MLB Playoff Picture 2022: Latest World Series Bracket and Wild Card Race
Only a handful of days remain in the 2022 MLB regular season, but several playoff spots are still up for grabs.
Although the field is largely known—10 of the 12 total positions are clinched, including all six in the American League—the National League East and the wild-card races in both leagues remain hotly contested.
And it's time for the daily refresher.
All information—win-loss records, games ahead or behind, etc.—is accurate as of Sunday morning on Oct. 2.
Division Leaders
No. 1 Seed: Houston Astros (103-55 in AL West)
No. 2 Seed: New York Yankees (97-60 in AL East)
No. 3 Seed: Cleveland Guardians (89-69 in AL Central)
Wild Card Standings
No. 4 Seed: Toronto Blue Jays (89-69)
No. 5 Seed: Seattle Mariners (87-70; 1.5 GB of Toronto)
No. 6 Seed: Tampa Bay Rays (86-72; 1.5 GB of Seattle)
Current Playoff Matchups
Both the Astros and Yankees have claimed first-round byes, allowing the teams to align their pitching rotations for the playoffs. Houston has also clinched the No. 1 seed in the American League.
As of now, the opening round pits Cleveland against Tampa Bay and Toronto opposite Seattle—which is headed to the postseason for the first time in 21 years. Cleveland is guaranteed to host its first series as a division winner, while Toronto holds the other spot.
Heading into Sunday's slate, the Blue Jays' magic number to secure the No. 4 seed is four.
Division Leaders
No. 1 Seed: Los Angeles Dodgers (109-48 in NL West)
No. 2 Seed: Atlanta Braves (99-59 in NL East)
No. 3 Seed: St. Louis Cardinals (91-66 in NL Central)
Wild Card Standings
No. 4 Seed: New York Mets (98-60)
No. 5 Seed: San Diego Padres (87-71; 11 GB of New York)
No. 6 Seed: Philadelphia Phillies (85-73); 1.5 GB of San Diego)
Out: Milwaukee Brewers (84-74; 1 GB of Philadelphia)
Current Playoff Matchups
Without question, the featured race in the NL East.
Saturday, the Braves won 4-2 over the Mets and broke a deadlock in the standings. The result set up a critical Sunday clash in which the winner earns the season tiebreaker, which may end up deciding the division.
No matter whether Atlanta or New York takes the East, the division winner will be the No. 2 seed behind Los Angeles. St. Louis is locked into the third position, while the NL East runner-up will be fourth.
Although the Padres are in a favorable spot, they haven't officially clinched a spot. Meanwhile, the Phillies have a one-game advantage on the Brewers and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Philadelphia and Toronto are both scheduled for an opening pitch around 1:35 p.m. ET Sunday. Zack Wheeler is expected to throw for the Phillies against the Washington Nationals, while the Blue Jays have Kevin Gausman opposite the Boston Red Sox.
Then, the Brewers hit the diamond at 2:10 p.m. ET for the series finale with the Miami Marlins. It's a safe bet there will be plenty of scoreboard-watching in the Milwaukee stands.
During the mid-afternoon window, San Diego and Seattle host the Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics, respectively. Both contests are slated to begin at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Atlanta and New York again have the prime-time treatment.
After landing the Saturday night slot on Fox, the NL East rivals will be playing on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET. Charlie Morton is set to lead the host Braves, and the Mets are primed to counter with Chris Bassitt.
