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 on Thursday, 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 Toronto Blue Jays. The Red Sox will play host to the Detroit Tigers, another team clinging to its October hopes.
Who’s locked in a race?
Things are getting tight:
Mets,
Diamondbacks,
Reds,
Guardians,
Tigers,
Astros
The New York Mets continue to hold on in the NL wild-card race, decreasing their magic number to three after a win over the Cubs. The Cincinnati Reds kept their chances alive after some late-game heroics from Noelvi Marte. 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 entering the weekend.
The same goes for the Houston Astros, who saw vintage Framber Valdez in a win on Thursday, but remain one game behind the top of the AL wild-card standings.
The Cleveland 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 head-to-head 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 Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia 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 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 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. Toronto must hope that Baltimore can beat New York while it takes care of business against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Astros at Angels: Houston will try to salvage its postseason hopes, first by sending Jason Alexander, who lasted 1 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs in his last start, to the bump on Friday.
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: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)