MLB playoffs 2025 tracker: Guardians tie Tigers atop AL Central, Yankees and Mariners get in — standings, schedule, clinch scenarios and more with 5 games to go

The MLB postseason is a week away, and every team with World Series aspirations still has a lot left to play for.

Let’s break down the playoff picture, what’s at stake, who can clinch next and who’s facing whom heading into Wednesday.

Who has clinched a spot in the playoffs?

The Mariners clinched a postseason spot with their comeback victory over the Rockies on Tuesday. They are in line to win their first AL West title since 2001 and secure the No. 2 seed in the AL.

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The Yankees clinched a postseason spot with their walk-off victory over the White Sox on Tuesday. They are in line to claim the top wild card in the AL and the No. 4 seed.

The Padres clinched a postseason spot with a walk-off victory in extra innings Monday. They are in line to secure the second NL wild card and the No. 5 seed.

The Blue Jays clinched a postseason spot on Sept. 21. They’re in line to win the AL East and secure the No. 1 seed in the AL.

The Dodgers clinched a postseason spot on Sept. 19. They are in line to win the NL West and secure the No. 3 seed.

The Cubs clinched a postseason spot on Sept. 17. They are in line to secure the top wild card in the NL and the No. 4 seed.

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The Phillies clinched a postseason spot on Sept. 14. They won the NL East and are in line to secure the NL’s No. 2 seed.

The Brewers clinched the first spot in the playoffs on Sept. 13. They won the NL Central and are in line to secure the NL’s No. 1 seed.

What would the playoff bracket look like if the season ended today?

American League

Wild card: No. 6 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 3 Cleveland Guardians
ALDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 2 Seattle Mariners

Wild card: No. 5 Boston Red Sox vs. No. 4 New York Yankees
ALDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays

National League

Wild card: No. 6 New York Mets vs. No. 3 L.A. Dodgers
NLDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies

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Wild card: No. 5 San Diego Padres vs. No. 4 Chicago Cubs
NLDS: Wild-card winner vs. No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers

Who can clinch next?

The Red Sox’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is down to three. The Mariners are one win away from winning the AL West.

On the NL side, the Dodgers have a 1.5-game lead in the NL West, the last division up for grabs. The Mets currently hold the final wild-card spot by one game over the Reds.

In the AL, the Blue Jays, Yankees and Mariners have clinched postseason spots. Also in playoff position are the Tigers, Red Sox and Guardians. The Blue Jays, Mariners and Guardians (via tiebreaker over the Tigers) currently lead their divisions, with the Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers making up the wild-card field.

A team-by-team look at the latest on the playoff field

Jump to a team by clicking on the links below:

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Toronto Blue Jays

The Jays clinched a playoff berth Sunday with their victory over the Royals, making them the first AL team in the postseason. They have a one-game lead on the Yankees in the AL East. Toronto’s 90 victories lead the AL, which has it in position to clinch the No. 1 seed and secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the division series.

Up next: The Jays conclude the regular season at home, with two more vs. the Red Sox and three vs. the Rays starting Friday.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners swept the Astros this weekend to put them in the driver’s seat for their first AL West title since 2001. They also own the tiebreaker over the Astros. They’re currently in line to secure the No. 2 seed in the AL and a bye to the division series. Their magic number to clinch the AL West is 1.

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Up next: The M’s end the regular season at home, starting with two more against the Rockies. Their final series is a three-game set against the Dodgers beginning Friday.

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians stayed hot Tuesday and tied Detroit for the lead in the AL Central. Tuesday’s victory also clinched Cleveland the tiebreaker against Detroit. The Guardians have won 11 of 12 games and are on pace to complete MLB’s greatest comeback ever after trailing by 15.5 games in July.

Up next: Two more games vs. the Tigers with massive division implications. Cleveland closes out the regular season with a three-game series vs. Texas at home.

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New York Yankees

They trail the Blue Jays in the AL East by one game with five remaining, and Toronto owns the tiebreaker over New York. The Yankees are currently the top wild-card team in the AL, with a three-game lead over the Red Sox.

Up next: The Yanks finish the season at home. After two more against the Chicago White Sox, the Yankees’ regular season concludes with three more games against the Orioles.

Boston Red Sox

Amid the chaos around them, the Red Sox have been holding on to the second AL wild card and the No. 5 seed for most of the past two months. They’re currently in line to face the Yankees for three games in the Bronx to begin the playoffs.

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Up next: The Sox play two more against Toronto with hopes to shake up the division. They conclude the regular season by hosting the Tigers in a three-game series.

Detroit Tigers

They dropped the opener against the Guardians on Tuesday, their seventh straight defeat, and fell into a tie in the AL Central with Cleveland. With the loss, Detroit also lost the tiebreaker against Cleveland. This team once had a 15.5-game lead in the division. Now it’s gone.

Up next: Two more games in Cleveland. Then Detroit finishes the regular season at the Red Sox, who currently hold the second AL wild-card spot.

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Houston Astros

The Astros just got swept by the Mariners to put the division title largely out of reach. They’re now three games back of Seattle and fighting for the third wild card in the AL. Currently on the outside looking in, Houston will be sweating it out over the final week.

Up next: The ‘Stros finish the season on the road but against teams that should hand them wins. They have two more against the A’s before they visit the Angels for three games to conclude the regular season.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers are cruising to the No. 1 seed in the National League and the best record in baseball. They’ve already clinched the NL Central title.

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Up next: The Brewers finish the season against NL wild-card contenders battling for their spots. First, they’re at the Padres for one more game Wednesday. Then they host the Reds for three to finish the regular season.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have been one of the top teams in baseball all season, and they were the first to claim a division title, leaving the Mets in their wake as they won the NL East on Sept. 16. They’re in line to claim the No. 2 seed in the National League and, with it, a bye to the division series. The magic number for a bye into the NLDS is 1.

Up next: The Phillies finish the regular season at home against teams with nothing to play for. They host the Marlins for two more to start the week, followed by three against the Twins next weekend.

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Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are in line to win yet another NL West title, sitting 1.5 games up on the Padres with five games to play. They’re in line to get the No. 3 seed and host a wild-card series.

Up next: The Dodgers finish the season on the road against contenders. First, they visit the Diamondbacks for two more, and then they finish the regular season with three games in Seattle this weekend.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have already clinched their first postseason berth since 2020. Even though they have one of the top records in the sport, they’ll claim a wild card and finish behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cubs are in line to get the No. 4 seed and hosting duties in the wild-card round.

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Up next: The Cubs finish the regular season at Wrigley field, first hosting the wild-card-contending Mets during the week and then hosting the already eliminated Cardinals for three games this weekend.

San Diego Padres

The Padres currently hold the NL’s second wild-card spot. They clinched their postseason spot on Monday. If the standings hold, San Diego will finish as the No. 5 seed and face the Cubs at Wrigley in the wild-card round.

Up next: The Padres finish the season at home, first with one more game versus the Brewers. They end the season with three games versus the Diamondbacks, who could be fighting for that last wild-card berth.

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New York Mets

The Mets are nearing an egregious, late-season collapse, as they are just one game up on the Reds and Diamondbacks for the NL’s final wild-card spot after losing 11 of their past 16 games. Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker based on head-to-head record, so the Mets have to finish ahead in the standings to make the postseason.

Up next: The Mets finish the season on a road trip, facing the Cubs and Marlins. They might have to hope that the Cubs are more concerned with preparing for the playoffs than winning any more games. However, the Marlins might put up a fight with a chance to finish over .500.

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds have won six of their past eight to capitalize on the Mets’ slide and challenge them for the NL’s final wild-card bid. With a 4-2 record against the Mets this season, Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker. Both teams need to win to stay ahead of the Diamondbacks.

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Up next: The Reds finish their home schedule with two more against the Pirates (and Paul Skenes scheduled to start Wednesday). Cincinnati then visits Milwaukee for a three-game set. The Brewers might’ve clinched the NL’s best record by then and thus have nothing left to play for.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Lurking just behind the Mets and tied with the Reds in the wild-card standings are the D-backs, who could seize the NL’s final playoff spot if the teams ahead of them falter. Arizona has won seven of its past 10 games to put itself in position to earn a surprise postseason bid.

Up next: Perhaps no team has a more difficult final slate than the D-backs. First, they host the Dodgers for their final two home games. Then they close out the season with three games at San Diego.

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What else is up for grabs?

The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in each league go to the division winners with the two best records. Those teams earn a bye through the wild-card round and hosting rights in the division series. Currently, the Brewers, Phillies, Mariners and Blue Jays are in line to claim those byes.

The No. 3 seed goes to the third division winner, and that team will host the three-game wild-card series against the No. 6 seed (which goes to the third wild card). The top wild-card team will earn the No. 4 seed and host the No. 5 seed (the second wild card) in the wild-card round.

The higher seed also gets home-field advantage in the championship series, once we get that far.

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What are the tiebreakers?

No longer do teams play a Game 163 if they finish the season tied. Instead, tiebreakers are determined by head-to-head records first and, if needed, intradivision records second.

Here are the tiebreakers that could come into play:

What’s the schedule for the postseason?

Wild-card series (best of three)

Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 30
Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 1
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 2*

Division series (best of five)

ALDS

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 4
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 5
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 7
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 8*
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 10*

NLDS

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 4
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 6
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 8
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 9*
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 11*

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Championship series (best of seven)

ALCS

Game 1: Sunday, Oct 12
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 13
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 15
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 16
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 17*
Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 19*
Game 7: Monday, Oct. 20*

NLCS

Game 1: Monday, Oct 13
Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 14
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 16
Game 4: Friday, Oct. 17
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 18*
Game 6: Monday, Oct. 20*
Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 21*

World Series (best of seven)

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 24
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 25
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 27
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 28
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 29*
Game 6: Friday, Oct. 31*
Game 7: Saturday, Nov. 1*

(*if necessary)