MLB playoff picture: Standings, bracket, projections, new format explained as Braves, Mets clinch berths
USATSI
The 2022 Major League Baseball season is winding down, and the focal point is at the race for playoff spots. Four groups (the Dodgers, Astros, Mets and Braves) have clinched playoff berths, however moderately a little nonetheless hangs within the steadiness with lower than two weeks last within the common season.
The league-leading Dodgers was the primary crew to clinch a playoff berth, doing so ultimate week (after some preliminary confusion). Los Angeles then clinched its 9th NL West name in 10 years. The Astros clinched the AL West on Monday evening, the similar day the Mets clinched their first playoff berth since 2016. The Braves, who’re nonetheless one recreation again of the Mets within the NL East, punched their playoff price tag on Tuesday.
The NL East and AL Central are nonetheless hotly contested, and within the NL the Padres, Phillies, and Brewers are jousting for the general two wild-card spots. In the AL, the Rays, Blue Jays, and Mariners are necessarily locked into the 3 wild-card spots, and are struggling with over seeding.
Now let’s leap into the detailed standings, present playoff matchups, and postseason odds, and let’s additionally recall that the construction of the postseason is other beginning this 12 months.
Clinched spots
Dodgers: Clinched NL West, first-round bye
Astros: Clinched AL West, first-round bye
Mets: Clinched playoff berth
Braves: Clinched playoff berth
The new, 12-team playoff format
During the hot negotiation of the new collective bargaining settlement, avid gamers and homeowners agreed to a new and expanded postseason construction transferring ahead. That new construction starts with the present season, and here is a reminder of the way it’s going to paintings.
The postseason area grows from 10 groups to twelve groups with the addition of an additional wild-card entrant in every league.
The Wild Card Game has been changed through the best-of-three Wild Card Series, which purposes as the primary around of play. The upper seed in every Wild Card Series will host all of the video games of that sequence, be it two or the utmost 3 video games.
The best two department winners in every league, as decided through supreme general report all the way through the common season, get a first-round bye. That approach they advance instantly to the best-of-five Division Series that purposes as the second one around.
The 4 wild-card around individuals in every league include the department winner with the worst report amongst department winners and the 3 non-division winners with the finest information. That department winner is robotically the No. 3 seed without reference to whether or not one or the entire different wild-card groups has a greater report.
To summarize, here is how the playoff seeding will paintings in every league — No. 1 seed (bye to LDS): Best report in league; No. 2 seed (bye to LDS): Second-best report amongst department winners; No. 3 seed: Third-best report amongst department winners; No. 4 seed: Best report amongst wild-card groups; No. 5 seed: Second-best report amongst wild-card groups; No. 6 seed: Third-best report amongst wild-card groups.
The League Championship Series and World Series stay best-of-seven sequence with home-field benefit going to the crew with the finest report in every sequence. Note that there is not any re-seeding after any around.
Got it? Now here is the place issues stand presently with regards to the races for those berths and seeds.
If the season ended these days…
American League
Byes: No. 1 Astros and No. 2 Yankees
Wild Card Series: No. 5 Rays at No. 4 Blue Jays (winner faces No. 1 seed)
