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The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are among five teams that can secure a spot in the 2024 MLB postseason on Wednesday.
New York has the easiest path to a playoff spot, needing only a win over the Seattle Mariners to secure a ticket. The Dodgers need a win over the Miami Marlins and losses to the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.
Other teams that could secure a spot in the postseason as early as Wednesday include the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cleveland Guardians and the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewers will almost certainly be the first team to win a division title. They have the largest division lead in MLB, 10 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs. They can win the NL Central on Wednesday if they beat the Phillies or the Cubs lose to the Oakland Athletics.
Philadelphia is the only other team in the league with more than a five-game lead in the division. The Phillies have an eight-game lead over the surging New York Mets. Their magic number for the NL East is down to four, so they could have done it as soon as Thursday.
There doesn’t seem to be much drama surrounding the division races, with the Guardians and Houston Astros both leading their divisions by five games.
Although the Yankees’ lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East is only four points, the Orioles have been trending in the wrong direction for some time. They have lost eight of their last 11 games and June was their last month with a winning record (17-12).
The Orioles are 31-34 since July 1 and have lost six games in the division standings. They still have a chance to get into the AL East with a three-game series in the Bronx against the Yankees from September 24-26.
Baltimore currently leads the season series 6-4 and could win the head-to-head tiebreaker with another win. In this scenario, the Orioles would win the division if the two teams finish the regular season with the same score.
Since tying the Kansas City Royals for first place in the AL Central on August 27, the Guardians have won 11 of their last 18 games to build a five-game lead in the division.
The Guardians and Yankees are aiming to return to the playoffs in 2023 but will miss out. The Dodgers, Phillies and Brewers are close to returning after playing in October of last year.