The MLB postseason is less than a week away, and every team with World Series aspirations still has a lot left to play for. Just this week, we’ve seen shakeups in the AL East and AL Central races.
Let’s break down the playoff picture, what’s at stake, who can clinch next and who’s facing whom heading into Thursday.
Who has clinched a spot in the playoffs?
Blue Jays: tied with the Yankees atop the AL East; the winner will secure the No. 1 seed in the AL, while the loser will settle for the top wild card and the No. 4 seed. Toronto holds the tiebreaker.
Advertisement
Mariners: in line to win AL West and secure the No. 2 seed in the AL.
Yankees: tied with the Blue Jays atop the AL East; the winner will secure the No. 1 seed in the AL, while the loser will settle for the top wild card and the No. 4 seed.
Brewers: won NL Central; in line to secure the NL’s No. 1 seed.
Phillies: won the NL East; clinched the No. 2 seed and a bye to the NLDS.
Dodgers: in line to win NL West and secure the No. 3 seed.
Cubs: in line to secure the top wild card in the NL and the No. 4 seed.
Padres: in line to secure the second NL wild card and the No. 5 seed.
What would the playoff bracket look like if the season ended today?
(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
American League
Wild card: No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 3 Cleveland Guardians
ALDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 2 Seattle Mariners
Advertisement
Wild card: No. 5 Boston Red Sox vs. No. 4 New York Yankees
ALDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays
National League
Wild card: No. 6 New York Mets vs. No. 3 L.A. Dodgers
NLDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies
Wild card: No. 5 San Diego Padres vs. No. 4 Chicago Cubs
NLDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers
Who can clinch next?
The Red Sox’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is down to two. The Mariners are one win away from winning the AL West and two away from securing a bye to the ALDS. The Brewers are one win away from securing the best record in baseball and the No. 1 seed in the NL.
Advertisement
On the NL side, the Dodgers have a 1.5-game lead in the NL West, the last division up for grabs. The Mets currently hold the final wild-card spot by one game over the Reds and Diamondbacks.
In the AL, the Blue Jays, Yankees and Mariners have clinched postseason spots. Also in playoff position are the Guardians, Red Sox and Tigers. The Blue Jays (via tiebreaker over the Yankees), Mariners and Guardians currently lead their divisions, with the Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers (via tiebreaker over the Astros) making up the wild-card field.
Which of these MLB stars will lead his team to a World Series title this fall? (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
A team-by-team look at the latest on the playoff fieldJump to a team by clicking on the links below:
Advertisement
Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays clinched a playoff berth Sunday with their victory over the Royals, making them the first AL team in the postseason. After two losses to the Red Sox, the Jays are tied with the Yankees atop the AL East, though Toronto holds the tiebreaker. Whichever team wins the division is in position to clinch the No. 1 seed and secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the championship series. The other will settle for the top wild card and the No. 4 seed.
Up next: The Jays conclude the regular season at home, with one more vs. the Red Sox and three vs. the Rays starting Friday.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners swept the Astros this weekend to put them in the driver’s seat for their first AL West title since 2001. They also own the tiebreaker over the Astros. They’re currently in line to secure the No. 2 seed in the AL and a bye to the division series. Their magic number to clinch the AL West is one, and it’s two for a bye into the ALDS.
Advertisement
Up next: The M’s end the regular season at home, starting with two more against the Rockies. Their final series is a three-game set against the Dodgers beginning Friday.
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians stayed hot Tuesday and Wednesday, seizing the AL Central lead from the Tigers. Tuesday’s victory also clinched Cleveland the tiebreaker against Detroit. The Guardians have won 17 of their past 19 games and are on pace to complete MLB’s greatest comeback ever after trailing by 15.5 games in July. They are now three victories away from winning the AL Central.
Up next: One more game vs. the Tigers with massive division implications. Then Cleveland closes out the regular season with a three-game series vs. Texas at home.
Advertisement
New York Yankees
They are tied with the Blue Jays in the AL East with four games remaining, and Toronto owns the tiebreaker. Whichever team wins the division is in position to clinch the No. 1 seed and secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the championship series. The other will settle for the top wild card and the No. 4 seed.
Up next: The Yanks finish the season at home. After one more against the Chicago White Sox, their regular season concludes with three games against the Orioles.
Boston Red Sox
Amid the chaos around them, the Red Sox have been holding on to the second AL wild card and the No. 5 seed for most of the past two months. They’re currently in line to face the Yankees for three games in the Bronx to begin the playoffs.
Advertisement
Up next: The Sox play one more against Toronto to conclude a series that has shaken up the division. They finish the regular season by hosting the Tigers in a three-game series.
Detroit Tigers
After dropping the opener against the Guardians on Tuesday, the Tigers suffered their eighth straight defeat Wednesday and surrendered their lead in the AL Central. This team once had a 15.5-game lead in the division. Now it’s gone. What’s worse, Cleveland holds the tiebreaker.
Up next: One more game in Cleveland, with hopes of avoiding a sweep. Then Detroit finishes the regular season at the Red Sox, who currently hold the second AL wild-card spot.
Advertisement
Houston Astros
The Astros just got swept by the Mariners to put the division title largely out of reach. They’re now three games back of Seattle and fighting for the third wild card in the AL. Currently on the outside looking in, Houston will be sweating it out over the final week.
Up next: The ‘Stros finish the season on the road but against teams that should hand them wins. They have two more against the A’s before they visit the Angels for three games to conclude the regular season.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are cruising to the No. 1 seed in the National League and the best record in baseball. With 96 wins and counting, they’ve already clinched the NL Central title. Their magic number for clinching baseball’s best record: one. Milwaukee is in prime position to have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Advertisement
Up next: The Brewers have a day off Thursday. Then they host the Reds for three games to finish the regular season.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies have been one of the top teams in baseball all season, and they were the first to claim a division title, leaving the Mets in their wake as they won the NL East on Sept. 16. They secured the No. 2 seed in the National League and, with it, a bye to the division series.
Up next: The Phillies finish the regular season at home against teams with nothing to play for. They host the Marlins for one more Thursday, followed by three against the Twins next weekend.
Advertisement
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are in line to win yet another NL West title, sitting two games up on the Padres with five games to play. They’re in line to get the No. 3 seed and host a wild-card series.
Up next: The Dodgers finish the season on the road against contenders. First, they visit the Diamondbacks for two more, and then they finish the regular season with three games in Seattle this weekend.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have already clinched their first postseason berth since 2020. Even though they have one of the top records in the sport, they’ll claim a wild card and finish behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cubs are in line to get the No. 4 seed and hosting duties in the wild-card round.
Advertisement
Up next: The Cubs finish the regular season at Wrigley field, first hosting the wild-card-contending Mets during the week and then hosting the already eliminated Cardinals for three games this weekend.
San Diego Padres
The Padres are two games behind the Dodgers in the race for the NL West crown. They currently hold the NL’s second wild-card spot. They clinched their postseason spot on Monday. If the standings hold, San Diego will finish as the No. 5 seed and face the Cubs at Wrigley in the wild-card round.
Up next: The Padres have a day off Thursday and then finish the season at home with three games against the Diamondbacks, who are fighting for the last NL wild-card berth.
Advertisement
New York Mets
The Mets are nearing an egregious, late-season collapse, as they are just one game up on the Reds and Diamondbacks for the NL’s final wild-card spot after losing 11 of their past 16 games. Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker based on head-to-head record, so the Mets have to finish ahead in the standings to make the postseason.
Up next: The Mets finish the season on a road trip, facing the Cubs and Marlins. They might have to hope that the Cubs are more concerned with preparing for the playoffs than winning any more games. However, the Marlins might put up a fight with a chance to finish over .500.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds have won six of their past eight to capitalize on the Mets’ slide and challenge them for the NL’s final wild-card bid. With a 4-2 record against the Mets this season, Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker. Both teams need to win to stay ahead of the Diamondbacks.
Advertisement
Up next: The Reds finish their home schedule with two more against the Pirates (and Paul Skenes scheduled to start Wednesday). Cincinnati then visits Milwaukee for a three-game set. The Brewers might’ve clinched the NL’s best record by then and thus have nothing left to play for.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Lurking just behind the Mets and tied with the Reds in the wild-card standings are the D-backs, who could seize the NL’s final playoff spot if the teams ahead of them falter. Arizona has won seven of its past 10 games to put itself in position to earn a surprise postseason bid.
Up next: Perhaps no team has a more difficult final slate than the D-backs. First, they host the Dodgers for their final two home games. Then they close out the season with three games at San Diego.
Advertisement
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:
The Blue Jays have clinched the tiebreaker against the Red Sox, Yankees and Tigers.
The Red Sox have clinched the tiebreaker against the Yankees.
The Tigers have clinched the tiebreaker against the Astros.
The Guardians have clinched the tiebreaker against the Astros and Tigers.
The Phillies have clinched the tiebreaker against the Dodgers.
The Brewers have clinched the tiebreaker against the Phillies.
The Reds have clinched the tiebreaker against the Mets.
The Dodgers have clinched the tiebreaker against the Padres.
What’s the schedule for the postseason?Wild-card series (best of three)
Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 30
Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 1
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 2*
Division series (best of five)
ALDS
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 4
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 5
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 7
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 8*
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 10*
NLDS
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 4
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 6
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 8
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 9*
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 11*
Advertisement
Championship series (best of seven)
ALCS
Game 1: Sunday, Oct 12
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 13
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 15
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 16
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 17*
Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 19*
Game 7: Monday, Oct. 20*
NLCS
Game 1: Monday, Oct 13
Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 14
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 16
Game 4: Friday, Oct. 17
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 18*
Game 6: Monday, Oct. 20*
Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 21*
World Series (best of seven)
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 24
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 25
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 27
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 28
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 29*
Game 6: Friday, Oct. 31*
Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 1*
(*if necessary)