Entering play Friday, here’s where every contending team stands with three days remaining in the regular season.
Who’s in?
Tickets already punched:
Brewers,
Phillies,
Cubs,
Dodgers,
Blue Jays,
Padres,
Yankees,
Mariners
For the 12th time in 13 seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers are NL West champs. Following a decisive 8-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers popped the bubbly once more in what has arguably been their most trying season.
Who’s next?
On the brink of clinching a playoff spot:
Red Sox
Boston will have to wait another day to clinch a postseason berth, as its magic number remains stuck at one following a 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays. The Red Sox will play host to the Tigers, another team trying to clinging to its October hopes.
Who’s locked in a race?
Things are getting tight:
Mets,
Diamondbacks,
Reds,
Guardians,
Tigers
The Mets continue to hold on in the NL wild-card race, decreasing their magic number to three after a win over the Cubs. The Reds kept their chances alive after some late-game heroics from Noelvi Marte, while Arizona fell one game behind Cincinnati in the NL wild-card standings after its second consecutive loss to the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks, like the Reds, don’t control their playoff destinies heading into the weekend.
The Guardians’ magic number is at two for a postseason berth, and despite being tied with Detroit atop the AL Central with an 86-73 record, Cleveland owns the season tiebreaker. Detroit’s magic number is also two after winning the series finale.
If the playoffs started today
American League
Toronto and Seattle would receive first-round byes after finishing as the AL’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. Toronto would also have home-field advantage through the ALCS for finishing with the best record in the AL.
AL Wild Card Series: No. 6 Tigers at No. 3 Guardians; No. 5 Red Sox at No. 4 Yankees
ALDS: Yankees/Red Sox at Blue Jays; Tigers/Guardians at Mariners
National League
The Brewers and Phillies would enter as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, receiving first-round byes. Should the Brewers make it to the World Series, they’d maintain home-field advantage due to finishing the season with the sport’s best record.
NL Wild Card Series: No. 6 Mets at No. 3 Dodgers; No. 5 Padres at No. 4 Cubs
NLDS: Dodgers/Mets at Phillies, Cubs/Padres at Brewers
What to watch this weekend
Tigers at Red Sox: With both teams desperate for wins, this is a must-watch series finale for baseball fans.
Orioles Sox at Yankees: The Yankees will send Will Warren, Cam Schlittler and Luis Gil to the mound, all with the hopes of repeating as AL East champs.
Rays at Blue Jays: If you’re a Blue Jays fan, then this weekend you’ll also be an Orioles fan, as Toronto must hope that Baltimore can sweep New York while its own club can take care of business against the Rays to hold onto the top AL seed.
Mets at Marlins: The trio of Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez and Edward Cabrera will look to spoil the Mets’ playoff chances.
Reds at Brewers: Cincinnati’s playoff hopes aren’t dashed, and Milwaukee still has a chance to secure MLB’s top seed.
Dodgers at Mariners: The Dodgers will play in the wild-card either way, so the real reason to watch this series is to see if Cal Raleigh can break the AL’s single-season home run record of 62.
(Photo of Yoshinobu Yamamoto celebrating the Dodgers’ NL West title: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
