The MLB postseason is right around the corner. And with three games 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 Thursday, the Dodgers clinched the NL West title and a top-two seed with a win over the Padres. They’ll have a bye through the wild-card round and home-field advantage in the NLDS. The Dodgers clinched their 12th straight postseason appearance with a 20-4 (yes, 20-4) victory over the Marlins on Sept. 19. In that one, Ohtani delivered an absolutely historic performance to seal the first 50-50 season in MLB history.
The Yankees clinched the AL East, a top-two seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the ALDS with their 10-1 victory over the Orioles on Thursday. They’re competing with the Guardians for the AL’s No. 1 seed.
On Wednesday, the Phillies clinched a top-two seed in the NL playoffs with their victory over the Cubs, combined with the Brewers’ defeat of the Pirates. The NL East champions will have a bye through the wild-card round and home-field advantage in the NLDS. They’re competing with the Dodgers for the NL’s No. 1 seed.
On Tuesday, the Orioles clinched an AL playoff berth with their victory over the Yankees, combined with the Twins’ loss to the Marlins. They have not yet secured their postseason seed.
Also Tuesday, the Astros clinched their postseason ticket and won their fourth consecutive AL West title with a victory over the Mariners. They will be the No. 3 seed in the AL bracket and will host a wild-card series.
The Padres clinched their spot in the NL postseason bracket with a 4-2 victory over the Dodgers on Tuesday, one that ended with a triple play. They have not yet clinched their postseason seed.
On Sept. 19, the Guardians clinched their ticket to October with walk-off victory against the Twins. Cleveland secured the AL Central title on Saturday, and with Tuesday’s 6-1 victory over the Reds, they secured no worse than the No. 2 seed in the American League, meaning they have a bye through the wild-card round and home-field advantage in the ALDS.
The Brewers clinched the NL Central title on Sept. 18. They have not yet clinched their playoff seed.
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Who can clinch next?
The Royals, Tigers and Mets have the postseason in sight, with odds above 70%, according to FanGraphs. The Diamondbacks are above 50% but still have a ways to go to get to October.
Seven of the eight teams that have clinched their postseason berths are still competing for seeding in the playoff bracket. Only the Astros have secured their seed (No. 3 in the AL).
The Twins and Braves have not been eliminated yet and are still in the hunt for wild-card berths, though they have work to do and need quite a bit of help to get there.
What’s still up for grabs?
Once a team clinches its ticket to the postseason, there’s still a lot to play for. Teams could be battling for playoff positioning through 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 Phillies have clinched the tiebreakers against the Dodgers and Brewers.
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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 Braves have clinched the tiebreaker against the Diamondbacks.
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The D-backs hold the tiebreaker against the Padres, with three games left to play.
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The Braves hold the tiebreaker against the Mets, with two games left to play.
Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: What’s next for the White Sox, Nationals, A’s and more?
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)
