While the old adage says that a win is a win, most would agree that not all victories are equal in terms of overall significance to a team — or simply from an entertainment perspective as a fan.
With that in mind, and with the help of all 30 MLB.com beat writers, here’s a look at each team’s best win from 2025.
Blue Jays: ALCS Game 7, 4-3 vs. Mariners
While the Blue Jays eventually fell short in the World Series, their journey there captivated a nation of baseball fans and made millions of new ones. The finest moment, looking back years from now, may have been that game 7 win over the Mariners in the ALCS. George Springer’s three-run home run in the seventh inning was an iconic moment, immediately one of the biggest in this organization’s history. — Keegan Matheson
Orioles: Sept. 6, 4-3 vs. Dodgers
With Los Angeles leading 3-0, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was one out away from completing a no-hitter. However, Jackson Holliday spoiled the bid for history, clubbing a homer in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Camden Yards crowd cheered, but it couldn’t have imagined how things would end. The next three Baltimore batters reached base before Colton Cowser drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to 3-2. Then, Emmanuel Rivera knocked a walk-off two-run single for an improbable finish. Oh, and it just so happened on the 30-year anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr. playing his record-setting 2,131st consecutive game. — Jake Rill
Rays: April 19, 10-8 vs. Yankees
The Rays had a few memorable victories in an ultimately disappointing season, from Kameron Misner’s walk-off homer on Opening Day in their first game as hosts at George M. Steinbrenner Field to a 22-8 rout of the Orioles (in which they trailed, 8-0) to a seven-game winning streak into early September. But this triumph provided plenty of highlights and late-inning drama, and an All-Star finished it in dramatic fashion. Rookie speedster Chandler Simpson’s first MLB hit keyed a game-tying four-run rally against Devin Williams in the ninth before a bloodied Jonathan Aranda launched a walk-off homer to lead off the 10th. — Adam Berry
Red Sox: Sept. 26, 4-3 vs. Tigers
When they got to the ballpark for Game No. 160 of the season on a Friday night at Fenway, the stakes were clear: A win would put the Red Sox into the playoffs for the first time since 2021. However, in a game that befitted the season, it wasn’t easy. The Tigers, also trying to pin down a postseason berth, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. But Boston, backed by a stalwart bullpen that allowed the offense to chip away with runs in the fourth, seventh and eighth, clinched a Wild Card berth in the most dramatic way possible. Ceddanne Rafaela smashed a walk-off triple with one out in the bottom of the ninth, sending all of the Boston players storming out of the dugout in celebration of a great win and a trip to the postseason. — Ian Browne
Yankees: July 10, 6-5 vs. Mariners (10 innings)
Cam Schlittler’s gem in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series could have easily appeared here, but let’s give a nod to the Yanks’ most improbable win of the year. Bryan Woo dominated New York through seven no-hit innings, with Seattle leading by five runs. The Yankees came charging back, with Giancarlo Stanton launching a pinch-hit homer in the eighth and Austin Wells ripping a game-tying two-run single in the ninth. Aaron Judge’s sacrifice fly sent Anthony Volpe scampering home with the winning run in the 10th inning, scoring on a terrific slide. — Bryan Hoch
Guardians: Sept. 23, 5-2 vs. Tigers
Progressive Field had a playoff-like atmosphere as the Guardians overtook the Tigers for first place in the AL Central amid their improbable surge to the division title. Cleveland scored three runs off Tarik Skubal during a wild sixth inning in which it didn’t hit a ball out of the infield. It rallied behind David Fry, who exited after a Skubal offering struck him in the face during a bunt attempt. Guardians starter Gavin Williams outdueled Skubal and recorded a career-high-tying 12 strikeouts, while Cleveland pitchers collectively had 19 punchouts — tying a franchise record for a nine-inning game. — Tim Stebbins
Royals: Aug. 30, 3-1 vs. Tigers
The Royals fell short of their goal in 2025, but they won more games than they lost. There were some memorable ones within those 82 wins. The best came in late August, when the Royals were fighting to stay in the playoff race. Stephen Kolek tossed six innings of one-run ball, and Maikel Garcia homered, but the game was tied entering the eighth. That’s when — who else? — Bobby Witt Jr. blasted a go-ahead two-run homer. The crowd at Kauffman Stadium chanted “BOB-BY, BOB-BY.” The Royals stayed alive for another day. Hope is a beautiful thing, and Witt provided it that night. — Anne Rogers
Tigers: AL Wild Card Series Game 3, 6-3 vs. Guardians
The Tigers went into another winner-take-all game at Progressive Field, where their 2024 season had ended, and went into the late innings locked in another pitchers’ duel before turning the tables on the Guardians with a big rally of their own. Ohio native Dillon Dingler haunted the team he grew up following with a go-ahead homer in the sixth before three consecutive RBI singles in the seventh put the game to rest. It was sweet revenge for the Guardians’ late-season surge that cost Detroit a division title. — Jason Beck
Twins: May 30, 12-6 vs. Mariners
The Twins dug deep for this one. Starter Zebby Matthews was jumped for four runs in the first, but settled in to allow no more and keep his team in the game. Minnesota clawed back within one run against the playoff-bound Mariners, but an eighth-inning Cal Raleigh homer appeared to put the game out of reach. Trailing by three against closer Andrés Muñoz, who had not allowed an earned run all year, the Twins roared back for three runs in the ninth and six more in the 10th for the stunning win. — Matthew Leach
White Sox: July 25, 12-5 vs. Cubs
Let’s start by ruling out the White Sox getting the top pick in the 2026 Draft in the Draft Lottery or Pope Leo XIV being a long-time White Sox fan. Both were success stories for the organization, but neither took place on the field like this July 25 rout of the Cubs. The White Sox finished 1-5 against their crosstown rival, including two losses to Cade Horton, but took apart the National League Wild Card squad on this night at Rate Field. They did it against Shota Imanaga, hitting three home runs among their 12 hits in three-plus innings, with numerous other long fly balls coming up just short. Chase Meidroth homered on the first pitch from Imanaga, while Colson Montgomery, Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman also went deep in support of Adrian Houser. — Scott Merkin
Angels: Aug. 13, 6-5 vs. Dodgers
The Angels completed the improbable, going a perfect 6-0 against the Dodgers in 2025 despite their rivals winning the World Series in 2024 and again in ’25. On this particular night, the Angels were down by a run in the eighth inning but catcher Logan O’Hoppe hit a go-ahead two-run single off reliever Edgardo Henriquez. Former longtime Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning against Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith to preserve the win at Angel Stadium. — Rhett Bollinger
Astros: July 4, 18-1 vs. Dodgers
In the series opener of their eventual three-game sweep over the World Series champions at Dodger Stadium, the Astros provided Fourth of July fireworks in an 18-1 drubbing. Jose Altuve homered twice, including a grand slam, and reached base five times. The Astros scored 10 runs in the sixth, including a grand slam by Victor Caratini. It was the most runs given up in an inning by the Dodgers since April 23, 1999. The Astros homered five times to hand L.A. its worst loss at Dodger Stadium. Lance McCullers Jr. held the Dodgers to one run in six innings. — Brian McTaggart
Athletics: Aug. 25, 8-3 vs. Tigers
With the Athletics mounting a late comeback in the seventh inning against back-to-back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, Shea Langeliers stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and crushed a majestic 450-foot grand slam off the All-Star left-hander to flip a one-run deficit into a three-run lead in what ended up an 8-3 win over the Tigers at Sutter Health Park. It was the longest grand slam hit by an A’s player since Statcast began tracking in 2015, surpassing a 434-foot shot hit by Brett Lawrie against Texas on June 24, 2015. — Martín Gallegos
Mariners: Sept. 20, 6-4 vs. Astros
The opponent, venue, drama and time of year were all blended into a cocktail of epic athletic proportion on Sept. 20, when Victor Robles speared through the right-center-field gap at Daikin Park to make the catch of the year — a diving snag that sparked a game-ending double play. The Mariners entered that weekend deadlocked with the Astros atop the AL West, but the middle game of that three-gamer was tense and nearly featured a Houston comeback. Yet, Robles’ grab helped push the Mariners toward a sweep that ultimately led them to the division title four days later. — Daniel Kramer
Rangers: Sept. 5, 4-3 vs. Astros (12 innings)
Rookie outfielder Dustin Harris was designated for assignment on July 31, when the Rangers acquired a trio of pitchers at the Trade Deadline. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Round Rock on Aug. 3. The 26-year-old had hit just .200 over a brief stint with the big league club this season, and he didn’t even start the first day he was re-added to the roster as the Rangers fought to keep themselves in the postseason race. Instead, he entered the matchup against the Astros in the 10th inning as a pinch-runner for Jake Burger. Then, in the 12th, he laced a walk-off single down the right-field line off Lance McCullers Jr., keeping the Rangers’ postseason hopes alive, even if just for a few more days. — Kennedi Landry
Braves: Aug. 2, 4-2 vs. Reds
Hurston Waldrep wasn’t with the Braves at the start of the MLB Speedway Classic, but he brightened the club’s future when he made an unexpected arrival to finish the game the next day. When rain suspended play in the first inning, the Braves called Waldrep around 11 p.m. ET on Aug. 1 and told him a car service would pick him up in about six hours. The young pitcher was driven through the North Carolina countryside during the early morning hours and arrived at Bristol Motor Speedway in time to limit the Reds to one run over 5 2/3 innings. A pair of Eli White homers helped the young pitcher get his first win and begin what was an impressive two-month stretch to end the season. — Mark Bowman
Marlins: Aug. 1, 13-12 vs. Yankees
The Marlins erased multiple deficits against the revamped post-Trade Deadline Yankees’ bullpen for a thrilling walk-off victory in front of 32,299 fans at loanDepot park. Jakob Marsee reached base a franchise-record four times and became the second player since at least 1901 to collect at least one double and three walks in his MLB debut. Pint-sized Javier Sanoja recorded his first career multihomer game. Former Yankees prospect Agustín Ramírez later chopped a pitch in front of the plate and Xavier Edwards raced home, beating the tag from catcher Austin Wells for the game-winning run. — Christina De Nicola
Mets: Aug. 27, 6-0 vs. Phillies
In a season devoid of many positive moments, especially in the second half, the Mets seemed like they were really onto something when they completed a sweep of the Phillies to shave a seven-game NL East deficit down to just four with more than a month to play. A night after Brandon Nimmo hit a walk-off single at Citi Field, rookie Nolan McLean — in only his third career start — silenced the Phillies over eight scoreless innings. Things didn’t quite work out after that for the Mets, who lost 12 of their next 16 games to give everything (and more) back to the Phillies. But for a brief moment, anything still seemed possible for the 2025 Mets. — Anthony DiComo
Nationals: Sept. 21, 3-2 vs. Mets
Late in the season, the Nationals played spoiler to the playoff-chasing Mets. One night after the Nats won on Daylen Lile’s 11th-inning inside-the-park home run, they stunned the Citi Field crowd in the series finale. Center fielder Jacob Young’s first shocking defensive play came in the fifth, when he bobbled Brett Baty’s 104.6 mph line drive and kicked it into his glove for the out. In the bottom of the ninth, he robbed Francisco Alvarez of a game-tying home run by leaping to snag the 411-foot, 110.9 mph deep shot off Mitchell Parker, who earned the save in his bullpen debut. — Jessica Camerato
Phillies: Sept. 15, 6-5 vs. Dodgers
The Phillies clinched their second consecutive NL East title in thrilling fashion with a 6-5 victory over the Dodgers in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium. Kyle Schwarber hit a solo homer in the first inning to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead, but L.A. held a 3-1 lead through six innings. The Phillies scored three runs in the seventh to take a 4-3 lead, but Mookie Betts’ homer in the bottom of the inning tied it. Bryce Harper hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth, but Jhoan Duran blew a save in the ninth to tie the score. Finally, J.T. Realmuto’s sacrifice fly in the 10th won it. — Todd Zolecki
Brewers: NLDS Game 5, 3-1 vs. Cubs
Christian Yelich homered twice with a Bob Uecker tribute bat to power a comeback from an 8-1 deficit for a 10-8 win on Aug. 15 in Cincinnati that gave the Brewers a 13-game winning streak, matching the club record. Then the last player on the bench, Andruw Monasterio, who wears No. 14, made it 14 wins in a row the next night with an improbable 11th-inning home run. But nothing could have topped the mixture of joy and relief of beating Craig Counsell and the Cubs in the NLDS, vanquishing a rival and finally dropping the weight of a postseason losing streak that stretched across six heartbreaking series as far back as 2018. — Adam McCalvy
Cardinals: Aug. 4, 3-2 vs. Dodgers
The Cardinals came skidding into Los Angeles, but they topped the Dodgers by getting key contributions from several players. Iván Herrera hit a two-run homer in the eighth and Yohel Pozo had a game-winning pinch-hit single in the ninth. Sonny Gray outdueled Tyler Glasnow by allowing one hit over seven innings, while Riley O’Brien got his first MLB win. JoJo Romero picked up the save thanks to a diving catch by Lars Nootbaar along the right-field line to rob Mookie Betts of extra bases after Shohei Ohtani had singled. Two days later, the Cards beat the Dodgers again despite pitching and hitting brilliance from Ohtani. — John Denton
Cubs: NL Wild Card Series Game 3, 3-1 vs. Padres
With apologies to the wild 13-11 comeback win over the D-backs on April 18 (when the teams combined for 16 runs in the eighth) and the Cubs’ eight-homer game (a club record) on July 4 against the Cardinals, October history wins the day. Chicago’s 3-1 win over San Diego sealed the Cubs’ first postseason series win since 2017 and the first playoff-series clinching victory at home since ‘16. Jameson Taillon had a strong start, Pete Crow-Armstrong churned out three hits and Michael Busch launched one of his four postseason homers to set up a clash with the rival Brewers in the NL Division Series. — Jordan Bastian
Pirates: Aug. 22, 9-0 vs. Rockies
The 2025 season didn’t exactly go as smoothly as hoped for Bubba Chandler, who hit a midseason lull that pushed his Major League debut back to August. When he did get the call, it was initially as a reliever, and he was incredible in his first outing. All of his pitches played and the Rockies couldn’t keep up with him, as he struck out three over four scoreless innings to get the save. Fellow rookie starter Braxton Ashcraft was brilliant for five innings, striking out six, and earned his first win as a starter, too, giving a little taste of what the Pirates’ rotation could look like next season. — Alex Stumpf
Reds: June 24, 4-3 vs. Yankees (11 innings)
On a night when Chase Burns became the first starting pitcher in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to strike out his first five batters while making his big league debut, the Reds needed two come-from-behind efforts to take the game. The Yankees had a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a game-tying three-run double. After New York scored a run in the top of the 11th, the Reds got a game-tying RBI single from Spencer Steer before Gavin Lux notched a bases-loaded RBI single into center field for the walk-off victory. — Mark Sheldon
D-backs: June 5, 11-10 vs. Braves
The Diamondbacks trailed the Braves, 10-4, heading into the bottom of the ninth inning at Truist Field. With a 0.1 percent win probability according to Baseball Savant, it looked as if it was game over for Arizona, especially when Eugenio Suárez struck out to start the frame. The D-backs, though, had a comeback for the ages, with Suárez eventually getting a second at-bat in the inning and delivering what would prove to be the game-winning two-run double. Prior to the comeback, the Diamondbacks were 0-419 in games in which they trailed by six or more runs heading into the ninth inning. — Steve Gilbert
Dodgers: World Series Game 7, 5-4 vs. Blue Jays
It’s hard to go with anything other than the final win of the MLB season. With L.A. down to its final two outs, Miguel Rojas swatted an improbable game-tying homer in the ninth. Eventual series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched 2 2/3 innings on zero days’ rest to close out the game. Will Smith gave his team its first lead of the night with a solo homer in the 11th, which stood as the winning run after Mookie Betts turned a game-ending double play in the bottom of the inning, securing back-to-back titles for the Dodgers. — Sonja Chen
Giants: Sept. 12, 5-1 vs. Dodgers (10 innings)
Patrick Bailey crushed a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Giants to a stirring 5-1 win over the rival Dodgers at Oracle Park. Bailey’s late-game heroics pulled San Francisco within a half-game of the Mets for the final National League Wild Card spot with 15 games left to play, but the Giants went on to lose nine of their next 11 games to fall short of the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Bailey showed a flair for the dramatic in 2025, as he also delivered a walk-off inside-the-park homer against the Phillies on July 8. — Maria Guardado
Padres: Sept. 22, 5-4 vs. Brewers
A week before the playoffs, this was two playoff-bound teams playing a game with a playoff-like atmosphere at Petco Park. Ultimately, the Padres won a tense 11-inning thriller on Freddy Fermin’s walk-off single — marking the first time in franchise history that the club had clinched a playoff spot with a walk-off hit. The game was loaded with brilliant defensive plays and bullpen escape acts before Fermin’s heroics. Unfortunately for the Padres, they ultimately fell one game shy of a postseason rematch. — AJ Cassavell
Rockies: Aug. 1, 17-16 vs. Pirates
Because of a rough start from pitcher Antonio Senzatela, the Rockies trailed 9-0 before they came to bat in the bottom of the first. They also trailed 12-4 after the top of the fourth, 15-6 through the top of the fifth and 16-10 before batting in the sixth. At the end, Coors Field was giddy over Brenton Doyle’s two-run shot to complete a five-run bottom of the ninth for an improbable walk-off 17-16 victory. Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar (who tied a Major League record with four doubles) and Warming Bernabel recorded four hits apiece. The Rockies were the first team in MLB history to win after giving up 15 runs and trailing by at least nine runs, according to OptaSTATS. — Thomas Harding
