2024 MLB Playoffs Tracker: Standings, Clinch Scenarios, Tiebreakers and Postseason Schedule as of September 27

The MLB postseason is just around the corner. And with three games left in the regular season, any team with World Series aspirations still has a long way to go.

Let’s break down the current state of the MLB standings and playoffs.

Who has secured a spot in the playoffs?

On Thursday, the Dodgers secured the NL West title and a place in the top two with a win over the Padres. They receive a bye in the wildcard round and have home advantage in the NLDS. The Dodgers secured their 12th consecutive postseason appearance with a 20-4 (yes, 20-4) victory over the Marlins on September 19th. Ohtani delivered an absolutely historic performance, sealing the first 50:50 season in MLB history.

The Yankees clinched the AL East, a spot in the top two, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the ALDS with their 10-1 win over the Orioles on Thursday. They are competing with the Guardians for the No. 1 seed in the AL.

On Wednesday, the Phillies secured a top-two spot in the NL playoffs with their win over the Cubs and the Brewers’ win over the Pirates. The NL East champion receives a bye in the wild card round and home-field advantage in the NLDS. They are competing with the Dodgers for the No. 1 seed in the NL.

On Tuesday, the Orioles secured a spot in the AL playoffs with their win over the Yankees and the Twins’ loss to the Marlins. They have not yet secured their spot for the postseason.

Also on Tuesday, the Astros secured their postseason ticket and won their fourth straight AL West title with a victory over the Mariners. They will be No. 3 in the AL rankings and host a wild-card series.

The Padres secured their spot in the NL postseason round on Tuesday with a 4-2 victory over the Dodgers that ended in a triple play. They have not yet secured their spot for the postseason.

On September 19th, the Guardians secured their ticket to October with a walk-off win against the Twins. Cleveland clinched the AL Central title on Saturday, and with Tuesday’s 6-1 win over the Reds, they secured themselves no worse than No. 2 in the American League, meaning they’ll be in the wild-card round and in the Home field a bye has advantage in the ALDS.

The Brewers clinched the NL Central title on September 18th. They have not yet secured their playoff spot.

Subscribe Baseball Bar B Cast To Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Who can win next?

According to FanGraphs, the Royals, Tigers and Mets are eyeing the postseason with odds above 70%. The Diamondbacks are over 50% but still have a long way to go until October.

Seven of the eight teams that secured their postseason spots are still fighting for playoff berths. Only the Astros secured their spot (No. 3 in the AL).

The Twins and Braves are not eliminated yet and are still in the hunt for the wild card spots, although they still have a lot of work to do and need some help to get there.

What else is there to win?

Once a team has secured their ticket to the postseason, there is still a lot to play for. Teams could be fighting for playoff positions until the final weekend of the season.

Numbers 1 and 2 in each league go to the division winners with the two best records. These teams receive a bye through the wild card round and hosting rights in the division series.

The No. 3 seed goes to the winner of the third division, and that team will host a three-game wild card series against the No. 6 seed (which goes to the third wild card). The top wildcard team will receive the No. 4 seed in the Wildcard round and hosting duties against the No. 5 seed.

The higher seed will also receive home field advantage in the championship series once we get that far.

What would the playoff round look like if the season ended today?

American League

Wildcard: No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 3 Houston Astros*

ALDS: Wildcard winner vs. No. 2 Cleveland Guardians*

Wildcard: No. 5 Kansas City Royals vs. No. 4 Baltimore Orioles*

ALDS: Wildcard winner vs. No. 1 New York Yankees*

Bundesliga

Wildcard: No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers*

NLDS: Wildcard winner vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies*

Wildcard: No. 5 New York Mets vs. No. 4 San Diego Padres*

NLDS: Wildcard winner vs. No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers*

(*secured playoff spot)

What are the tiebreakers?

Teams will no longer play Game 163 if they end the season in a draw. Instead, the tiebreakers are determined first using the head-to-head records and then, if necessary, using the intradivision records.

Here are the tiebreakers that could come into play:

• The Yankees won the tiebreaker against the Guardians.

• The Phillies won the tiebreakers against the Dodgers and Brewers.

• The Twins won the tiebreakers against the Tigers and Royals.

• The Royals won the tiebreaker against the Tigers.

• The Mets won the tiebreakers against the Padres and Diamondbacks.

• The Braves won the tiebreaker against the Diamondbacks.

• The D-Backs hold the tiebreaker against the Padres with three games left to play.

• The Braves are in a tiebreaker against the Mets with two games left to play.

Read more: 2024 MLB Offseason Preview: What’s Next for the White Sox, Nationals, A’s and More??

What is the schedule for the Wild Card and Division Series?

Wildcard series

Game 1: Tuesday, October 1st
Game 2: Wednesday, October 2nd
Game 3: Thursday, October 3rd*

Division Series

ALDS

Game 1: Saturday, October 5th
Game 2: Monday, October 7th
Game 3: Wednesday, October 9th
Game 4: Thursday, October 10th*
Game 5: Saturday, October 12th*

NLDS

Game 1: Saturday, October 5th
Game 2: Sunday, October 6th
Game 3: Tuesday, October 8th
Game 4: Wednesday, October 9th*
Game 5: Friday, October 11th*

(*if required)