When do the Mariners play next? Explaining MLB playoffs bye, who Seattle will face in ALDS

Billy Heyen

When do the Mariners play next? Explaining MLB playoffs bye, who Seattle will face in ALDS image

And now, the Seattle Mariners wait.

After a frenetic, epic finish to the regular season that saw the Mariners chase down the AL West Division title for their first divisional crown since 2001, they aren't playing in the opening round of the playoffs.

It's a bit of a confusing setup given baseball's reality of playing pretty much every day.

But at least Seattle is already into the next round without taking the field.

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When do the Mariners play next?

The Seattle Mariners' first game of the 2025 MLB playoffs will be on Saturday, Oct. 4 in Seattle.

That will be the first of a best-of-five ALDS.

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Who do the Mariners play next?

The Seattle Mariners are the No. 2 seed in the American League and will play the winner of the 3 vs. 6 series.

That's the Cleveland Guardians against the Detroit Tigers in a best-of-three Wild Card series. Whoever wins comes to Seattle to play Saturday.

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Why do the Mariners have a bye?

The Mariners have a bye by virtue of being the No. 2 seed in the American League.

When MLB expanded to 12 teams leaguewide making the postseason, it created a bracket that didn't allow everyone to play in the first round.

The Nos. 3-6 seeds play in the Wild Card Round in both the AL and NL, with each league's Nos. 1 and 2 seeds awaiting games after byes.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle