A look at where the baseball playoff races stand entering play Sunday:
American League teams that clinched first-round playoff byes:
No. 1 New York Yankees (93-68, AL East champion)
No. 2 Cleveland Guardians (92-69, AL Central champion)
American League wild-card matchups, at the moment:
No. 6 Kansas City Royals (85-76, third AL wild card) at No. 3 Houston Astros (88-73, AL West champion)
No. 5 Detroit Tigers (86-75, second AL wild card) at No. 4 Baltimore Orioles (90-71, first AL wild card)
National League teams that clinched first-round playoff byes:
No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers (97-64, NL West champion)
No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies (94-67, NL East champion)
National League wild-card matchups, at the moment:
No. 6 New York Mets (87-72, third NL wild card) at No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers (93-68, NL Central champion)
No. 5 Atlanta Braves (88-71, second NL wild card) at No. 4 San Diego Padres (93-68, first NL wild card)
DIVISION-BY-DIVISION BREAKDOWN
AL EAST
New York Yankees (93-68). Clinched the division title and a wild-card-round bye. Fell 9-4 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday but still managed to lock up the No. 1 seed in the AL thanks to Cleveland’s 4-3 setback against Houston.
Baltimore Orioles (90-71). Clinched the top wild-card spot and home-field advantage in a first-round playoff series with a 7-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday. Also prevailed on Saturday and will play one more game in Minneapolis to finish the regular season.
AL CENTRAL
Cleveland Guardians (92-69). Clinched division title. Will have to settle for the No. 2 seed in the AL following Saturday’s loss to the Astros. Still have a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the AL Division Series.
Detroit Tigers (86-75). Clinched a wild-card berth with a 4-1 win over the visiting White Sox on Friday. One game up on the Royals for the second wild-card position with one game left against Chicago following Saturday’s 4-0 loss.
Kansas City Royals (85-76). Clinched a wild-card berth on Friday, despite a 3-0 defeat against the Braves, when the Twins lost to the Orioles. One game behind the Tigers for the second wild-card spot with one game remaining in Atlanta. Dropped a 2-1 decision to the Braves on Saturday. Hold the tiebreaker against Detroit by virtue of a 7-6 edge in the season series between the teams.
AL WEST
Houston Astros (88-73). Clinched division title and locked into the No. 3 seed in the AL playoffs. Beat the host Guardians 5-2 on Friday and 4-3 on Saturday to begin a three-game series.
NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies (94-67). Clinched the division title and a first-round bye. Cannot catch the Dodgers for the top seed in the NL due to Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Washington Nationals.
New York Mets (87-72). Tied with the Diamondbacks for the third wild card and one game behind the Braves, who own the second, after losing 6-0 at Milwaukee on Saturday. Headed to Atlanta for a makeup doubleheader on Monday, with the Braves holding a 6-5 edge in the season series for tiebreaker purposes. Own the tiebreaker vs. Arizona.
Atlanta Braves (88-71). Clinging to the second NL wild card, one game up on the Mets and Diamondbacks, following a walk-off, 2-1 win against Kansas City on Saturday. Will host a makeup doubleheader vs. the Mets on Monday, holding a 6-5 advantage in the season series between the teams. Own the head-to-head tiebreaker vs. Arizona.
NL CENTRAL
Milwaukee Brewers (93-68). Clinched division title and locked into the NL’s No. 3 seed. Defeated the Mets in the first two games of a three-game set.
NL WEST
Los Angeles Dodgers (97-64). Clinched the division title and a first-round bye. Pummeled the Colorado Rockies 13-2 on Saturday, the same day Philadelphia fell to Washington. Have the No. 1 seed in the NL and will finish with the best record in the majors thanks to that loss by the Phillies.
San Diego Padres (93-68). Clinched the top wild card with a 5-3 win over Arizona in Phoenix on Friday to open a three-game series. Beat the Diamondbacks again, 5-0, on Saturday.
Arizona Diamondbacks (88-73). In a virtual tie with the Mets for the third wild card after losing 5-0 to San Diego on Saturday. Don’t have the tiebreaker against New York and are one game behind the Braves, who occupy the second wild-card spot. Also don’t have the tiebreaker against Atlanta.
–Field Level Media