A look at where the baseball playoff races stand entering Monday:
American League teams that clinched first-round playoff byes:
No. 1 New York Yankees (94-68, AL East champion)
No. 2 Cleveland Guardians (92-69, AL Central champion)
American League wild-card matchups:
No. 6 Detroit Tigers (86-76, third AL wild card) at No. 3 Houston Astros (88-73, AL West champion)
No. 5 Kansas City Royals (86-76, second AL wild card) at No. 4 Baltimore Orioles (91-71, first AL wild card)
National League teams that clinched first-round playoff byes:
No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers (98-64, NL West champion)
No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies (95-67, NL East champion)
National League wild-card matchups, at the moment:
No. 6 New York Mets (88-72, third NL wild card) at No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers (93-69, NL Central champion)
No. 5 Atlanta Braves (88-72, second NL wild card) at No. 4 San Diego Padres (93-69, first NL wild card)
DIVISION-BY-DIVISION BREAKDOWN
AL EAST
New York Yankees (94-68). 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. Will face the winner of a wild-card series between Baltimore and Kansas City in the AL Division Series.
Baltimore Orioles (91-71). Clinched the top wild-card spot and home-field advantage for their first-round playoff series against the Royals with a 7-2 win over the Twins on Friday. Topped Minnesota two more times to complete a season-ending, three-game series sweep. Wild-card series with Kansas City begins Tuesday.
AL CENTRAL
Cleveland Guardians (92-69). Clinched division title. Settled 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 ALDS, where they will face either Houston or Detroit. Had Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Astros washed out, and the contest will not be made up.
Detroit Tigers (86-76). Clinched a wild-card berth with a 4-1 win over the visiting White Sox on Friday. Dropped a 9-5 decision to Chicago on Sunday to slip into the third wild-card spot. Finished with the same record as Kansas City, but the Royals owned the tiebreaker thanks to a 7-6 edge in the season series between the teams. Off to face Houston in a wild-card series beginning Tuesday.
Kansas City Royals (86-76). Clinched a wild-card berth on Friday, despite a 3-0 defeat against the Braves, when the Twins lost to the Orioles. Moved up into the second wild-card spot with Sunday’s 4-2 victory over Atlanta. Beat out the Tigers in the wild-card race via head-to-head tiebreaker. Start a wild-card series vs. Baltimore on Tuesday.
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 that ended prematurely after rain canceled Sunday’s finale. Take on Detroit on Tuesday in Game 1 of a first-round series.
NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies (95-67). Clinched the division title and a first-round bye. Could not catch the Dodgers for the top seed in the NL due to Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Washington Nationals. Will face either the Brewers or the NL’s third wild card in the NL Division Series.
New York Mets (88-72). Tied with the Diamondbacks and Braves for the last two wild cards. 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. One win during Monday’s twin bill would give them the third wild card, while a sweep would hand them the second. Ending up with the third wild card would lead to a first-round series with Milwaukee, while the No. 2 wild card would pit them against the Padres to open the postseason.
Atlanta Braves (88-72). In a virtual tie with the Mets and Diamondbacks for the last two wild cards following a 4-2 setback against Kansas City on Sunday. Will host a makeup doubleheader vs. the Mets on Monday, holding a 6-5 advantage in the season series between the teams. Also own the head-to-head tiebreaker vs. Arizona. Can grab the No. 5 seed (second wild card) in the NL playoffs with just one victory against New York on Monday. Two also does the trick. Would then visit the Padres on Tuesday for Game 1 of a wild-card series.
NL CENTRAL
Milwaukee Brewers (93-69). 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 before losing 5-0 on Sunday. Will face Arizona, New York or Atlanta in the NLDS.
NL WEST
Los Angeles Dodgers (98-64). 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 finished with the best record in the majors thanks to that loss by the Phillies. Set to meet the Padres, Mets or Braves in the NLDS. New York and Atlanta are still fighting for wild-card spots.
San Diego Padres (93-69). 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 before an 11-2 setback on Sunday. Either the Mets or Braves will face them in the wild-card round.
Arizona Diamondbacks (89-73). In a virtual tie with the Mets and Braves for the last two wild cards, keeping their postseason hopes alive with Sunday’s 11-2 drubbing of San Diego. Don’t have the tiebreaker against New York or Atlanta, so will need one of those teams to sweep the other when the NL East rivals play a doubleheader on Monday. Should a sweep occur, they will secure the third wild card and hit the road for a first-round series with the Brewers. If the Braves and Mets play to a split, they will be eliminated from postseason contention because of the head-to-head tiebreakers.
Tuesday playoff schedule:
Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros (Game 1, AL wild-card series), 2:30 p.m. ET
Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles (Game 1, AL wild-card series), 4 p.m. ET
No. 3 wild card in NL at Milwaukee Brewers (Game 1, NL wild-card series), 5:30 p.m. ET
No. 2 wild card in NL at San Diego Padres (Game 1, NL wild-card series), 8:30 p.m. ET
–Field Level Media