comprehend that the latter had as much as a 15.5 game lead over the former in July and a 9.5 game lead back on Sept. 11. 

If Cleveland can defend home turf this week with three games against Detroit and surpass them in the AL Central, it would be one of the biggest collapses (and consequently, comebacks) in MLB history. 

Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays

Amid all the chaos in the American League, this crucial three-game series at Rogers Centre will have massive implications for the AL Wild Card race, if not also the AL East. 

Only four games separate third-place Boston from first-place Toronto at the start of play on Sunday. The New York Yankees are sandwiched between the AL East rivals and will face the Chicago White Sox during this series. It's worth pointing out that the Yankees lost the season series tiebreaker to both the Red Sox and Blue Jays, in case that factors into playoff seeding by the end of next week. 

If the Blue Jays can win this series, they stand a good chance of clinching their first AL East title since 2015. But if Boston comes away with a series win or sweep, the division could easily boil down to the final weekend.

New York Mets at Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have already clinched their playoff spot on the National League side of the bracket, but the New York Mets certainly have not. 

Chicago is essentially locked into the top wild-card spot, but the Mets and their poor second-half play have let the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants back into the playoff race with just a handful of contests remaining. 

Still, this will be a great end-of-season litmus test for both clubs, who will find out just how much they can handle the pressure of a looming October. But make no mistake: These three games at Wrigley Field will matter a whole lot more to the Mets than to the North Siders.