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Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates with third baseman Addison Barger (47) after hitting a home run in the first inning against the New York Yankees during game one of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

MLB playoff takeaways: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shines; Tigers in strong position

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Oct 5, 2025 12:16 AM ET

The divisional round of the 2025 Major League Baseball playoffs kicked off on Saturday with four games. There were two blowouts and two close games, including an extra-innings thriller in Seattle.

Here are some key takeaways from Saturday's action.

Cubs are burning out their pitching staff

The Chicago Cubs have played four playoff games and have yet to have a starting pitcher throw five complete innings. Manager Craig Counsell is burning through his pitching staff at an incredible rate, and really paid the price on Saturday for bringing back starter Matthew Boyd on just three days' rest.

Boyd did not even make it out of the first inning, allowing six runs (only two earned) in 0.2 innings of work. That brief outing set the stage for a 9-3 Milwaukee Brewers Game 1 win.

Counsell said he had no regrets about going back to Boyd so soon, and he only threw 58 pitches in the wild-card round, but having such a short leash on his starters has a trickle-down effect on the rest of the team. Fewer innings from the starters means more innings from the bullpen. That eventually wears everybody down.

Now the Brewers have a 1-0 series lead against a depleted Cubs pitching staff going into Game 2.

The only downside to Saturday's game for the Brewers was the injury to Jackson Chourio after he went 3-for-3 in the first two innings of the game.

Blue Jays stars outshine Yankees stars

It is hard not to be impressed with the game the Toronto Blue Jays played in their 10-1 win over the New York Yankees.

Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman gave them 5.2 solid innings, while their biggest star at the plate -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. -- had a big breakout playoff game.

Guerrero, Jr. was one of the players in the divisional round who needed to shine, especially after some tough postseason showings earlier in his career. He opened the ALDS on Saturday by going 3-for-4, driving in two runs and hitting his first career postseason home run to open the scoring.

VLADIMIR GUERRERO JR. PUTS THE @BLUEJAYS ON THE BOARD! #ALDS pic.twitter.com/s04b4tZxKv
— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2025

He also made a fantastic defensive play to turn a double play in the field.

While he was at his best, the Yankees' biggest stars — including Aaron Judge — struggled to make any sort of an impact. While Judge had two hits, he also had a terrible at-bat that resulted in a strikeout with the bases loaded and nobody out in a pivotal moment.

The Yankees can not and will not win this series if their best players get outplayed by the Blue Jays' best players. That is exactly what happened on Saturday.

Teoscar Hernandez comes through again for the Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers' biggest bats struggled on Saturday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts combining to go 0-for-9 at the plate. It helps when one of those guys (Ohtani) is also the starting pitcher and strikes out nine batters in six innings of work, while the lineup is deep enough to have somebody like Teoscar Hernandez hitting in the No. 3 spot.

After hitting two home runs in Game 1 of the wild-card round, Hernandez came through again in the clutch by hitting a game-winning three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning.

TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ!@DODGERS LEAD! #NLDS pic.twitter.com/XeygIPFj4t
— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2025

The Phillies' bats were completely silent after the second inning, while their bullpen was unable to hold a 3-0 lead. This should feel like a wasted opportunity for the Phillies. You can not have those if you are going to beat the defending World Series champions.

Tigers in great position after extra innings win

After backing their way into the playoffs and nearly losing their spot, the Detroit Tigers have now won three of their first four playoff games. They outlasted the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, 3-2, to take Game 1 of the ALDS in 11 innings and now have their ace going for Game 2 and a chance to take a commanding series lead.

Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run home run in the win, while Zach McKinstry's RBI single in the top of the 11th inning brought in the winning run.

The Mariners got huge games from their two best players -- Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh -- as they combined to go 6-for-10 and drive in both runs. Unfortunately for the Mariners, the rest of the lineup went 0-for-32. Now they have to face Tarik Skubal on Sunday. They missed their big chance on Saturday.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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