MLB playoff tracker: Who can clinch next, key series and current playoff bracket

Published

3 years ago

September 27, 2022

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9:30 AM ET

There are still a couple weeks left to go in the 2022 MLB regular season, but a few teams are already looking toward October.

The Dodgers have officially secured the season’s first playoff berth, and the Houston Astros, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians followed next. Meanwhile, clubs such as the Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres, are battling it out for the remaining wild-card spots. Beyond division races, there are many storylines to watch as the regular season comes to an end and October begins, such as Seattle’s attempt to break a 21-year playoff drought, Aaron Judge‘s race to 62 home runs and Albert Pujols‘ quest for 700 career home runs.

Where do the current playoff matchups stand? What series should you be paying attention to in the coming week? And what does the playoff schedule look like? We have everything you need to know as the regular season winds down.

Key links: Standings | Wild-card standings | New tiebreaker format

What are this October’s MLB playoff matchups as it stands now?

American League

Wild-card round: (6) Mariners at (3) Guardians*, (5) Rays at (4) Blue Jays

ALDS: Mariners/Guardians vs. (2) Yankees*, Rays/Blue Jays vs. (1) Astros*

National League

Wild-card round: (6) Phillies at (3) Cardinals, (5) Padres at (4) Braves*

NLDS: Phillies/Cardinals vs. (2) Mets*, Padres/Braves vs. (1) Dodgers*

*Clinched playoff berth

Who is in?

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers secured the season’s first playoff berth — L.A.’s 10th straight trip to the postseason — and followed that by clinching the NL West with a win in Arizona the next day.

Houston Astros

The Astros became the second team to clinch a postseason berth and followed it up by clinching the AL West title, which is Houston’s fifth division crown in the past six seasons.

New York Mets

The Mets clinched a playoff spot with Max Scherzer’s 200th career win in Milwaukee. While New York is still chasing the bigger goal of an NL East title and the wild-card round bye that comes with it, this is the team’s first playoff appearance since 2016.

Atlanta Braves

While the battle for the NL East will likely come down to the wire, the defending champion Braves clinched a return to the postseason the day after the Mets.

New York Yankees

The Yankees secured their sixth straight playoff berth with a walk-off win over the Red Sox on Thursday night and now turn their attention to wrapping up the AL East, which they can clinch with a win at Toronto tonight.

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians clinched the AL Central for the first time since 2018 with a 10-4 win over Texas on Sunday afternoon, becoming the sixth team to secure a postseason berth.

Who could be next?

St. Louis is counting down to a likely NL Central title thanks to a comfortable division lead over Milwaukee. The Cardinals can clinch with a win at Milwaukee on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Key upcoming series

Yankees at Blue Jays: Sept. 26-28

The Yankees look to clinch AL East race in a three-game series against a Blue Jays team that is trying to keep the Mariners and Rays at bay to maintain its No. 4 seed.

Cardinals at Brewers: Sept. 27-28

A two-game set between NL Central foes might be less enticing with the Brewers so many games behind, but it is worth watching with the Cardinals on the verge of clinching the division.

Dodgers at Padres: Sept. 27-29

The Dodgers have the franchise single-season wins record within reach, while the Padres are battling the Phillies and the surging Brewers for wild-card positioning.

Rays at Guardians: Sept. 27-29

Cleveland has now clinched the AL Central but will look to keep proving itself against fellow playoff contenders. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is locked in back-and-forth wild-card race with Seattle and Toronto.

Playoff schedule

Wild Card Series
Best of three, all games at better seed’s stadium

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 7
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 8
Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 9*

Division Series
Best of five

ALDS
Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 11
Game 2: Thursday, Oct. 13
Game 3: Saturday Oct. 15
Game 4: Sunday, Oct. 16*
Game 5: Monday, Oct. 17*

NLDS
Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 11
Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 12
Game 3: Friday, Oct. 14
Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 15*
Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 16*

League Championship Series
Best of seven

ALCS
Game 1: Wednesday, Oct. 19
Game 2: Thursday, Oct. 20
Game 3: Saturday Oct. 22
Game 4: Sunday, Oct. 23
Game 5: Monday, Oct. 24*
Game 6: Tuesday, Oct. 25*
Game 7: Wednesday Oct. 26*

NLCS
Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 18
Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 19
Game 3: Friday, Oct. 21
Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 22
Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 23*
Game 6: Monday, Oct. 24*
Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 25*

World Series
Best of seven

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 28
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 29
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 31
Game 4: Tuesday, Nov. 1
Game 5: Wednesday, Nov. 2*
Game 6: Friday, Nov. 4*
Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 5*

* If necessary

Sports

Rangers’ Seager feels better, eyes return this year

Published

4 hours ago

September 6, 2025

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Rangers' Seager feels better, eyes return this year

Associated Press

Sep 5, 2025, 08:36 PM ET

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas shortstop Corey Seager is feeling better after having an appendectomy and still hopeful of playing again this season for the playoff-chasing Rangers, though the two-time World Series MVP is unsure if that will happen.

“I mean, I have to think it’s possible … or it won’t be,” Seager said Friday in his first public comments since the procedure Aug. 28 in Texas, the same day the Rangers left for a six-day road trip.

While Seager is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list Sunday, he said there’s no chance of that.

A little while later, the Rangers placed slugger Adolis García on the 10-day IL with a right quadriceps strain – prior to the opener of a three-game series against AL West-leading Houston. That move was retroactive to Tuesday.

Outfielder Dustin Harris was brought up from Triple-A Round Rock and right-hander Jon Gray (right shoulder nerve irritation) was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Seager has researched athletes who have come back to play after an appendectomy.

“I feel like I got very opposite ends of the spectrum,” he said. “It was either really fast or kind of wasn’t.”

Matt Holliday was with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 when he had an appendectomy on April 1, and returned to their lineup as the designated hitter nine days later. Seager said he had also been told of some basketball players returning in three weeks.

“But it’s not rotating and stuff, so I don’t know if that changes it just because of where the incisions are,” Seager said. “So I really don’t know.”

Seager’s appendectomy came a day after he experienced abdominal pain during the Rangers’ previous home game, a 20-3 win in the finale of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 27. He hit his 21st homer of the season in that game, after also going deep the previous night.

Seager said he started feeling pain after the series opener against the Angels.

“Then it just kind of progressively got worse,” said Seager, adding doctors told him he was within 48 hours of his appendix rupturing.

“Which is a very different story,” he said.

Texas went into the series against the Astros five games behind the division leaders, and 1 1/2 games out of the final American League wild-card spot. Second baseman Marcus Semien (left foot) and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (right rotator cuff strain) are among other injured Rangers.

Sports

Dodgers’ Rushing fouls pitch off leg, awaits scan

Published

4 hours ago

September 6, 2025

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Dodgers' Rushing fouls pitch off leg, awaits scan

Associated Press

Sep 6, 2025, 12:08 AM ET

BALTIMORE — Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing left Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles after fouling a pitch off his leg in the top of the sixth inning.

Rushing suffered a right lower leg contusion after he fouled off a pitch from Orioles right-hander Kade Strowd. Rushing was replaced by pinch-hitter Alex Call and then catcher Ben Rortvedt.

Starting catcher Will Smith is not available Saturday because of a right hand contusion.

Manager Dave Roberts said Rushing was in rough shape after the baseball hit the inside of his right knee. The catcher was seen on crutches in the clubhouse after the game.

“It got him pretty good,” Roberts said. “X-rays fortunately were negative. He’s going to get a CT scan tomorrow morning just to kind of dig a little deeper on it. He’s pretty banged up right now. I think until we know more, obviously he’s not going to be in there tomorrow. I guess it’s adding him to the day to day list.”

Roberts said Rortvedt will catch Saturday and the club will call up another catcher.

Sports

Witt leaves Royals’ win with low back spasms

Published

4 hours ago

September 6, 2025

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Witt leaves Royals' win with low back spasms

ESPN News Services

Sep 5, 2025, 10:09 PM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bobby Witt Jr. left the Kansas City Royals’ 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday in the seventh inning because of low back spasms.

The Royals shortstop made two defensive plays, on ground balls, in the top half of the sixth inning, then exited before Kansas City took the field in the seventh.

“[It happened] sometime in that inning before we took him out,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He talked to [Royals head athletic trainer Kyle Turner]. As he sat there, it got worse.”

With the Royals leading 2-1, Witt was replaced in the lineup by Nick Loftin, who played third base while Maikel Garcia shifted to shortstop.

Quatraro offered no prognosis on Witt’s return.

“Right now, we just think it’s back spasms, low back spasms,” Quatraro said. “It locked up pretty good on him.”

Witt was 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.