The arrival of October means the end of Major League Baseball’s regular season. With the playoffs starting next week, here is a guide to the playoff picture as it currently stands.
National League
The Phillies, who started the year red hot — going 62-34 before the All-Star Break — faded in the second half of the season but clinched the National League East division title on Monday night against the Chicago Cubs. Depending on the final few games of the season, the Phils look prepped to take one of the top two spots in the National League, a first-round bye and home-field advantage into the National League Divisional Series.
The National League West has turned into a SoCal clash between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. After a historic year from superstar Shohei Ohtani, who was the first player in MLB history to tally 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season, and is followed by all-stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in the batting order, the Dodgers should be a lock for the division. However, a late surge from the Padres leaves them only a couple of games back with two of their final games against the Dodgers. Both teams have clinched a spot in the playoffs but will be fighting for a potential first-round bye.
The Brewers became the first team to clinch their division last Wednesday, taking the National League West title for the fourth time in the last seven years.
The National League wildcard race is very much still up in the air, with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the New York Mets, the Atlanta Braves and the Padres/Dodgers vying for the three wildcard spots. At the moment, the Braves are on the outside looking in, but will have a chance to overtake the Mets on Monday in a hurricane-delayed double-header.
American League
The Yankees are all but a lock to win the American League East, but the Baltimore Orioles still have a mathematical chance to win the division. Both teams have already clinched playoff berths.
The Houston Astros (boooo) clinched their fourth-straight American League West and seventh in eight years. However, they will have to fight their way through the wildcard series if they want to make the championship series.
The Cleveland Guardians have already clinched the American League Central along with one of the top two spots, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the divisional series.
The American League Wildcard race is going to come down to the wire, with the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners all – technically – still alive to claim one of the last two wildcard spots. However, the Royals and Tigers are currently in the wildcard positions. The Tigers haven’t made the postseason since 2014, while the Royals have not been in the playoffs since they won the World Series in 2015.
Disclaimer: All standings are accurate as of 7 p.m. Wednesday.
