Less than five weeks remain in the 2026 MLB regular season, and multiple teams are rapidly closing in on locking up a playoff berth. We won’t see any clinching scenarios this week, but the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, and Tampa Bay Rays are among those who could secure their spot at the dance by mid-September.
The easiest way to keep tabs on how close teams are to clinching is by looking at magic numbers. The formula to calculate a magic number is as follows, per MLB.com:
- Games remaining +1 - (Losses by second place team - losses by first place team)
American League standings: Business as usual for Rays, White Sox
As of Aug. 24, 2026, here is the American League playoff picture. You'll notice we included the Cleveland Guardians, which share the same record as the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. Houston has the tiebreaker advantage over Texas, and the same can be said of the Rangers in relation to the Guardians. The AL West and third AL Wild Card races are expected to be the most intriguing in baseball down the stretch.
Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|
Tampa Bay Rays | 77-53 | -- |
Chicago White Sox | 68-62 | 9.0 |
Houston Astros | 65-66 | 12.5 |
New York Yankees (WC) | 74-56 | 3.0 |
Boston Red Sox (WC) | 71-59 | 6.0 |
Texas Rangers (WC) | 65-66 | 12.5 |
Cleveland Guardians (OUT) | 65-66 | 12.5 |
With both the Rangers and Astros at 65-66, the AL West winner has the chance to become the first team since the 2005 Padres to reach the playoffs with 82 wins or fewer. That obviously excludes the shortened 2020 season, though it’d have been remarkable if a team managed to record 82 victories in a 60-game season.
If the regular season ended today, here's a look at what the AL Wild Card matchups would look like.
- Bye: (1) Tampa Bay Rays
- Bye: (2) Chicago White Sox
- (3) Houston Astros vs. (6) Texas Rangers
- (4) New York Yankees vs. (5) Boston Red Sox
National League standings: No changes for the Brewers, Braves, or Dodgers
As of Aug. 24, 2026, here is the National League playoff picture, including how many games rival contenders are of the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee and Los Angeles are fighting it out for the top seed in the NL, which would likely mean homefield advantage throughout the postseason — including the World Series barring a September run by the Rays or Yankees in the AL.
Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|
Milwaukee Brewers | 81-50 | -- |
Los Angeles Dodgers | 80-51 | 1 |
Atlanta Braves | 76-55 | 5 |
Chicago Cubs | 75-56 | 6 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 73-58 | 8 |
San Diego Padres | 71-60 | 10 |
If the regular season ended today, here's a look at what the NL Wild Card matchups would look like.
- Bye: (1) Milwaukee Brewers
- Bye: (2) Los Angeles Dodgers
- (3) Atlanta Braves vs. (6) San Diego Padres
- (4) Chcago Cubs vs. (5) Philadelphia Phillies
MLB magic numbers: Which AL teams are closest to clinching a playoff spot?
As of Aug. 24, 2026, here are the American League’s playoff contenders’ magic numbers needed to clinch a postseason spot. The magic numbers included are just for that team to clinch a playoff spot, not win their division. As for the 'elimination number', that essentially explains itself. The elimination number determines how close a team is from being eliminated from playoff contention.
Team | Record | Magic number | Elimination number |
|---|---|---|---|
Rays | 77-53 | 18 | -- |
Yankees | 74-56 | 20 | -- |
Red Sox | 71-59 | 24 | -- |
White Sox | 68-62 | 27 | 31 |
Astros | 65-66 | 30 | 31 |
Rangers | 65-66 | 30 | 31 |
Guardians | 65-66 | 30 | 27 |
Blue Jays | 64-68 | -- | 25 |
Twins | 63-68 | -- | 25 |
Orioles | 63-68 | -- | 25 |
Mariners | 62-69 | -- | 28 |
Tigers | 61-69 | -- | 24 |
Royals | 58-74 | -- | 19 |
Angels | 52-79 | -- | 17 |
Athletics | 51-80 | -- | 16 |
The only major surprises include the Astros, Guardians and Rangers, all of whom have the same magic number in late August at 30. The Seattle Mariners have a higher elimination number (which is a good thing, remember), because they still have a chance to win the AL West, the worst division in MLB.
MLB magic numbers: Which NL teams are closest to clinching a playoff spot?
The National League playoff picture is much easier to take in, and the same can be said of each team's magic number. The Brewers and Dodgers are neck-in-neck for the top seed in the NL, and their magic numbers reflect just that.
Team | Record | Magic number | Elimination number |
|---|---|---|---|
Brewers | 81-50 | 19 | -- |
Dodgers | 80-51 | 20 | -- |
Braves | 76-55 | 24 | -- |
Cubs | 75-66 | 25 | -- |
Phillies | 73-58 | 27 | -- |
Padres | 71-60 | 29 | 30 |
Diamondbacks | 69-62 | 31 | 28 |
Marlins | 67-64 | -- | 26 |
Cardinals | 66-66 | -- | 24 |
Pirates | 63-69 | -- | 21 |
Reds | 62-69 | -- | 21 |
Nationals | 61-71 | -- | 19 |
Mets | 59-72 | -- | 18 |
Giants | 52-78 | -- | 12 |
Rockies | 50-80 | -- | 10 |
Meanwhile, the lowly Rockies and Giants are just a few games away from elimination. Remember, if the Rockies lose a game and, say, the Padres or Diamondbacks win, that can result in their elimination number dropping to eight, rather than just nine.
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