Five teams had a chance to clinch their spots in the 2026 postseason on Wednesday. None of them did.
The Guardians, White Sox, Cubs, Phillies and Padres all had an opportunity to secure their place in the playoff field if things broke right, but they'll all have to wait at least another day to make things official.
As you keep an eye on the standings with just four days remaining in the regular season, here is everything you need to know about how the playoff field is shaping up, as well as info about potential tiebreakers and clinch scenarios for each contender.
WHO IS IN PLAYOFF POSITION?
Here is a look at how the postseason field is shaping up. (Teams listed in order of seeding.)
AL playoff teams: Rays (AL East), Guardians (AL Central), Astros (AL West), Yankees (Wild Card), Red Sox (Wild Card), White Sox (Wild Card)
NL playoff teams: Brewers (NL Central), Dodgers (NL West), Braves (NL East), Padres (Wild Card), Cubs (Wild Card), Phillies (Wild Card)
TODAY'S CLINCH SCENARIOS
• The Guardians can clinch a postseason berth today with a win at Boston OR a loss by the Rangers vs. the Mets OR a loss by the Astros at the Athletics.
• The White Sox can clinch a postseason berth today with a win at Kansas City.
• The eventual AL Central Champion can clinch a bye in the Wild Card Series and home-field advantage in the Division Series today with:
- A win by the Guardians at Boston OR a loss by the Astros at the Athletics; AND
- A win by the White Sox at Kansas City OR a loss by the Rangers vs. New York Mets
• The Red Sox can clinch the No. 5 seed in the American League today with a win vs. Cleveland OR a loss by the White Sox at Kansas City.
• The Padres can clinch a postseason berth today with a win at the Dodgers OR a loss by the D-backs at Colorado.
• The Cubs can clinch a postseason berth today with a win vs. Miami OR a loss by the D-backs at Colorado.
• The Phillies can clinch a postseason berth today with a win vs. Milwaukee AND a loss by either the D-backs at Colorado or the Padres at the Dodgers.
• The Brewers can clinch the No. 1 seed in the National League and home-field advantage throughout the postseason today with a win at Philadelphia AND a loss by the Dodgers vs. San Diego.
• The Dodgers can clinch a bye in the Wild Card Series and home-field advantage in the Division Series today with a win vs. San Diego OR a loss by the Braves vs. Cincinnati.
For a look at the full bracket, see the top of this page.
Each of the best-of-three Wild Card Series is set to begin on Sept. 29, while each of the best-of-five Division Series is set to begin on Oct. 3.
WHO HAS CLINCHED A PLAYOFF SPOT?
The Rays, Brewers, Dodgers, Yankees, Braves and Red Sox have all clinched a postseason spot. All three NL divisions have been decided: The Brewers clinched the NL Central on Sept. 15, the Dodgers won the NL West on Sept. 17, and the Braves wrapped up the NL East on Sunday. The Red Sox secured an AL Wild Card on Sunday. The Rays clinched the AL East on Tuesday, which locked the Yankees into the top AL Wild Card spot.
WHAT ARE THE TIGHTEST RACES?
NL Wild Card: Padres lead Cubs and Phillies by 1 game
AL West: Astros and Rangers tied (Astros hold tiebreaker)
AL Central: Guardians lead White Sox by 1 game
AL Wild Card: White Sox lead Rangers by 3 games, Orioles by 3.5 games for final berth
THURSDAY'S KEY GAMES
Brewers at Phillies, 6:05 p.m. ET | Get tickets
Guardians at Red Sox, 6:45 p.m. ET | Get tickets
Padres at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. ET | Get tickets
WHO OWNS THE TIEBREAKERS?
Since 2022, all playoff tiebreakers have been determined mathematically, rather than via tiebreaker games. That means ties for division titles and postseason berths, as well as for seeding, come down first to head-to-head record between those teams during the season, with other tiebreakers available if needed.
Below, MLB.com is tracking the progress of relevant tiebreaker scenarios for contenders.
AL EAST
Rays (Clinched AL East, AL No. 1 seed)
The Rays clinched the AL East and the No. 1 seed with a win over the Yankees in the second game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, guaranteeing them home-field advantage through the ALCS.
Yankees (Clinched 1st AL Wild Card)
By taking one of two games in a doubleheader against the Rays on Tuesday, coupled with a Red Sox loss to the Guardians, the Yankees locked in the top AL Wild Card.
Red Sox (2nd in AL Wild Card; 3 games ahead of CWS)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: White Sox
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: N/A
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: Guardians (3-2; 1 game left)
The Red Sox own the tiebreaker over the White Sox should the two clubs finish tied for a Wild Card spot.
Orioles (3.5 games behind CWS for 3rd AL Wild Card)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: Astros, White Sox
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: Rangers
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: N/A
The Orioles remain in the Wild Card hunt and hold the tiebreaker over the White Sox should the two clubs end up with the same record.
AL CENTRAL
Guardians (1st in AL Central; 1 game ahead of CWS)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: N/A
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: Astros, Rangers, White Sox
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: Red Sox (2-3; 1 game left)
If the Guardians beat the Red Sox on Thursday, they'll clinch the tiebreaker with Boston on division record.
White Sox (2nd in AL Central; 1 game behind CLE)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: Guardians, Rangers
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: Orioles, Red Sox, Astros
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: N/A
With a win over Cleveland on Sept. 14, the White Sox secured a crucial tiebreaker over the Guardians.
AL WEST
Astros (Tied with TEX for 1st in AL West)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: Guardians, Rangers, White Sox
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: Orioles
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: N/A
With the Astros and Rangers fighting for the AL West, Houston's head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas looms large.
Rangers (Tied with HOU for 1st in AL West)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: Guardians, Orioles
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: Astros, White Sox
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: N/A
The Rangers are in great shape among AL Wild Card contenders, although they would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker to the Astros if the two clubs finish tied atop the AL West.
Mariners (3rd in AL West; 4 games behind HOU/TEX)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: Astros
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: Rangers
After Wednesday's walk-off win over the Astros, the Mariners still have a slim chance to win the AL West on a tiebreaker.
NL EAST
Braves (Clinched NL East)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: Dodgers
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: N/A
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: N/A
Atlanta can still finish as the NL's No. 2 seed and earn a first-round bye but would need to finish 4-0 and have the Dodgers close the season without another win.
Phillies (3rd in NL Wild Card; 3 games ahead of AZ)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: Padres
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: Braves, Cubs, D-backs
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: N/A
The Phillies lost the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Cubs but do hold the tiebreaker over the Padres, which would give them the No. 2 NL Wild Card spot if the three clubs end up tied.
NL CENTRAL
Brewers (Clinched NL Central)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: Dodgers
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: N/A
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: N/A
The Brewers own the tiebreaker over the Dodgers, so if the two clubs finish tied for the best record in the NL, Milwaukee will claim the top seed.
Cubs (2nd in NL Wild Card, 3 games ahead of AZ)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: D-backs, Padres, Phillies
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: N/A
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: N/A
The Cubs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Phillies, giving them the edge in the Wild Card standings with the two clubs currently tied.
NL WEST
Dodgers (Clinched NL West)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: N/A
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: Braves, Brewers
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: N/A
The Dodgers have lost head-to-head tiebreakers against both the Braves and Brewers, which could matter in the race for a first-round postseason bye.
Padres (1st in NL Wild Card, 1 game ahead of CHC/PHI)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: N/A
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: Cubs, Phillies
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: D-backs (5-5; 3 games left)
The Padres lost the season series to both the Cubs and Phillies, so they would be the third NL Wild Card in case of a three-team tie.
D-backs (3 games behind CHC/PHI, 4 games behind SD for NL Wild Card)
- Win tiebreaker vs.: Phillies
- Lose tiebreaker vs.: Cubs
- Tiebreaker TBD vs.: Padres (5-5; 3 games left)
The D-backs will wrap up the regular season against the Padres at Petco Park in a pivotal series that will determine the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two clubs and could decide a playoff spot.