MLB Playoff Race Update: Mass chaos in play for Sunday

With time running out in the regular season, the races around the league are coming down to the wire. That does include the American League wildcard, in which the Red Sox are stuck in a tight race, but also the rest of the league as well. For those interested in that league-wide picture, we’ll be providing a daily update the rest of the season on the state of races around baseball.

American League East

The Rays have already clinched this division as well as the top overall seed in the AL. They will play the winner of the AL Wildcard Game.

American League Central

The White Sox have already clinched this division and will play Houston in the ALDS.

American League West

The Astros have already clinched this division and will play Chicago in the ALDS.

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American League Wildcard

Maximum chaos is still on the table for this race after Sunday’s events. We know the Red Sox took care of their own business, even if they didn’t make it easy. Meanwhile, the Yankees had an atrocious day against the Rays. Brandon Lowe led the way for Tampa Bay with three home runs and they routed New York for a 12-2 win. The Blue Jays had no trouble at all taking down the Orioles, either, jumping out early and never really looking back in a 10-1 win. That just leaves Seattle, who did make it interesting. They were ahead 3-1 heading into the eighth when Jared Walsh hit a big three-run homer to give the Angels a lead. But Seattle fought right back and scored three of their own in the bottom half of the inning, helping them get a crucial two-run win. So with all of that, the Red Sox and Yankees remain tied for the first two spots while Toronto and Seattle both sit one game back. All of the possible scenarios for this final game of the season are listed out here.

National League East

The Braves have already clinched this division and will play the Brewers in the NLDS.

National League Central

The Brewers have already clinched this division and will play the Braves in the NLDS.

National League West

This is the other bit of craziness that can happen on Sunday and force more baseball on Monday. The Giants had a chance to clinch this division on Saturday with a win over the Padres, and they had a lead late but San Diego tied it up in the eighth and ultimately won in extras. That left the door open for the Dodgers, who took full advantage with an easy 8-3 win over Milwaukee. If the Giants win or the Dodgers lose, San Francisco wins the division and Los Angeles is the top wildcard. However, if the Giants lose and the Dodgers win, there will be a Game 163 between these two teams on Monday.

National League Wildcard

This is mostly locked in, with the Cardinals sitting as the second seed. They will travel to play whoever loses in the NL West race.