October is here and all 12 spots in the 2023 Major League Baseball playoff field have been filled. Five teams secured their postseason berths on a hectic Saturday night with the Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins all clinching spots on the penultimate day of baseball’s regular season. All berths were clinched in an 80-minute span, and the Rangers and Blue Jays qualified for the playoffs simultaneously thanks to Texas’ win over Seattle. The Reds, Cubs and Mariners were eliminated from playoff contention Saturday night.
The AL West title between the Rangers and Astros as well as wild-card seeding remains up for grabs Sunday, the final day of the regular season. The Rangers carry a one-game lead over the Astros in the division and just need to win to capture the division crown and No. 2 seed in the American League bracket.
Seven teams (Braves, Dodgers, Orioles, Rays, Twins, Brewers and Phillies) had their playoff spots secured well in advance of Saturday’s Clinchapalooza. The top four seeds are locked in place in the National League: No. 1 Braves, No. 2 Dodgers, No. 3 Brewers and No. 4 Phillies. The Braves and Dodgers have byes to the NLCS, while the Brewers and Phillies will host Wild Card Series next week.
The Marlins own the tiebreaker with the Diamondbacks and can lock up the No. 5 seed with a win against the Pirates on Sunday. A Miami victory or an Arizona loss on Sunday would also make it unnecessary for the Marlins to complete their suspended game against the Mets on Monday.
Three seeds are clinched in the American League: No. 1 Orioles, No. 3 Twins and No. 4 Rays. The Rangers or Astros will be the No. 2 seed, while the Blue Jays could land at No. 5 or No. 6.
The 2023 MLB playoff picture is also notable for who is not in it. The Padres, Yankees, Mets and Cardinals — all playoff teams in 2022 and expected contenders in 2023 — have had disappointing years that will likely end with the regular season. The Angels saw their playoff hopes dashed in a dismal August, culminating in finally shutting Shohei Ohtani for the season.
As a reminder, MLB now uses a 12-team playoff format with the three division winners and three wild card teams in both leagues qualifying for the postseason. The two division winners with the best records in each league get byes to the League Division Series round, while the other eight teams square off in a best-of-three Wild Card Series.
Who’s clinched?
- Braves: Clinched NL East, home-field advantage throughout playoffs
- Dodgers: Clinched NL West
- Twins: Clinched AL Central
- Orioles: Clinched AL East, home-field advantage through ALCS
- Rays: Clinched AL wild-card spot
- Brewers: Clinched NL Central
- Phillies: Clinched NL wild-card spot
- Marlins: Clinched NL wild-card spot
- Rangers: Clinched AL playoff spot
- Blue Jays: Clinched AL wild-card spot
- Diamondbacks: Clinched NL wild-card spot
- Astros: Clinched AL playoff spot
2023 MLB playoff picture
Current American League bracket
Wild Card Series: No. 3 Twins vs. No. 6 Astros
Wild Card Series: No. 4 Rays vs. No. 5 Blue Jays
ALDS: No. 1 Orioles vs. Rays/Blue Jays
ALDS: No. 2 Rangers vs. Twins/Astros
Current National League bracket
(If the season ended today)
Wild Card Series: No. 3 Brewers vs. No. 6 Diamondbacks
Wild Card Series: No. 4 Phillies vs. No. 5 Marlins
NLDS: No. 1 Braves vs. Phillies/Marlins
NLDS: No. 2 Dodgers vs. Brewers/Diamondbacks
What’s at stake Sunday?
- The Rangers clinch the AL West and a first-round bye with a win or an Astros loss.
- The Astros clinch the AL West and a first-round bye with a win and a Rangers loss.
- The Blue Jays clinch the AL’s No. 5 seed with an Astros loss or with a win and a Rangers win.
- The Marlins clinch the NL’s No. 5 seed with a win or Diamondbacks loss.
Magic numbers
- Rangers’ magic number to clinch the AL West: 1
Tiebreakers
Here’s a look at key tiebreakers that could come into play to determine playoff spots and seeding. MLB uses head-to-head record as the top tiebreaker among teams that finish with the same record.
AL West
Astros own tiebreaker over Rangers
AL wild card
Astros own tiebreaker over Rangers
Rangers own tiebreaker over Blue Jays
Blue Jays own tiebreaker over Astros
NL wild card
Marlins own tiebreaker over Diamondbacks
Below is a look at the MLB standings as of today. All division and postseason odds are courtesy of SportsLine, and you can check out the expanded standings here.
American League standings
| AL EAST | W | L | GB | DIV | POST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore – x | 101 | 60 | — | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Tampa Bay – y | 98 | 63 | 3.0 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| Toronto | 89 | 72 | 12.0 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| N.Y. Yankees – e | 82 | 79 | 19.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Boston – e | 77 | 84 | 24.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| AL CENTRAL | W | L | GB | DIV | POST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota – x | 87 | 74 | — | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Cleveland – e | 77 | 84 | 10.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Detroit – e | 76 | 85 | 11.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Chi. White Sox – e | 61 | 100 | 26.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Kansas City – e | 55 | 106 | 32.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| AL WEST | W | L | GB | DIV | POST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 90 | 71 | — | 70.9% | 100.0% |
| Houston | 89 | 72 | 1.0 | 29.1% | 100.0% |
| Seattle | 87 | 74 | 3.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| L.A. Angels – e | 72 | 89 | 18.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Oakland – e | 50 | 111 | 40.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
National League standings
| NL EAST | W | L | GB | DIV | POST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta – x | 104 | 57 | — | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Philadelphia – y | 89 | 71 | 15.0 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| Miami | 84 | 76 | 19.5 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| N.Y. Mets – e | 74 | 86 | 29.5 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Washington – e | 70 | 91 | 34.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| NL CENTRAL | W | L | GB | DIV | POST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee – x | 91 | 70 | — | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Chi. Cubs – e | 83 | 78 | 8.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Cincinnati – e | 82 | 79 | 9.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pittsburgh – e | 75 | 86 | 16.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| St. Louis – e | 70 | 91 | 21.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| NL WEST | W | L | GB | DIV | POST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.A. Dodgers – x | 99 | 62 | — | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Arizona | 84 | 77 | 15.0 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| San Diego – e | 81 | 80 | 18.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| San Francisco – e | 79 | 82 | 20.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Colorado – e | 58 | 103 | 41.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Wild-card standings
American League
| TEAM | W | L | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay – y | 98 | 63 | +9.0 |
| Toronto | 89 | 72 | — |
| Houston | 89 | 72 | — |
| Seattle | 87 | 74 | 2.0 |
National League
| TEAM | W | L | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia – y | 89 | 72 | +5.0 |
| Miami | 84 | 76 | +0.5 |
| Arizona | 84 | 77 | — |
| Chi. Cubs | 83 | 78 | 1.0 |
| Cincinnati | 82 | 79 | 2.0 |
