Kyle Shive
Staff Writer
The Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs are almost on the horizon as there is about one month left in the regular season. If the playoffs started today, the Baltimore Orioles (82-60), Cleveland Guardians (81-60), Philadelphia Phillies (85-56), and Los Angeles Dodgers (84-57) would not have to play during the wild card round. What is more interesting is the scenarios for the Wild Card teams. The top three seeds on each side are the division winners.
On the American League (AL) side, in the AL East, the New York Yankees (81-60) are only a half-game behind the Orioles for taking the division as well as the number one seed. This division will more than likely come down to the last week of the season. The Houston Astros (76-65) will most likely win the AL West and the Guardians will win the AL Central. The Kansas City Royals (77-65) and the Minnesota Twins (76-65) have a substantial lead in the remaining Wild Card race and are the fifth and sixth seeds respectively.
The National League (NL) is far more interesting, however. The Phillies and the Dodgers are the front runners to skipping over wildcard games, but where it gets interesting is the race for the Wild Card. The San Diego Padres (81-62) are the first wild card but only have a one-and-a-half-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks (79-63). This is another case of where the outcome of the last few weeks of the season may determine who is the fourth seed and who is the fifth seed. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers (81-60) have a sizable lead in the NL Central, so the number three seed will be where they stay.
The most interesting race, however, is between the sixth-seed New York Mets (77-64) and the Atlanta Braves (77-64). As of right now, they have the same record and the only reason that the Mets are above the Braves is because the Mets have the tiebreaker. This is going to be the one race that people will keep their eyes on for the rest of the season.
The MLB playoffs are always an exciting time, and the races for the postseason never cease to disappoint. As mentioned, this is not the final outcome for the season, as there is still about a month to go in the season, but this is where things fall. Enjoy the season while it lasts, as the race for the Fall Classic is upon us.