And then there were two. Two days remain in the MLB regular season, and while most postseason spots have been sewn up by now — five apiece in both the AL and NL, leaving just one remaining berth up for grabs in each league — those final two figure to come right down to the wire. And that's before we even get to playoff seeding, which is complete chaos at the moment and could still result in any number of different matchups come the Wild Card Round next week.
Where do things stand entering play on Saturday? And what does your team still have to play for? We've got you coverd with this up-to-the-minute snapshot of the MLB playoff picture, complete with standings and brackets in both leagues as well as magic numbers and clinching scenarios.
American League standings and playoff picture
Let's start with what we know. The Tampa Bay Rays have already clinched the AL East and the No. 1 seed. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are locked into the first two Wild Card spots, respectively, and will play each other in the Wild Card Round next week. What we still don't know is 1) who will win the AL Central and 2) who will win the AL West. Here's how things currently stand:
Team | Record | Games back |
|---|---|---|
Cleveland Guardians (CLINCHED PLAYOFF SPOT) | 84-76 | -- |
Chicago White Sox* (CLINCHED PLAYOFF SPOT) | 83-77 | 1 |
*owns head-to-head tiebreaker
Team | Record | Games back |
|---|---|---|
Houston Astros* | 79-81 | -- |
Texas Rangers | 79-81 | -- |
*owns head-to-head tiebreaker
If the regular season ended today, here's a look at what the AL Wild Card round matchups would look like.
- Bye: (1) Tampa Bay Rays
- Bye: (2) Cleveland Guardians
- (3) Houston Astros vs. (6) Chicago White Sox
- (4) New York Yankees vs. (5) Boston Red Sox
The Guardians currently hold a one-game lead over the White Sox in the AL Central and are in line the snag the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. But Chicago holds the tiebreaker edge, meaning that if the White Sox are able to pick up a game on Cleveland over the final two days of the season, they'll be the ones advancing directly to the ALDS — while the Guardians fall all the way to the No. 6 seed and a date with the AL West champs in the Wild Card Round.
And speaking of the AL West: What a mess. The Astros and Rangers are currently tied for first at 79-81, though right now Houston would advance by virtue of winning the season series. The winner of this race will secure the No. 3 seed and host a Wild Card series next week; the loser will be out of the postseason entirely.
National League standings and playoff picture
The NL is a bit more straight-forward. The Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves have clinched their respective divisions and will be seeds No. 1, 2 and 3 in the National League bracket. The San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs have secured Wild Card spots. That leaves just one spot remaining, and it's become a fight to the death between the Philadelphia Phillies and the hard-charging Arizona Diamondbacks.
Team | Record | Games back |
|---|---|---|
San Diego Padres (CLINCHED PLAYOFF SPOT) | 89-71 | +3 |
Chicago Cubs (CLINCHED PLAYOFF SPOT) | 88-73 | +1.5 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 87-73 | -- |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 86-74 | 1 |
If the regular season ended today, here's a look at what the NL Wild Card round matchups would look like.
- Bye: (1) Milwaukee Brewers
- Bye: (2) Los Angeles Dodgers
- (3) Atlanta Braves vs. (6) Philadelphia Phillies
- (4) San Diego Padres vs. (5) Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have already locked up a Wild Card spot by virtue of holding the head-to-head tiebreaker with Arizona. But the D-backs have the head-to-head tiebreaker edge over the Phillies, which means all Arizona has to do is pick up one more game in the standings over the next two days to steal the No. 6 seed. The Padres can clinch the No. 4 seed with one more win or a Cubs loss, while the Cubs are guaranteed to finish no worse than the No. 5 seed if they win their final regular-season game against the Red Sox on Sunday.
MLB magic numbers: Which AL teams are closest to clinching a playoff spot?
Again, we just have one more playoff spot up for grabs, which will go to whoever wins the slapfight in the AL West. The Astros and Rangers enter play Saturday tied at 79-81, but because Houston owns the head-to-head tiebreaker, their magic number is two — meaning they can clinch as early as Saturday if they win in Sacramento against the A's and Texas loses in Minnesota against the Twins.
Team | Magic number | Elimination number |
|---|---|---|
Tampa Bay Rays | CLINCHED | -- |
Cleveland Guardians | CLINCHED | -- |
Houston Astros | 2 | -- |
New York Yankees | CLINCHED | -- |
Boston Red Sox | CLINCHED | -- |
Chicago White Sox | CLINCHED | -- |
Texas Rangers | -- | 2 |
MLB magic numbers: Which NL teams are closest to clinching a playoff spot?
The story in the NL is much the same, even if the seeding can still break several different ways. The Phillies have a one-game edge, but because they would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with Arizona, their magic number is still two — meaning they need to either win out or get at least one D-backs loss over the next two days.
Team | Magic number | Elimination number |
|---|---|---|
Milwaukee Brewers | CLINCHED | -- |
Los Angeles Dodgers | CLINCHED | -- |
Atlanta Braves | CLINCHED | -- |
San Diego Padres | CLINCHED | -- |
Chicago Cubs | CLINCHED | -- |
Philadelphia Phillies | 2 | -- |
Arizona Diamondbacks | -- | 2 |
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