October is here and all 12 spots in the 2023 Major League Baseball playoff field are filled. Five teams secured their postseason spots on a hectic Saturday night: The Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins all secured spots on the penultimate day of baseball’s regular season. All spots were secured within 80 minutes and the Rangers and Blue Jays qualified for the playoffs at the same time thanks to Texas’ victory over Seattle. The Reds, Cubs and Mariners were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night.
The AL West title between the Rangers and Astros, as well as the wild card seeding, remains open on Sunday, the final day of the regular season. The Rangers hold a one-game lead over the Astros in the division and just need to win to clinch the division crown and the No. 2 seed in the American League.
Seven teams (Braves, Dodgers, Orioles, Rays, Twins, Brewers and Phillies) had secured their playoff spots well before Saturday’s Clinchapalooza. The top four seeds are entrenched in the National League: No. 1 Braves, No. 2 Dodgers, No. 3 Brewers and No. 4 Phillies. The Braves and Dodgers are bidding a bye to the NLCS, while the Brewers and Phillies will host the Wild Card Series next week.
The Marlins own the tiebreaker with the Diamondbacks and can secure the No. 5 seed with a win against the Pirates on Sunday. A Miami win or Arizona loss on Sunday would also make it unnecessary for the Marlins to finish their suspended game against the Mets on Monday.
There are three seeds in the American League: No. 1 Orioles, No. 3 Twins and No. 4 Rays. The Rangers or Astros will be No. 2, while the Blue Jays could go No. 5 or No. 6.
The picture of the 2023 MLB playoffs is also notable for who is not there. The Padres, Yankees, Mets and Cardinals — all playoff teams in 2022 and projected contenders in 2023 — have had disappointing years that will likely end with the regular season. The Angels’ playoff hopes were dashed in a dismal August, resulting in Shohei Ohtani being permanently suspended 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 record in each league receive byes into the League Division Series round, while the other eight teams compete in a best-of-three wild card series.
Who won?
- Brave: Won the NL East, home advantage in the playoffs
- Dodgers: Won NL West
- Twins: AL Central won
- Orioles: AL East won, home advantage through ALCS
- Rays: AL wildcard spot secured
- brewer: Won in NL Central
- Phillies: Secure NL wildcard spot
- Marlins: Secure NL wildcard spot
- ranger: AL playoff spot secured
- Blue Jays: AL wildcard spot secured
- Diamondbacks: Secure NL wildcard spot
- Astros: AL playoff spot secured
Image of the 2023 MLB playoffs
Current American League series
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 series
(If the season ends 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 on Sunday?
- With a win or a loss to the Astros, the Rangers will secure the AL West and a bye in the first round.
- The Astros secure victory over the AL West and a bye in the first round with a win and a Rangers loss.
- The Blue Jays clinch the AL’s No. 5 seed with an Astros loss or a Rangers win and a win.
- The Marlins will secure the No. 5 seed in the NL with a win or a Diamondbacks loss.
Magic numbers
- The Rangers’ magic number to win the AL West: 1
Tiebreakers
Here’s a look at the key tiebreakers that could play a role in determining playoff spots and seedings. MLB uses the head-to-head record as a top tiebreaker among teams that finish with the same record.
AL West
Astros own tiebreaker over Rangers
AL wildcard
Astros own tiebreaker over Rangers
Rangers own tiebreaker over Blue Jays
Blue Jays own tiebreaker over Astros
NL wildcard
Marlins own tiebreaker over Diamondbacks
Below is a look at today’s MLB standings. All division and postseason odds are courtesy of SportsLine. You can view the extended rankings here.