MLB Playoff Tracker 2024: Standings, clinch scenarios, tiebreakers and postseason schedule as of September 19

The MLB postseason is upon us, and with less than two weeks of the regular season remaining, there’s a lot at stake for any team with World Series aspirations.

Let’s analyze the current state of the MLB standings and the playoff situation.

Who has secured a place in the playoffs?

The Brewers won the NL Central title on Wednesday, but they haven’t yet secured their playoff spot. The Chicago Cubs’ 5-3 loss to the Oakland A’s secured the division for the Brewers.

Also on Wednesday, the Yankees secured their first postseason berth in the AL with their 2-1 overtime win over the Mariners. The Yankees have not yet secured the AL East Division title or their postseason berth.

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Who can win next?

The Dodgers, Phillies, Orioles and Guardians all have at least a 99% chance of making the postseason, according to FanGraphs. The Astros, Royals and Padres are above 89%. The Diamondbacks, Twins and Mets have their eyes on the postseason, but still have a long way to go.

Having statistically secured their postseason spots, the Phillies, Dodgers, Guardians, Astros and Yankees are in position to win their divisions assuming they hold their current leads. The Phillies, Dodgers, Yankees and Guardians have a good chance of securing a bye in the wild-card round.

What else is there to win?

Once a team has clinched its ticket to the postseason, there is still a lot at stake. Most teams have comfortable division leads, but they may be battling for playoff spots until the final weekend of the season.

First and second place in each league will go to the division winners with the two best finishes. These teams will receive a bye in the wildcard round and host rights in the division series.

3rd place goes to the winner of Division 3 and that team will host a three-game wildcard series against 6th place (who will receive the third wildcard). The top wildcard team will receive 4th place and will have to play 5th place in the wildcard round.

Once we get that far, the higher seeds will also get home field advantage in the championship series.

What would the playoff standings look like if the season ended today?

American League

Wildcard: No. 6 Minnesota Twins vs. No. 3 Houston Astros

ALDS: Wildcard winner against No. 2 Cleveland Guardians

Wildcard: No. 5 Kansas City Royals vs. No. 4 Baltimore Orioles

ALDS: Wildcard winner against No. 1 New York Yankees

Bundesliga

Wildcard: No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers

NLDS: Wildcard winner against No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers

Wildcard: No. 5 New York Mets vs. No. 4 San Diego Padres

NLDS: Wildcard winner against No. 1 Philadelphia Phillies

What are the tiebreakers?

Teams will no longer play Game 163 if they finish the season tied. Instead, tiebreakers will be determined first by head-to-head comparisons and then, if necessary, by intra-division results.

The following tiebreakers could come into play:

• The Yankees won the tiebreaker against the Guardians.

• The Guardians won the tiebreaker against the Orioles.

• The Phillies won the tiebreaker against the Dodgers.

• The Mets won the tiebreakers against the Padres and Diamondbacks.

• The Orioles have the tiebreaker against the Yankees, with three games left to play.

• The D-backs have the tiebreaker against the Padres, with three games left to play.

• The Mets have the tiebreaker against the Braves, with three games left to play.

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What is the schedule for the wildcard and division series?

Wildcard Series

Game 1: Tuesday, October 1st
Game 2: Wednesday, October 2
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 3*

Division Series

ALDS

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

NLDS

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

(*if required)