The MLB postseason is right around the corner. And with less than a week left in the regular season, every team with World Series aspirations still has a lot to play for.
Let’s break down the state of the MLB standings and the playoff picture as it looks today.
Who has clinched a spot in the playoffs?
On Friday, the Phillies clinched their third straight trip to the playoffs with a 12-2 demolishing of the Mets. They secured the NL East title with a 6-2 win over the Cubs on Monday. They’re competing with the Dodgers for the NL’s No. 1 seed.
On Thursday, the Guardians clinched their ticket to October with 3-2 walk-off victory against the Twins in the 10th inning. On Saturday, they secured the AL Central title. They have not yet clinched their postseason seed.
Also Thursday, the Dodgers clinched their 12th straight postseason appearance with a 20-4 (yes, 20-4) victory over the Marlins. Ohtani delivered an absolutely historic performance to seal the first 50-50 season in MLB history. The Dodgers have not yet secured the NL West division title or their postseason seed.
The Brewers clinched the NL Central title on Wednesday but have not yet clinched their playoff seed. The Chicago Cubs’ 5-3 defeat to the Oakland A’s secured the division for the Brewers.
Also Wednesday, the Yankees clinched the AL’s first postseason spot with their 2-1 victory over the Mariners in extra innings. The Yankees have not yet secured the AL East division title or their postseason seed.
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Who can clinch next?
The Orioles, Padres and Astros have at least a 99% chance of reaching the postseason, according to FanGraphs. The Royals, Diamondbacks, Tigers and Mets have the postseason in sight but still have a ways to go to get there.
The Dodgers, Astros and Yankees are positioned to win their divisions, assuming their current leads hold. The Phillies, Dodgers, Yankees and Guardians are in line to earn byes through the wild-card round.
What’s still up for grabs?
Once a team clinches its ticket to the postseason, there’s still a lot to play for. Most of the division leads are comfortable, but teams could be battling for playoff positioning until the final weekend of the season.
The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in each league will go to the division winners with the two best records. Those teams earn a bye through the wild-card round and hosting rights in the division series.
The No. 3 seed will go to the third division winner, and that team will host a three-game wild-card series against the No. 6 seed (which will go to the third wild card). The top wild-card team will earn the No. 4 seed and hosting duties against the No. 5 seed in the wild-card round.
The higher seed also gets home-field advantage in the championship series, once we get that far.
What would the playoff bracket look like if the season ended today?
American League
Wild card: No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 3 Houston Astros
ALDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 2 Cleveland Guardians*
Wild card: No. 5 Kansas City Royals vs. No. 4 Baltimore Orioles
ALDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 1 New York Yankees*
National League
Wild card: No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers*
NLDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies*
Wild card: No. 5 New York Mets vs. No. 4 San Diego Padres
NLDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers*
(*clinched playoff spot)
What are the tiebreakers?
No longer do teams play a Game 163 if they finish the season tied. Instead, tiebreakers are determined by head-to-head records first and, if needed, intradivision records second.
Here are the tiebreakers that could come into play:
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The Yankees have clinched the tiebreaker against the Guardians.
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The Guardians have clinched the tiebreaker against the Orioles.
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The Phillies have clinched the tiebreaker against the Dodgers.
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The Twins have clinched the tiebreakers against the Tigers and Royals.
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The Royals have clinched the tiebreaker against the Tigers.
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The Mets have clinched the tiebreakers against the Padres and Diamondbacks.
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The Orioles hold the tiebreaker against the Yankees, with three games left to play.
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The D-backs hold the tiebreaker against the Padres, with three games left to play.
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The Mets hold the tiebreaker against the Braves, with three games left to play.
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What’s the schedule for the wild-card and division series?
Wild-card series
Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 1
Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 2
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 3*
Division series
ALDS
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 7
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 9
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 10*
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 12*
NLDS
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 6
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 8
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 9*
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 11*
(*if necessary)
