17 MLB Teams Enter Final Week With 6 Playoff Spots and Seeding Still Unsettled
Updated
Updated · CBS Sports · Sep 21
17 MLB Teams Enter Final Week With 6 Playoff Spots and Seeding Still Unsettled
3 articles · Updated · CBS Sports · Sep 21
Summary
Half the 2026 MLB postseason field remains unresolved entering the final week, with 17 teams still mathematically alive and six berths plus multiple seeds still in play.
In the AL, Tampa Bay needs 1 win against the Yankees to clinch the East and No. 1 seed, while Cleveland leads the Central by 1, Texas leads the West by 1, and Chicago and Houston remain in striking distance.
The AL wild-card race is tighter at the bottom: Boston has clinched, the Yankees are close to the top wild card, and the White Sox hold a 3-game edge for the last spot over Toronto and Houston.
In the NL, all three division titles are set, but Milwaukee leads Los Angeles by 2 for the league's top seed, while Philadelphia, Chicago and San Diego are still working to lock up wild-card places over Arizona.
Individual milestones add to the stakes: Yordan Alvarez leads the AL batting race by .003 while trailing by 1 homer and 6 RBI, and Pete Crow-Armstrong is 2 steals from baseball's seventh 40-40 season.