Before diving into a breakdown of the playoff picture, here’s the latest in the MLB playoff races as Game 161 is underway on Saturday:
* The toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees each won, keeping the AL East tied heading into the final day of the season.
* The Brewers clinched the No. 1 seed in the National League and the best record in baseball with the Phillies’ loss to the Twins.
Who has clinched a spot in the playoffs?
Table of Contents
Blue Jays: Tied with the Yankees atop the AL East; the winner will clinch 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.
Mariners: Won the AL West; clinched the no. 2 seed in the AL and a bye to the ALDS.
Yankees: Tied with the Blue Jays atop the AL East; the winner will clinch the No. 1 seed in the AL, while the loser will settle for the top wild card and the No. 4 seed.
Red Sox: Punched their ticket to October on Friday; in line to secure the second AL wild card and the No. 5 seed.
Tigers: Despite a jaw-dropping collapse, Detroit did enough to clinch a playoff berth.With one game to play, they still have a shot to win the AL Central.
Brewers: Won the NL Central; clinched the NL’s No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Phillies: Won the NL East; clinched the No. 2 seed and a bye to the NLDS.
Dodgers: Won the NL West; clinched the No. 3 seed.
Cubs: Clinched the top NL wild card and the No. 4 seed.
Padres: Clinched the second NL wild card and the No. 5 seed.
What would the playoff bracket look like if the season ended today?
[Image of Playoff Bracket]
AL Playoff Picture: A Team-by-Team Look
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays clinched a playoff berth last weekend, making them the first AL team in the postseason. The Jays are tied with the Yankees atop the AL East, though toronto holds the tiebreaker. Whichever team wins the division will 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 Rays.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners swept the Astros last weekend to put them in the driver’s seat for their first AL West title since 2001. They won the division with their victory over Colorado on Wednesday, and they secured the No. 2 seed in the AL and a bye to the division series Thursday. Also, Cal Raleigh has hit 60 home runs.
Up next: The M’s end the regular season at home. Their final slate is two more games against the Dodgers.
Cleveland guardians
The Guardians stayed hot Tuesday and Wednesday, seizing the AL Central led from the Tigers before falling back into a tie with Detroit’s victory Thursday. the Guardians have won 17 of their past 21 games and could complete MLB’s greatest comeback ever after trailing by 15.5 games in July. They hold the tiebreaker over Detroit and are two victories away from winning the AL Central.
Up next: Cleveland closes out the regular season with two more against Texas at home. They can clinch a playoff berth Saturday with a win or an Astros defeat.
new York Yankees
They are tied with the Blue Jays in the AL East with one game remaining, and Toronto owns the tiebreaker. Whichever team wins the division will 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, with one more game 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 clinched a playoff berth Friday and are in line to face the Yankees for three games in the Bronx to begin the playoffs.
Up next: The Sox finish the regular season by hosting the Tigers for one more.
Detroit Tigers
The tigers surrendered their lead in the AL Central on Wednesday before bouncing back with a victory Thursday to end their losing streak and move back into a tie with Cleveland. With both teams losing Friday, the tie holds, but Detroit notched a critical victory over Boston on Saturday to clinch a playoff berth. The Tigers still have a shot to win the division, but Cleveland holds the tiebreaker.
Up next: Detroit finishes the regular season with one more game at the Red Sox.
Houston Astros
The Astros are now fighting for the third wild card in the AL. Currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, Houston will be sweating it out over the season’s final days. A loss to the Angels to start the weekend didn’t help.
Up next: The ‘Stros finish the season on the road against a team they should beat.They face the Angels for two more to conclude the regular season. they’ll need two wi
MLB Postseason Schedule: Dates and Details for 2024 & Beyond
The Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason is an exciting culmination of the regular season,featuring a multi-round tournament to determine the league champion. The playoff structure includes the Wild Card Series, Division Series (ALDS & NLDS), League Championship Series (ALCS & NLCS), and ultimately, the World Series. Here’s a breakdown of the typical postseason schedule, based on recent years, and what to expect in the coming seasons. Please note that specific dates are subject to change and will be updated as MLB announces them.
Postseason Format
Before diving into the schedule, let’s quickly recap the current playoff format:
* Wild card Series: Each league (American League and National League) features three teams that didn’t win their division. The team with the best record hosts all three games of a best-of-three series against the team with the second-best record, and the winner advances. The third wild card team plays a single-elimination game at the home of the second wild card team.
* Division Series (ALDS & NLDS): The winners of the Wild Card Series face the three division winners in each league in a best-of-five series.
* League Championship Series (ALCS & NLCS): The winners of the Division series compete in a best-of-seven series to determine the champions of each league.
* World Series: The champions of the American League and National League face off in a best-of-seven series to determine the MLB champion.
Typical Postseason Schedule (based on Recent Years)
The following schedule is based on the 2023 and 2024 postseason dates. Dates for 2025 and beyond will be announced by MLB closer to the season.
October 2024 (Projected)
* Wild Card Series: October 3-5, 2024
* ALDS: October 7-11*
* NLDS: October 7-11*
* ALCS: October 13-19*
* NLCS: October 13-19*
* World Series: October 25-November 5*
( *if necessary)
Detailed Look at Each Round (2023 Dates as Example)
Here’s a more detailed look at the 2023 postseason schedule to illustrate the typical progression:
Wild Card Series (2023)
* AL Wild Card: October 3-5
* NL Wild Card: October 3-5
ALDS (2023)
* Game 1: October 7
* Game 2: October 8
* Game 3: October 10
* Game 4: October 11*
* Game 5: October 12*
NLDS (2023)
* Game 1: October 7
* Game 2: October 8
* Game 3: October 10
* Game 4: October 11*
* Game 5: October 12*
ALCS (2023)
* Game 1: october 13
* Game 2: October 14
* Game 3: october 16
* Game 4: October 17
* Game 5: October 18*
* Game 6: October 20*
* Game 7: October 21*
NLCS (2023)
* Game 1: October 13
* Game 2: october 14
* Game 3: October 16
* Game 4: October 17
* Game 5: October 18*
* Game 6: October 20*
* Game 7: October 21*
World Series (2023)
* Game 1: October 27
* Game 2: October 28
* Game 3: october 30
* Game 4: October 31
* Game 5: november 1*
* Game 6: November 3*
* Game 7: November 4*
( *if necessary)
Key Takeaways
* The MLB postseason begins in early October with the Wild Card Series.
* Each subsequent round (ALDS, NLDS, ALCS, NLCS) progresses through October, culminating in the World Series.
* The World Series typically takes place in late October and early November.
* “If necessary” games are scheduled for each series to ensure a champion is crowned.
* Specific dates are released by MLB annually.
Where to Find Official Schedules
For the most up-to-date and official postseason schedule, please refer to the following resources:
*