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2024 MLB Postseason Tracker: Standings, Melee Scenarios, Tiebreakers and Playoff Schedule as of September 27

Heory
2024 MLB Postseason Tracker: Standings, Melee Scenarios, Tiebreakers and Playoff Schedule as of September 27

The MLB playoffs are fast approaching. And with three games remaining in the regular season, every team with World Series aspirations still has plenty to play for.

Let’s break down the state of the MLB standings and the playoff situation as it stands today.

On Thursday, the Dodgers clinched the NL West title and a spot among the top two seeds with a win over the Padres. They will benefit from a bye into the wild-card round and home-field advantage in the NLDS. The Dodgers clinched their 12th straight postseason appearance with a 20-4 (yes, 20-4) victory over the Marlins on September 19. In that one, Ohtani delivered an absolutely historic performance to seal the first 50-50 season in MLB history. .

The Yankees clinched the AL East, a top-two seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the ALDS with their 10-1 victory over the Orioles on Thursday. They are competing with the Guardians for the No. 1 seed in the AL.

The Phillies clinched a spot among the top two seeds in the National League playoffs on Wednesday with their victory over the Cubs, combined with the Brewers’ loss to the Pirates. The NL East champions will benefit from a bye into the wild-card round and home-field advantage in the NLDS. They are competing with the Dodgers for the No. 1 seed in the National League.

On Tuesday, the Orioles clinched an AL playoff berth with their win over the Yankees, combined with the Twins’ loss to the Marlins. They have yet to secure their playoff spot.

Also on Tuesday, the Astros punched their ticket to the playoffs and won their fourth straight AL West title with a victory over the Mariners. They will be the No. 3 seed in the AL bracket and will host a wild-card series.

The Padres clinched their spot in the NL playoff bracket with a 4-2 victory over the Dodgers on Tuesday that ended in a triple play. They have yet to clinch their playoff spot.

On September 19, the Guardians punched their ticket to October with a walk-off win over the Twins. Cleveland won the AL Central title on Saturday, and with Tuesday’s 6-1 win over the Reds, they fared no worse than the American League’s No. 2 seed, meaning they have a pass to the wild-card round and the field. advantage in the ALDS.

The Brewers clinched the NL Central title on September 18. They have yet to clinch their playoff seed.

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The Royals, Tigers and Mets have the playoffs in their sights, with odds above 70%, according to FanGraphs. The Diamondbacks are above 50% but still have a way to go to get to October.

Seven of the eight teams that clinched their playoff berths are still competing for the top playoff seed. Only the Astros obtained their seed (No. 3 in the AL).

The Twins and Braves haven’t been eliminated yet and are still in the hunt for wild card spots, although they have work to do and need a little help to get there.

Once a team punches their ticket to the playoffs, there’s still a lot to play for. Teams could fight for playoff positioning until the final weekend of the season.

The No. 1 and 2 seeds in each league will be awarded to the division winners with the two best records. These teams get a bye through the wild-card round and hosting rights into the division series.

The No. 3 seed will go to the winner of the third division, and that team will host a three-game wild card series against the No. 6 seed (who will go to the third wild card). The top wild-card team will win the No. 4 seed and host the No. 5 seed in the wild-card round.

The higher seed also gets home-field advantage in the Championship Series, once we get to that point.

A lot could still change between now and October 1st. (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)

Wild card: No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 3 Houston Astros*

ALDS: Wild-card winner against the Cleveland Guardians n°2*

Wild card: No. 5 Kansas City Royals vs. No. 4 Baltimore Orioles*

ALDS: Wild-card winner against the No. 1 New York Yankees*

Wild card: No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers*

NLDS: Wild card winner against the No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies*

Wild card: No. 5 New York Mets vs. No. 4 San Diego Padres*

NLDS: Wild card winner against the No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers*

(*place clinched in playoffs)

The hunt for the 2024 playoffs is on. (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)

Teams no longer play a 163 game if they finish the season tied. Instead, tiebreakers are determined by head-to-head records first and, if necessary, intra-division records second.

Here are the tiebreakers that could come into play:

  • The Yankees clinched the tiebreaker against the Guardians.

  • The Phillies won the tiebreaker against the Dodgers and Brewers.

  • The Twins won tiebreakers against the Tigers and Royals.

  • The Royals clinched the tiebreaker against the Tigers.

  • The Mets clinched the tiebreaker against the Padres and Diamondbacks.

  • The Braves clinched the tiebreaker against the Diamondbacks.

  • The D-backs hold the tiebreaker against the Padres, with three games remaining.

  • The Braves hold the tiebreaker against the Mets, with two games remaining.

Learn more: 2024 MLB Offseason Previews: What’s Next for the White Sox, Nationals, A’s and More?

Match 1: Tuesday October 1
Match 2: Wednesday October 2
Match 3: Thursday October 3*

ALD

Match 1: Saturday October 5
Match 2: Monday October 7
Match 3: Wednesday October 9
Match 4: Thursday October 10*
Match 5: Saturday October 12*

SNDL

Match 1: Saturday October 5
Match 2: Sunday October 6
Match 3: Tuesday October 8
Match 4: Wednesday October 9*
Match 5: Friday October 11*

(*if necessary)