The 2026 MLB regular season is in the books, and the postseason begins Tuesday.
Here’s what happened on the final day of the regular season and how the playoff picture shook out.
Final bracket | Final seeding | Wild-card schedule
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What was decided on Sunday?
The third NL wild card:
The AL West:
MLB wild-card series tickets available through Gametime
The MLB postseason begins Tuesday.
(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports)
Final playoff bracket
The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in each league go to the division winners with the two best records. Those teams earn a bye through the wild-card round and home-field advantage in the division series. The Rays (AL No. 1), Guardians (AL No. 2), Brewers (NL No. 1) and Dodgers (NL No. 2) claimed those seeds.
The No. 3 seeds go to the third division winners (that’s the Astros and Braves) and those teams will host three-game wild-card series against the No. 6 seeds (the White Sox and Phillies).
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The top wild-card team in each league (the Yankees and Padres) earn the No. 4 seeds and will host the No. 5 seeds (the Red Sox and Cubs) in the wild-card round.
The higher seed also gets home-field advantage in the league championship series, once we get that far.
American League
|
Seed |
Team |
Record |
|
1 |
Tampa Bay Rays |
98-64 |
|
2 |
85-77 |
|
|
3 |
Houston Astros |
81-81 |
|
4 |
New York Yankees |
93-68* |
|
5 |
Boston Red Sox |
87-75 |
|
6 |
Chicago White Sox |
84-78 |
|
AL Wild Card (best of 3, Sept. 29-Oct. 1) |
||
|
No. 6 Chicago White Sox |
at |
No. 3 Houston Astros |
|
No. 5 Boston Red Sox |
at |
No. 4 New York Yankees |
|
ALDS (best of 5, begins Oct. 3) |
||
|
Winner of 6 vs. 3 |
at |
No. 2 Cleveland Guardians |
|
Winner of 5 vs. 4 |
at |
No. 1 Tampa Bay Rays |
National League
|
Seed |
Team |
Record |
|
1 |
Milwaukee Brewers |
103-59 |
|
2 |
Los Angeles Dodgers |
100-62 |
|
3 |
94-68 |
|
|
4 |
91-71 |
|
|
5 |
Chicago Cubs |
89-73 |
|
6 |
Philadelphia Phillies |
88-74 |
|
NL Wild Card (best of 3, Sept. 29-Oct. 1) |
||
|
No. 6 Philadelphia Phillies |
at |
No. 3 Atlanta Braves |
|
No. 5 Chicago Cubs |
at |
No. 4 San Diego Padres |
|
NLDS (best of 5, begins Oct. 3) |
||
|
Winner of 6 vs. 3 |
at |
No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers |
|
Winner of 5 vs. 4 |
at |
No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers |
Final playoff seeding
American League
1. Tampa Bay Rays (AL East champion)
Record: 98-64
Clinched AL East title and No. 1 seed
Earned a bye to the ALDS and will host the winner of Red Sox-Yankees
2. Cleveland Guardians (AL Central champion)
Record: 85-77
Clinched AL Central title and No. 2 seed
Earned a bye to the ALDS and will host the winner of White Sox-Astros
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3. Houston Astros (AL West champion)
Record: 81-81
Clinched AL West title and No. 3 seed
Will host the White Sox in the wild-card round
4. New York Yankees (top AL wild card)
Record: 93-68*
*Final game vs. Baltimore was canceled due to weather
Clinched top wild card and No. 4 seed
Will host the Red Sox in the wild-card round
5. Boston Red Sox (second AL wild card)
Record: 87-75
Clinched second wild card and No. 5 seed
Will face the Yankees in the wild-card round
6. Chicago White Sox (third AL wild card)
Record: 84-78
Clinched third card and No. 6 seed
Will face the Astros in the wild-card round
National League
1. Milwaukee Brewers (NL Central champion)
Record: 103-59
Clinched NL Central title and No. 1 seed
Earned a bye to the NLDS and will host the winner of Cubs-Padres
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2. Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West champion)
Record: 100-62
Clinched NL West title and No. 2 seed
Earned a bye to the NLDS and will host the winner of Phillies-Braves
3. Atlanta Braves (NL East champion)
Record: 94-68
Clinched NL East title and No. 3 seed
Will host the Phillies in the wild-card round
4. San Diego Padres (top NL wild card)
Record: 91-71
Clinched top wild card and No. 4 seed
Will host the Cubs in the wild-card round
5. Chicago Cubs (second NL wild card)
Record: 89-73
Clinched second wild card and No. 5 seed
Will face the Padres in the wild-card round
6. Philadelphia Phillies (third NL wild card)
Record: 88-74
Clinched third wild card and No. 6 seed
Will face the Braves in the wild-card round
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What’s the schedule for the postseason?
Wild-card series
Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29
-
Phillies vs. Braves, 2 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
-
White Sox vs. Astros, 5 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
-
Red Sox vs. Yankees, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
-
Cubs vs. Padres, 10 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 30
-
Phillies vs. Braves, 2 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
-
White Sox vs. Astros, 5 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
-
Red Sox vs. Yankees, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
-
Cubs vs. Padres, 10 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 1 (if necessary)
-
Phillies vs. Braves, 2 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
-
White Sox vs. Astros, 5 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
-
Red Sox vs. Yankees, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
-
Cubs vs. Padres, 10 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN
Division series
NLDS
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 3
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 4
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 6
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 7*
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 9*
ALDS
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 3
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 5
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 7
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 8*
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 10*
(*if necessary)
Championship series
NLCS
Game 1: Sunday, Oct. 11
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 12
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 14
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 15
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 16*
Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 18*
Game 7: Monday, Oct. 19*
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ALCS
Game 1: Monday, Oct. 12
Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 13
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 15
Game 4: Friday, Oct. 16
Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 17*
Game 6: Monday, Oct. 19*
Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 20*
(*if necessary)
World Series
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 23
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 24
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 26
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 27
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 28*
Game 6: Friday, Oct. 30*
Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 31*
(*if necessary)
