MLB Pennant Race Check-In: Dodgers, Yankees and the October Picture

Two months remain in the 2025 MLB regular season and the contenders are separating from the pretenders with the kind of clarity that only August heat produces. Teams that overachieved in the first half are beginning to regress. Teams with genuine depth are beginning to pull away. The playoff field is coming into focus.

The National League

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in baseball and have been for most of the season. Shohei Ohtani is having one of the greatest offensive seasons in the sport's history — his counting stats already suggest a legitimate MVP campaign, and his presence in the lineup creates protection problems for opposing pitchers that no other player in baseball can replicate. The rotation, while not perfect, is deep enough to survive the occasional bad start. The bullpen has been the one area of concern, but depth at that position has been addressed.

The Atlanta Braves are the Dodgers' most credible National League rival. Their lineup has the kind of top-to-bottom offensive quality that can score against anyone on any night. The rotation is built for October, when four-day rest and reduced innings requirements play to a staff's strengths rather than exposing its weaknesses.

The American League

The New York Yankees are playing their best baseball since mid-May and the timing, with September approaching, is ideal. Aaron Judge has been everything he is supposed to be. The supporting cast has performed. The rotation, while not elite, has been adequate. For the Yankees, adequate pitching plus elite offense has historically been sufficient to reach October.

The Denver Broncos — that is, the Denver-area team dominating AFC conversations — wait. In baseball: watch for September surprises from teams that quietly assembled quality rosters through the deadline and are now healthy and playing their best baseball. Those teams win wild card games. Sometimes they win everything.