With the regular season nearing an end, there’s still plenty of uncertainty when it comes to the American League side of the playoff bracket.
The Mariners are the only AL team that has already clinched its division. The Blue Jays and Yankees, who have punched their ticket to October, will take their battle for the AL East crown -- and thereby the No. 1 seed -- into the final day. And the Red Sox have clinched a berth in the Wild Card Series, where they’ll be heading out on the road to open postseason play.
The Guardians and Tigers are tied for first in the AL Central, and each clinched a postseason berth with a victory on Saturday to round out the AL playoff field. The wins by Cleveland and Detroit eliminated the Astros from postseason contention.
Here’s a look at what the remaining contenders for the AL East and AL Central titles are facing on the final day of the regular season:
AL EAST
Blue Jays (93-68; T-1st in AL East)
- Win tiebreaker vs: Yankees
- Lose tiebreaker vs: N/A
The Blue Jays control their own destiny when it comes to clinching their first division title in a decade and also the No. 1 seed in the AL. It's plain and simple: win on Sunday against the Rays. If they do, they will claim the AL East crown since they own the tiebreaker over the Yankees after winning the season series between the clubs. If Toronto loses, it will need New York to lose to clinch the division. But if the Jays lose and the Yanks win, the Yankees will be AL East champs.
Yankees (93-68; T-1st in AL East; 1st in AL Wild Card)
- Win tiebreaker vs: N/A
- Lose tiebreaker vs: Blue Jays
The Yanks will need some help from Tampa Bay, but since it all comes down to the final day of the regular season on Sunday, anything can happen. It's a must-win for New York against Baltimore in the Bronx in terms of the chance to clinch a second straight AL East title and fourth in seven years. If the Yankees lose, they will be locked into the No. 4 seed as the winner of the first AL Wild Card.
AL CENTRAL
Guardians (87-74; T-1st in AL Central)
- Win tiebreaker vs: Tigers
- Lose tiebreaker vs: Red Sox
The Guardians have made a remarkable comeback after falling as many as 15 1/2 games behind the Tigers in early July, but their work isn’t done yet. Holding a head-to-head tiebreaker with Detroit, Cleveland controls its own destiny for the AL Central. If the Guards win the regular season finale against the Rangers on Sunday, the AL Central is theirs. Because they lose the tiebreaker to Boston (and can’t surpass the Red Sox in the standings at this point), the Guardians' only possible seed as a Wild Card is No. 6.
Tigers (87-74; T-1st in AL Central; 3rd in AL Wild Card)
- Win tiebreaker vs: Red Sox
- Lose tiebreaker vs: Guardians
The Tigers not only let what was once an enormous AL Central lead slip away but also lost the season series to the Guardians, so they need some help from the Rangers against Cleveland on Sunday to win the AL Central.
Also of note: There is a scenario where the Tigers end up as the No. 5 seed in the AL. If they win the final game against the Red Sox on Sunday, both teams would have 88 wins (Detroit owns the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series). If Cleveland also wins Sunday, the Guardians would take the division and be the No. 3 seed, while the Tigers and Red Sox would slot in as the No. 5 and 6 seeds, respectively.