MLB playoff picture tightens in final stretch with multiple races undecided

Six teams are locked into each league's postseason field as of September 11, per MLB.com, but several division and Wild Card races remain undecided heading into the season's final weeks.

In the American League, the Rays hold a 3-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East, according to MLB.com. The Rays would retain the tiebreaker over the Yankees unless New York sweeps all four games in Tampa Bay from September 22-24. The Yankees have locked the tiebreaker against the Red Sox after taking three of four from Boston from August 28-30. The Yankees lead the Wild Card race by 4.5 games over the Red Sox, per MLB.com.

The Guardians hold the third Wild Card spot, 1 game ahead of the Blue Jays and 3 games ahead of the Orioles, per MLB.com. The Blue Jays earned a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Guardians with a win on September 3. The Guardians would lose tiebreakers against the Blue Jays and Rangers, their closest competition. The Twins need just one win against the Guardians this weekend at Target Field to clinch the season series and pick up an important tiebreaker, according to MLB.com.

The White Sox lead the AL Central by 1.5 games over the Guardians. The White Sox need just one win in its final series against Cleveland from September 14-16 to secure a critical tiebreaker against the Guardians, per MLB.com. The Astros lead the AL West by 3 games over the Rangers, according to MLB.com. Houston would win a tiebreaker against Texas in the case of a tie atop the division. The Mariners sit 5 games behind the Guardians for the third Wild Card; all of their relevant postseason tiebreakers have already been decided, per MLB.com.

In the National League, the Brewers lead the NL Central by 10 games over the Cubs. The Braves hold a 4-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East after a comeback win on Sunday that gave them the head-to-head tiebreaker against their division rivals, per MLB.com. If the Brewers and Braves end the regular season tied, the higher seed will go to the club with the better division record, according to MLB.com.

The Phillies lead the Wild Card race by 1 game over the Cubs but do not hold head-to-head tiebreakers against either the Cubs or Braves, per MLB.com. The Cubs could secure all relevant tiebreakers with a sweep of the Braves during their September 14-16 series at Wrigley Field, according to MLB.com.

The Padres lead the Diamondbacks by 0.5 games for the third Wild Card spot. The Pirates sit 4.5 games behind the Padres. If the Pirates force a tiebreaker with either the Padres or Diamondbacks, the tiebreaker will come down to division record, per MLB.com. The Padres can pick up two tiebreakers if they win one of three games against Miami from September 18-20 or win their series against Arizona from September 25-27, according to MLB.com. The Diamondbacks will wrap up the regular season against the Padres at Petco Park in a pivotal series that might just decide a playoff spot, per MLB.com.

The Dodgers lead the NL West by 11 games over the Padres but have lost head-to-head tiebreakers against both the Braves and Brewers, which could matter in the race for a first-round postseason bye, according to MLB.com.

Since 2022, all playoff tiebreakers have been determined mathematically, rather than via tiebreaker games, with ties decided first by head-to-head record between the teams during the season, per MLB.com. Best-of-three Wild Card Series begin September 29, with best-of-five Division Series following October 3.