MLB Postseason Watch: All You Need to Know About the Playoff Field, Brackets, and More

October baseball nears as postseason watch heats up by the day. A dozen clubs will eventually book an official trip to the postseason by the end of the regular season to compete for the World Series title. However, between now and October 1 when the postseason kicks off, everyone’s eye is right on the standings – including ours.

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In the meantime, here’s all you need to know about the playoff field, brackets, and more towards the 2024 MLB Postseason.

As It Stands…by September 17

Here’s how the postseason field stands entering Tuesday, September 17, 2024. The teams’ list is in order of seeding.

AL Playoff Teams

Yankees (AL, East), Guardians (AL Central), Astros (AL West), Orioles (Wild Card), Royals (Wild Card), Twins (Wild Card)

NL Playoff Teams

Phillies (NL East), Dodgers (NL West), Brewers (NL Central), Padres (Wild Card), D-backs (Wild Card), Mets (Wild Card)

The Post-season kicks off with the best-of-three Wild Card Series on October 1, while each of the best-of-five Division Series is set to begin four days earlier on October 5. Next, we explore top contenders for the postseason.

The Closest Races

‘‘Whoever would understand the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game – and do it by watching first some high school or small-town teams.’’ – Jacques Barzun.

Perhaps one logic behind Jacques Barzun’s quote was the close contests MLB fans never seem to get to the end of. Close contests are always enticing as suspense hangs over fans’ bragging rights as deadline day nears. Here are the closest races in the MLB Postseason race as of Tuesday, September 17, 2024 morning.

NL Wild Card: Mets lead Braves by one game

AL Wild Card: Twins lead Tigers by 1.5 games

AL East: Yankees lead Orioles by three games

AL West: Astros lead Mariners by four games

AL Central: Guardians lead Royals by five games

Key Games on Tuesday

• Tigers visit Royals in a showdown slated for 7.40 p.m ET.
• Padres welcome Astros, 9.40 p.m. ET
• The Yankees play the Mariners, 9.40 pm. ET

Wild-Card Tiebreakers That Could Influence the 2024 Postseason Bracket

“This is not an easy game. To be a champion, you have to invest a little extra.” – Pete Rose.

Hopefully, teams can invest the “little extra” to oust competitors and book a place in the postseason. With Game 163 tiebreaker done away, the head-to-head record will readily break many ties, while the mathematical interpretations will resolve the remaining ties toward determining the complete postseason bracket. Since it’s easiest to break ties by head-to-head meetings, here’s a review of wild-card tiebreakers that could impact the 2024 postseason bracket.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks won the tiebreaker over the Phillies but lost to the Braves, Dodgers, and Mets (which puts them at a further disadvantage in the NL West race). As it stands, D-backs and Padres or Dodgers may play each other in the final series of the regular season for a tiebreaker.

Atlanta Braves

The Braves won a tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks and Phillies but lost to the Brewers and Padres. They’re unlikely to catch the Dodgers, but if they do, the tiebreaker will be decided in their season series’ final game. Atalanta also has a tied season series with the Mets at 5-5.

Baltimore Orioles

The O’ Baltimore won the tiebreaker over the Royals but lost to the Astros and Guardians. They have one three-game series remaining with the Yankees between September 24-26 at the Yankees Stadium. Winning only one of those games gives them the tiebreaker. The Yankees have a similar situation with the Twins.

Boston Red Sox

Winning tiebreakers over Mariners and Royals and losing to Astros, Guardians, Orioles, Tigers, and Yankees means the Bostons are in a dire situation. Their three-game series with the Twins at Fenway Park from September 20-22 might be their last chance to land a wild-card spot. Hopefully, they’ll sweep the three games to get the tiebreaker.

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians defeated the Orioles, Tigers, and Twins, but lost to the Royals and Yankees. They must sweep their series with the Astros to clinch their tiebreaker with the Astros and determine the No. 2 seed. They 

Detroit Tigers

Having lost the tiebreaker to the Royals and Twins, the Tigers must pass at least one of those teams to get a wild-card spot.

Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals are four games behind Cleveland for the AL Central title and only need to tie the Guardians to gain ground in the wild-card race.

Houston Astros

Closing out the regular season with three games at Progressive Field, getting a bye is still possible for the Houston Astros even though they’re four games down behind Cleveland.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers look poised to win their third straight NL West title – although the race is far from over. However, their tiebreakers with the Brewers and Phillies could ultimately determine whether one team gets a wild-card bye or has to feature in the extra round.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers already have the NL Central title in the bag. As it stands, their tiebreakers with the Dodgers and Phillies are the only ones that matter to Milwaukee.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins are in great shape tiebreaker-wise and only need to go 1-2 in their Fenway Park series to clinch the tiebreaker.

New York Mets

The Mets already clinched the season series over the D-backs and Padres. Their tiebreaker with the Braves, however, could decide one postseason spot.

New York Yankees

The Yankees’ O’s tiebreaker is the most important one. Should the Yankees sweep their next week’s series, they’re set to win the AL East outright.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are well-positioned to win their first division title since 2011. They’re in top shape tiebreaker-wise and generally.

San Diego Padres

The Padres may be four games behind the Dodgers in the loss column, but they hold the tiebreaker and could decide their fate in the NL West. San Diego also closes out the regular season with three games in Arizona, the winner of which gets the tiebreaker and potentially much more.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners need just one win in their final series against the Astros to secure a tiebreaker that would hand Seattle the AL West if both teams finish the regular season with a tie.

Final Thoughts

While no team has clinched a spot in the postseason, some teams look “almost there,” and others are somewhat “in the mix.”

The Yankees, Orioles, Brewers, Dodgers, and Padres have 90% postseason odds at least. D-backs, Twins, Braves, and Mets look “in good shape”, with 50-89% postseason odds. Tigers and Mariners are somewhat in between with 10-49% postseason odds, while Red Sox are still in the race despite having a 1-9% probability of making a postseason berth.