As the final month of the 2024 MLB season begins, some teams are already looking ahead to October.
The Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies have built comfortable leads in the NL Central and NL East, respectively, while the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Guardians all seem like sure-fire postseason contenders despite battling for the top spot in their own divisions.
Beyond the divisional races, there are plenty of exciting events to watch as the regular season comes to a close and October begins.
What’s the current state of playoff matchups? Which games should you watch today? Which team will be the first to secure a postseason spot? And what’s the playoff schedule? We’ve got everything you need to know as the regular season enters the home stretch.
Important links: Full MLB Standings | Wildcard Standings | Predictions
Who can secure a place in the playoffs next?
The Dodgers, Phillies, Brewers, Orioles, Yankees and Guardians all have at least a 99% chance of making the postseason as the final month of the MLB season begins.
What are the current MLB playoff pairings this October?
American League
Wildcard round: (6) Royals at (3) Astros, (5) Twins at (4) Yankees
ALDS: Royals/Astros vs. (2) Guardians, Twins/Yankees vs. (1) Orioles
Bundesliga
Wildcard round: (6) Braves at (3) Brewers, (5) D-backs at (4) Padres
NLDS: Braves/Brewers vs. (2) Phillies, D-backs/Padres vs. (1) Dodgers
Analysis of the AL race
The Yankees and Orioles are now in the home stretch of battling for first place in the AL and the AL East crown, while the Red Sox still have hopes of the AL wild-card crown. After comfortably leading the AL Central for most of the season, the Guardians are looking to leapfrog the Royals and Twins in the battle for the division crown, while the Astros are trying to pull away from the Mariners in a two-team race for the AL West.
And what about these teams making it to the postseason? Here are their odds for each round:
Analysis of the NL race
Five teams have moved ahead at the top of the NL standings, with the Atlanta Braves trying to keep the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs out of the final playoff spot. The Phillies and Brewers appear to be on their way to the division titles, but there is plenty of tension in the NL West as the Dodgers try to keep the D-backs and Padres out of the division title.
And what about these teams making it to the postseason? Here are their odds for each round:
Match of the day
Looking for something to watch today? Here’s the baseball game with the biggest playoff impact:
Playoff schedule
Wildcard Series
Best of Three, all games in the stadium of the better seeded team
Game 1: Tuesday, October 1st
Game 2: Wednesday, October 2
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 3*
Division Series
The best of five
ALDS
Game 1: Saturday, October 5
Game 2: Monday, October 7
Game 3: Wednesday, October 9
Game 4: Thursday, October 10*
Game 5: Saturday, October 12*
NLDS
Game 1: Saturday, October 5
Game 2: Sunday, October 6
Game 3: Tuesday, October 8
Game 4: Wednesday, October 9*
Game 5: Friday, October 11*
League Championship Series
The best of seven
ALCS
Game 1: Monday, October 14
Game 2: Tuesday, October 15
Game 3: Thursday, October 17
Game 4: Friday, October 18
Game 5: Saturday, October 19*
Game 6: Monday, October 21*
Game 7: Tuesday, October 22*
NLCS
Game 1: Sunday, October 13
Game 2: Monday, October 14
Game 3: Wednesday, October 16
Game 4: Thursday, October 17
Game 5: Friday, October 18*
Game 6: Sunday, October 20*
Game 7: Monday, October 21*
World Cup
The best of seven
Game 1: Friday, October 25
Game 2: Saturday, October 26
Game 3: Monday, October 28
Game 4: Tuesday, October 29
Game 5: Wednesday, October 30*
Game 6: Friday, November 1st*
Game 7: Saturday, November 2nd*
Note: If both LCSs end by October 19th – meaning neither series lasts longer than five games – the World Series will begin on Tuesday, October 22nd.
* If required
