Shota Imanaga stared in disbelief, watching how one swing shifted the momentum. “Too many home run balls” has been the theme of Imanaga’s pitching performance over the last three months. Even working with a three-run lead before he threw a pitch Monday at American Family Field didn’t change the concerning trend.

The 2025 MLB playoffs have moved on to the divisional round -- four best-of-five showdowns -- beginning at the site of the higher seeds. The Los Angeles Dodgers swept their way through the best-of three wild-card round, while the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees all won their series in three games.