Entering play Saturday, here’s where every contending team stands with two days remaining in the regular season.
Who’s in?
Tickets already punched:
Brewers,
Phillies,
Cubs,
Dodgers,
Blue Jays,
Padres,
Yankees,
Mariners,
Red Sox
For the first time since 2021, the Boston Red Sox are going to the postseason. Ceddanne Rafaela delivered a dramatic walk-off hit off the center field wall, as the Red Sox overcame a three-run deficit and clinched a wild-card spot in the process. It was a touch-and-go season for Boston, who traded away star slugger Rafael Devers in June, much to the chagrin of its fanbase. Now, they’re October-bound.
WALK-OFF CLINCH. pic.twitter.com/cJ49xCzKJs
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 27, 2025
Who’s next?
On the brink of clinching a playoff spot:
Reds,
Guardians,
Tigers
The Cincinnati Reds could clinch a playoff spot on Saturday, with a win and a New York Mets loss. New York entered the weekend one game up on Cincinnati, but lost 6-2 on Friday, while the Reds took a 3-1 game from the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers.
Both the Detroit Tigers (at Boston) and Cleveland Guardians (vs. Texas) could clinch playoff spots on Saturday with a win, or a second straight Houston Astros loss to the Angels.
Who’s locked in a race?
Things are getting tight:
Reds,
Mets,
Guardians,
Tigers,
Astros,
Yankees,
Blue Jays
September has been defined by collapses. The Tigers may be on the verge of completing an all-time meltdown if the struggling Astros revive. The Mets, once 21 games above .500, are their closest to that middling mark since early April and now essentially one game outside of the final spot in the NL Wild Card by virtue of the Reds (also 82-78) owning the intradivison tiebreaker over them.
The Reds now control their own playoff destiny. They face two more tough games against the Brewers, who are still looking to lock up home-field advantage through the playoffs.
Detroit needs one win, or one Astros loss, to make the playoffs because it owns the tiebreaker over Houston. The same goes for Cleveland, who would also win the division with two wins by virtue of owning the tiebreaker over the Tigers.
The Astros, who play the Angels, still have a path to playing next week. They need either the Tigers or Guardians to lose both of their remaining games, and they need to win two in Anaheim.
Both the Yankees and Blue Jays will be playing in October, but the weekend holds massive implications in the AL East race. Whoever wins the division gets a bye. Whoever loses goes on the road to play in an AL Wild-Card round on Tuesday.
Arizona’s late-season fire fizzled out, bringing the Diamondbacks’ playoff push to an end on Friday with their loss to the San Diego Padres and the Reds’ win.
The Padres can still get home-field advantage in the NL Wild-Card round with two more wins over the D-Backs, and two Cubs losses to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs can secure the No. 4, though, with a win on Saturday.
If the playoffs started today
American League
Toronto and Seattle would receive first-round byes after finishing as the AL’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. Toronto would also have home-field advantage through the ALCS for finishing with the best record in the AL. The Mariners are the only team to clinch a top-two seed, however, despite having the AL’s third-best record. The Yankees and Blue Jays remain tied atop the AL East, with Toronto owning the tiebreaker.
AL wild-card series: No. 6 Tigers at No. 3 Guardians; No. 5 Red Sox at No. 4 Yankees
ALDS: Yankees/Red Sox at Blue Jays; Guardians/Tigers at Mariners
National League
The Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies would enter as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, receiving first-round byes. The Brewers’ loss on Friday, combined with the Phillies’ win, keeps the door open for Philadelphia to clinch home-field advantage through the postseason. Milwaukee holds the tiebreaker, however, so the Brewers would need to lose twice and the Phillies would need two wins for that scenario to come true.
NL wild-card series: No. 6 Reds at No. 3 Dodgers; No. 5 Padres at No. 4 Cubs
NLDS: Dodgers/Reds at Phillies, Cubs/Padres at Brewers
What to watch on Saturday
Tigers at Red Sox: Things could go so many ways for Detroit. The Tigers could win the division, clinch a wild card, or miss the postseason entirely.
Rangers at Guardians: Everything that was said above about the Tigers holds true for the Guardians. They have an advantage this weekend as they host the banged-up and eliminated Rangers.
Orioles at Yankees: The Yankees may well sweep the Orioles, but will still need some help from the Rays to clinch the division and a first-round bye.
Rays at Blue Jays: If you’re a Blue Jays fan, then this weekend you’ll also be an Orioles fan. Toronto must hope that Baltimore can beat New York while it takes care of business against the Rays.
Astros at Angels: Houston is limping to the finish line and needs a minor miracle to get into the playoffs. After blowing a three-run lead to the Angels on Friday, the Astros need two wins and one of Cleveland or Detroit to lose twice. Otherwise, their streak of postseason appearances ends at eight.
Mets at Marlins: The Mets have been on a three-month fall from owning the game’s best record. They no longer control their own destiny and will need the Reds to lose at least one game to have a shot at a wild-card spot.
Reds at Brewers: The Reds haven’t exactly been great down the stretch themselves. But they’ve been better than the Mets. Cincinnati’s magic number is two.
Dodgers at Mariners: The Dodgers will play in the wild card either way, so the real reason to watch this series is to see if Cal Raleigh can break the AL’s single-season home run record of 62.
Twins and Phillies: Philadelphia could still lock up a No. 1 seed and home-field advantage through the World Series if the Reds sweep the Brewers to end the season.
(Photo of Rafaela celebrating: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)
