Before diving into a breakdown of the playoff picture, here’s what’s at stake Sunday and what has happened so far:
The Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, clinching the AL Central title and a historic comeback for the Cleveland Guardians. With that result, the Guardians secure the No. 3 seed, the Red Sox get the No. 5, and the Tigers are the No. 6 in the American League.
The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees are tied atop the AL East. The winner gets the No. 1 seed in the AL and a bye to the division series; the loser gets the top wild card and the No. 4 seed. The Jays hold the tiebreaker, so a win or Yankees loss Sunday clinches the division title for Toronto.
The New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds are tied for the final playoff spot in the NL. The Reds lost Sunday, but they hold the tiebreaker, so if the Mets lose, Cincinnati clinches the last postseason berth and the No. 6 seed.
Who has clinched a spot in the playoffs?American League:
Blue Jays: Tied with the Yankees atop the AL East; the winner will clinch the No. 1 seed in the AL, while the loser will settle for the top wild card and the No. 4 seed. Toronto holds the tiebreaker.
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Yankees: Tied with the Blue Jays atop the AL East; the winner will clinch the No. 1 seed in the AL, while the loser will settle for the top wild card and the No. 4 seed.
No. 2 Mariners: Won the AL West; clinched a bye to the ALDS.
No. 3 Guardians: Won the AL Central with a historic comeback; will host the Tigers in the wild-card round.
No. 5 Red Sox: Clinched the second AL wild card; will face the Yankees or Blue Jays in the wild-card round.
No. 6 Tigers: Clinched the third AL wild card; will face the Guardians in the wild-card round.
National League:
No. 1 Brewers: Won the NL Central with MLB’s best record; clinched a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
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No. 2 Phillies: Won the NL East; clinched a bye to the NLDS.
No. 3 Dodgers: Won the NL West; will host the No. 6 seed — either the Mets or the Reds — in the wild-card round.
No. 4 Cubs: Clinched the top NL wild card; will host the Padres in the wild-card round.
No. 5 Padres: Clinched the second NL wild card; will face the Cubs in the wild-card round.
What is the playoff bracket?
(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
American League
Wild card: No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 3 Cleveland Guardians
ALDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 2 Seattle Mariners
Wild card: No. 5 Boston Red Sox vs. No. 4 New York Yankees
ALDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays
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National League
Wild card: No. 6 Cincinnati Reds vs. No. 3 L.A. Dodgers
NLDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies
Wild card: No. 5 San Diego Padres vs. No. 4 Chicago Cubs
NLDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers
Which of these stars will lead his team to a World Series title this fall? (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
What’s the schedule for the postseason?Wild card Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 30 (best of three)
AL: TBD at TBD, 1:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
NL: Padres at Cubs, 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
AL: TBD at TBD, 6:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
NL: Reds/Mets at Dodgers, 9:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
Wild card Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 1
AL: TBD, 1:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
NL: Padres at Cubs, 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
AL: TBD, 6:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
Reds/Mets at Dodgers, 9:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
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Wild card Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 2*Division series (best of five)
ALDS
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 4
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 5
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 7
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 8*
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 10*
NLDS
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 4
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 6
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 8
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 9*
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 11*
Championship series (best of seven)
ALCS
Game 1: Sunday, Oct 12
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 13
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 15
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 16
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 17*
Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 19*
Game 7: Monday, Oct. 20*
NLCS
Game 1: Monday, Oct 13
Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 14
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 16
Game 4: Friday, Oct. 17
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 18*
Game 6: Monday, Oct. 20*
Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 21*
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World Series (best of seven)
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 24
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 25
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 27
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 28
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 29*
Game 6: Friday, Oct. 31*
Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 1*
(*if necessary)