MLB updates: Who will win World Series, make it to National League postseason, American league, October baseball?

Baseball standings in both the American League and National League have tightened in a hurry, and a lot of the action over the final few days of the season will take place in Ohio. Here's a look at some things to watch as MLB's regular season comes to an end and October baseball arrives.

Who has already clinched a spot in National League?

In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres have already qualified for the postseason. The Padres clinched on Monday with a win over the Brewers. Only one spot remains available.


In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox know they will play October baseball. The Red Sox clinched on Friday night.

Who are favorites to win World Series?

The Phillies are the favorite to win the World Series. After that, it's the Dodgers, Mariners, Brewers, Blue Jays and Yankees.

The National League wild-card race was still tight as of Saturday, with the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds tied for the final NL playoff spot. The Mets looked well-positioned for a playoff spot on September 1 but have a 9-13 record this month, which allowed the Reds to climb into the race. The Reds have the tiebreaker should the wild-card race end in a tie.

The American League also has plenty of drama, with three teams — the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros — fighting for the final two playoff spots. The Guardians are 17-4 since September 5, climbing into a tie with the Tigers for the AL Central lead after being 10 1/2 games back on September 1. Cleveland trained by 15 1/2 games in July. The largest lead for a team that lost a division or league since 1900 is 13 by the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, and the most games behind for an eventual division or league winner is 15 games by the 1914 Boston Braves (15 games back as late as July 5). If the AL Central is tied at the end of the year, the Guardians hold the tiebreaker with an 8-5 advantage in the season series against the Tigers.

What is MLB playoff format?

There are 12 teams that qualify for MLB's postseason, including six teams from both the AL and NL. The three division winners in each league get seeds No. 1 through No. 3, ranked by win-loss record. Then the three wild-card teams get seeds No. 4 through No. 6, also ranked by win-loss record.

The top two teams with the best record in both the AL and NL automatically advance to the Division Series. The other eight teams play in the Wild Card Series, which is a best-of-three format beginning on Tuesday, September 30. In both the AL and NL, the No. 6 seed will travel to face the No. 3 seed while the No. 5 seed goes to No. 4. The higher seed hosts all three games.

The winners then advance to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and a best-of-seven World Series between the winners of the AL and NL.

What is MLB postseason schedule?

Wild Card Round: September 30-October 2 (ESPN).

Division Series: October 4-11 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1).

Championship Series: October 12-21 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1).

World Series: October 24-November 1 (FOX).

FAQs

Q1. Where can we watch MLB regular season and post-season?
A1. Wild Card Round: September 30-October 2 (ESPN). Division Series: October 4-11 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1). Championship Series: October 12-21 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1). World Series: October 24-November 1 (FOX).

Q2. What will happen to MLB playoff?
A2. The winners then advance to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and a best-of-seven World Series between the winners of the AL and NL.