The MLB playoff picture is finally getting serious. As of September 23, the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs have officially punched their tickets to October, becoming confirmed playoff teams, and the energy across the league is absolutely electric. We’re inching closer to the World Series, and every game, every pitch, is just packed with stakes.
Who’s In and What the Bracket Looks Like Right Now
Let’s talk about the AL first, because those Wild-Card spots are spicy! We’ve got the White Sox going on the road to face the Houston Astros in a best-of-three Wild-Card round. Then, the Boston Red Sox are heading to Yankee Stadium to take on the New York Yankees in another best-of-three. Talk about some serious rivalries right off the bat! The winners of those series will move on to the AL Division Series: White Sox/Astros winner gets the Cleveland Guardians, while Red Sox/Yankees winner faces the Tampa Bay Rays, who have already clinched their division. The Rays are confirmed playoff teams, by the way.
Over in the National League, the confirmed playoff teams are also setting up some wild matchups. The Philadelphia Phillies are heading to Atlanta to battle the Braves, who are confirmed playoff teams, in an NL Wild-Card series. And get this, the San Diego Padres are going up against the Chicago Cubs, who are also confirmed playoff teams, for their Wild-Card showdown. The winners there move to the NLDS: Phillies/Braves winner plays the Los Angeles Dodgers, another confirmed playoff team, and Padres/Cubs winner takes on the Milwaukee Brewers, also a confirmed playoff team. It’s a best-of-five for the ALDS and NLDS, then best-of-seven for the Championship Series and World Series.
Thursday’s Games: Absolute Clinching Chaos
Thursday is going to be insane with so much on the line. The Cleveland Guardians can clinch a postseason spot if they beat Boston and either Texas or Houston lose. Even bigger: if Cleveland wins, or either AL West team loses, they secure a wild-card bye and home-field advantage for the ALDS as the AL Central champ! The Boston Red Sox just need to beat Cleveland to lock up an AL wild-card spot. It’s that simple.
In the NL, the Milwaukee Brewers can clinch home-field advantage through the NLCS if they beat Philadelphia or if the Dodgers lose to San Diego. The Los Angeles Dodgers can grab a wild-card bye and home-field in the NLDS by beating San Diego AND seeing Atlanta lose to Cincinnati. If that happens, Atlanta would host one of the NL wild-card series. The Philadelphia Phillies can clinch an NL wild-card spot if they beat Milwaukee and either Arizona loses to Colorado or San Diego loses to the Dodgers. Finally, the San Diego Padres can clinch an NL wild-card spot with a win over the Dodgers or if Arizona loses to Colorado.
Division Races Coming Down to the Wire
Beyond the clinching scenarios, some division races are still scorching hot. The AL Central is a total dogfight between the Cleveland Guardians and the Chicago White Sox for the division crown. One gets the division, the other’s looking at a wild-card spot, and the winner likely gets a wild-card series bye. Don’t forget, the White Sox have the season tiebreaker over the Guardians if they finish with equal records! Meanwhile, Minnesota, Kansas City, and Detroit are already out. In the AL West, it’s the Houston Astros versus the Texas Rangers for the division title. The AL East is a bit more settled with the Tampa Bay Rays having clinched, but the Yankees and Red Sox are fighting it out as wild-card teams. The big question in the Bronx is if Aaron Judge will be healthy enough for the postseason. The Orioles are barely clinging to slim hopes for the AL’s third wild-card spot, while the Blue Jays are officially done.
Thursday is absolutely stacked! We’ve got so many teams fighting for their lives, for home-field, for bye-spots. Keep an eye on those Guardians and Red Sox in the AL, and the Brewers, Dodgers, Phillies, and Padres in the NL. Every pitch, every at-bat, it all matters now. This is October baseball, and it’s going to be absolutely wild!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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