A look at where the baseball playoff races stand entering play Saturday:
American League teams that clinched first-round playoff byes:
No. 1 New York Yankees (93-67, AL East champion)
No. 2 Cleveland Guardians (92-68, AL Central champion)
American League wild-card matchups, at the moment:
No. 6 Kansas City Royals (85-75, third AL wild card) at No. 3 Houston Astros (87-73, AL West champ)
No. 5 Detroit Tigers (86-74, second AL wild card) at No. 4 Baltimore Orioles (89-71, first AL wild card)
National League teams that clinched first-round playoff byes:
No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers (96-64, NL West champion)
No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies (94-66, NL East champion)
National League wild-card matchups, at the moment:
No. 6 New York Mets (87-71, third NL wild card) at No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers (92-68, NL Central champion)
No. 5 Atlanta Braves (87-71, second NL wild card) at No. 4 San Diego Padres (92-68, first NL wild card)
DIVISION-BY-DIVISION BREAKDOWN
AL EAST
New York Yankees (93-67). Clinched the division title and a wild-card-round bye. One game ahead of the Guardians for the AL’s best record after losing 4-2 to the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.
Baltimore Orioles (89-71). 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. Play two more games in Minneapolis to finish the regular season.
AL CENTRAL
Cleveland Guardians (92-68). Clinched division title. Trail the Yankees by one game for the best record in the AL after losing 5-2 to the visiting Astros in the opener of a three-game series on Friday.
Detroit Tigers (86-74). 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 ahead of two more games against Chicago.
Kansas City Royals (85-75). 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 two games to play at Atlanta.
AL WEST
Houston Astros (87-73). Clinched division title and locked into the No. 3 seed in the AL playoffs. Beat the host Guardians 5-2 on Friday to begin a three-game series.
NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies (94-66). Clinched the division title and a first-round bye. Trail the Dodgers two games for the NL’s best record after falling 9-1 in the opener of a three-game series at Washington on Friday. Own the tiebreaker vs. Los Angeles.
New York Mets (87-71). Tied with the Braves and Diamondbacks for the second and third wild cards after losing 8-4 at Milwaukee on Friday to start a three-game series. 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. the Diamondbacks.
Atlanta Braves (87-71). Tied with the Mets and Diamondbacks for the second and third wild cards after winning 3-0 on Friday in the opener of a three-game home series against Kansas City. 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. the Diamondbacks.
NL CENTRAL
Milwaukee Brewers (92-68). Clinched division title and locked into the No. 3 NL seed. Defeated the Mets 8-4 on Friday to open a three-game home series.
NL WEST
Los Angeles Dodgers (96-64). Clinched the division title and a first-round bye. Lead the Phillies by two games for the best record in the majors after routing the Colorado Rockies 11-4 on Friday in Denver to start a three-game series.
San Diego Padres (92-68). Clinched the top wild card with a 5-3 win over Arizona in Phoenix on Friday to open a three-game series.
Arizona Diamondbacks (88-72). In a virtual tie with the Braves and the Mets for the second and third wild cards after losing 5-3 to San Diego on Friday in the opener of a three-game set. Both New York and Atlanta hold tiebreaker advantages over Arizona.
–Field Level Media