The field is filling up fast. The Milwaukee Brewers have locked down the NL Central, while the Philadelphia Phillies have taken the NL East crown. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers have also clinched their places, and the San Diego Padres secured a wild card with Monday’s extra-inning win over Milwaukee. In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays became the first team to book a ticket to October.
Who can clinch today?
Several more teams can seal the deal as soon as Tuesday:
Yankees: Clinch a playoff berth with a win over the White Sox.
Mariners: Clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Rockies plus a Yankees victory.
Dodgers: Can lock up the NL West with a combination of results tonight.
Phillies: Can clinch a first-round bye and NLDS home-field advantage.
Brewers: Can secure the NL’s No. 1 seed.
By Wednesday, the Blue Jays could clinch the AL East and the Mariners could wrap up the AL West.
MORE: Mike Shildt back to playoffs: this time in walk-off fashion
Current playoff bracket if the season ended today
American League
Wild card: (6) Guardians at (3) Tigers; (5) Red Sox at (4) Yankees
ALDS: Guardians/Tigers vs. (2) Mariners; Red Sox/Yankees vs. (1) Blue Jays
National League
Wild card: (6) Reds at (3) Dodgers; (5) Padres at (4) Cubs
NLDS: Reds/Dodgers vs. (2) Phillies; Padres/Cubs vs. (1) Brewers
What’s at stake
The final week is shaping up to be chaos. The Guardians have stormed back into contention, while the Mets’ collapse has opened the door for the Reds and Diamondbacks. Division titles in the AL East, AL Central, and AL West are still up for grabs, and wild-card races remain razor tight.
October starts Sept. 30 with the wild-card round, and today’s games could go a long way in locking down the field.
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