Mets collapse opens door for surprise NL Wild Card race down the stretch
USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale breaks down the top storylines to watch in the NL as the MLB season winds down.
Sports Pulse
As Major League Baseball’s regular season winds down, postseason dreams are being realized.
But there is still a lot of sorting out to be done before the season ends on Sunday, Sept. 28. The Philadelphia Phillies are the only team that has clinched their division, and none of the six playoff berths in the American League have been claimed.
Here are all the MLB teams who have punched their ticket to the postseason, along with the magic numbers for teams to lock up a berth:
Who has clinched MLB playoff berth?Milwaukee Brewers – At least NL wild cardPhiladelphia Phillies – NL East divisionChicago Cubs – NL wild cardMLB magic numbers to win divisionMilwaukee Brewers: 4 to win NL CentralLos Angeles Dodgers: 6 to win NL WestToronto Blue Jays: 6 to win AL EastDetroit Tigers: 7 to win AL CentralHouston Astros/Seattle Mariners: 10 to win AL WestMLB magic numbers to clinch playoff berthLos Angeles Dodgers: 1 to clinch at least NL wild cardToronto Blue Jays: 2 to clinch at least AL wild cardSan Diego Padres: 4 to clinch at least NL wild cardNew York Yankees: 6 to clinch at least AL wild cardSeattle Mariners: 7 to clinch at least AL wild cardBoston Red Sox: 8 to clinch at least AL wild cardHouston Astros: 8 to clinch at least AL wild cardNew York Mets: 8 to clinch at least NL wild cardWhen do MLB playoffs start?
The 2025 MLB postseason will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 30 with all four wild-card series getting underway. The best of-three series are scheduled to run through Thursday, Oct. 2. The best-of-five division series starts on Saturday, Oct. 4, two days after the conclusion of the wild-card series.