MLB Playoffs Are Set: Final Rankings, Wild Card Matchups & 2026 Stat Leaders
The 2026 MLB regular season is officially in the books, and the road to the World Series is finally set.
After the regular season, all 12 postseason teams have been determined, four teams have earned the valuable first round bye into the Division Series, and eight teams are preparing for the best of three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday, September 29.
The final regular season standings produced several surprises, including the Houston Astros winning the AL West with an 81-81 record and the Chicago White Sox securing a postseason berth after finishing 84-78. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers finished with the two best records in the National League, while the Tampa Bay Rays claimed the top record in the American League.
The Final MLB Playoff Rankings
American League
Seed | Team | Record | Status |
1 | Tampa Bay Rays | 98-64 | Bye to ALDS |
2 | Cleveland Guardians | 85-77 | Bye to ALDS |
3 | Houston Astros | 81-81 | Wild Card |
4 | New York Yankees | 93-68 | Wild Card |
5 | Boston Red Sox | 87-75 | Wild Card |
6 | Chicago White Sox | 84-78 | Wild Card |
The Rays finished with the best record in the American League at 98-64, earning the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. Cleveland claimed the other AL bye after winning the AL Central with an 85-77 record.
The Astros enter the postseason after needing to come down to the last game as the No. 3 seed after winning the AL West, despite finishing exactly .500. The Yankees and Red Sox occupy the two higher wild card seeds, while the White Sox round out the field at No. 6.
National League
Seed | Team | Record | Status |
1 | Milwaukee Brewers | 103-59 | Bye to NLDS |
2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 100-62 | Bye to NLDS |
3 | Atlanta Braves | 94-68 | Wild Card |
4 | San Diego Padres | 91-71 | Wild Card |
5 | Chicago Cubs | 89-73 | Wild Card |
6 | Philadelphia Phillies | 88-74 | Wild Card |
The Brewers finished with the best record in the National League and the best record in all of baseball at 103-59. The Dodgers followed at 100-62, giving both clubs a direct path into the Division Series.
Atlanta won the NL East with a 94-68 record, while San Diego, Chicago and Philadelphia claimed the three NL Wild Card positions, with the Phillies claiming on the final day over Arizona.
Wild Card Round Matchups
The Wild Card Series will begin Tuesday, September 29, with all four series being played as best of three matchups. The higher seed hosts all three potential games.
American League
No. 3 Houston Astros vs. No. 6 Chicago White Sox
The Astros will host Chicago at Daikin Park, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday at 2 p.m. PT. Houston enters the postseason after winning the AL West, while Chicago became one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 playoff field after coming back from multiple consecutive 100 loss seasons.
No. 4 New York Yankees vs. No. 5 Boston Red Sox
The AL East rivals will meet in another postseason chapter of one of baseball's most recognizable rivalries. New York will host Game 1 at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT.
The winners of those two series will advance to face the Guardians and Rays respectively in the AL Division Series.
National League
No. 3 Atlanta Braves vs. No. 6 Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta will host Philadelphia in Game 1 Tuesday at 11 a.m. PT. The Braves finished 94-68 to win the NL East, while Philadelphia secured its playoff berth on the final day of the regular season.
No. 4 San Diego Padres vs. No. 5 Chicago Cubs
The Cubs travel to San Diego for Game 1 at 7 p.m. PT. Chicago finished 89-73, while San Diego finished 91-71 to secure the higher Wild Card seed.
The winners will move on to face the Dodgers and Brewers respectively in the NL Division Series.
The Four Teams Waiting in the Division Series
Four teams earned the biggest reward available before the World Series: a first round bye.
The American League's top two seeds, the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians, will have the Wild Card winners come to them for the Division Series.
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers will do the same.
The Division Series is scheduled to begin Saturday, October 3.
Updated 2026 Stat Leaders
With the regular season complete, the individual leaderboards have also been finalized.
Home Runs
Player | Team | HRs |
Pete Crow-Armstrong | Chicago Cubs | 45 |
Kyle Schwarber | Philadelphia Phillies | 45 |
Pete Alonso | Baltimore Orioles | 43 |
The race for the home run crown came down to a tie. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Schwarber both finished the season with 45 home runs, giving them the highest total in MLB.
For Crow-Armstrong, the power production was another major piece of a breakout season for Chicago. Schwarber, meanwhile, followed his 56-homer campaign from 2025 with another 45 homer season.
Pete Alonso led the American League with 43 home runs in his first season with Baltimore, finishing two behind the MLB leading duo.
The final leaderboard means Schwarber does not technically stand alone atop the majors this year — PCA and Schwarber finished tied for the MLB home-run lead at 45.
ERA
Pitcher | Team | ERA |
Jacob Misiorowski | Milwaukee Brewers | 1.80 |
Cam Schlittler | New York Yankees | 1.95 |
Chris Sale | Atlanta Braves | 2.16 |
Jacob Misiorowski put together one of the most dominant pitching seasons of 2026, finishing first in MLB with a 1.80 ERA. The Brewers ace also led the majors with 252 strikeouts, a 0.80 WHIP, and a .157 opponent batting average over 174⅔ innings.
Cam Schlittler followed with a 1.95 ERA for the Yankees. He also finished with 239 strikeouts across 193⅔ innings, giving New York one of the most dominant starting pitchers heading into October.
Chris Sale rounded out the top three with a 2.16 ERA for Atlanta. The veteran left hander finished the regular season with 200 strikeouts over 162⅔ innings, giving the Braves another major weapon entering their Wild Card matchup with Philadelphia.
Playoff Baseball Is Here
The regular season may be finished, but the most important part of the baseball calendar is just beginning.
Twelve teams remain, eight will begin their postseason journeys in the Wild Card round, and four, the Rays, Guardians, Brewers and Dodgers, will watch from home while waiting for their Division Series opponents.
The first games begin Tuesday, September 29, with four Wild Card Series taking place across the American and National Leagues.
After six months and 162 games, the standings are settled.
Now, the postseason takes over.
