Who’s In and Who Has a Chance to Make the Playoffs in 2024
The days are getting noticeably shorter and the evenings are getting cool and crisp. If you love baseball, that means one thing…the World Series. With less than a month left in the regular season, it appears that last year’s world champions won’t be back to defend their title, as the Texas Rangers are nearly 10 games away from a wild-card berth. Their adversaries in last year’s final, the Arizona Diamondbacks, are faring much better this year and are currently on track to grab one of the three wild card slots.
How Does a Team Qualify for the MLB Playoffs?
Since 2022, six teams from both the National League and the American League will qualify to advance to the Major League Baseball playoffs. The three division winners in each league receive the top three seeds, based on win-loss record during the regular season. The remaining three spots are filled as “wild cards” by the remaining teams with the best win-loss records. Those four teams then play a best two-of-three series, with the advancing to a best-of-five division series against one of the top two seeds, who receive a bye into the second round. The winners of the Division Series in each league compete in a best-of-seven league championship, with the winner of each going to the World Series.
Who Has a Good Shot at Making the 2024 MLB Playoffs?
With just over 20 games left in the regular season, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies both have a strong hold on their respective divisions, with 9 and 7 games leads respectively. The Dodgers have a 4 and a half game lead in the National League West. The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks both appear playoff bound, barring any collapse, but the final playoff spot in the NL is up for grabs, with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves just a half a game apart.
In the American League, the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians both have solid leads over the second-place teams, 5.5 and 4.5 games respectively. The third division, though, is up for grabs, as the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are in a virtual deadlock. It appears likely, however, that both of those teams will make the playoffs, one as a division winner and the other as a wild card, as both teams are about 10 games ahead of other teams vying for the last wild card spot. The Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals appear likely to round out the American League playoff-bound teams.
