The 2023 MLB season is winding down, and there is a mixture of close battles and landslides.
It has been clear for months now that the Braves would win the NL East. It has been clear for over a month the Dodgers would win the NL West and the Twins would win the AL Central.
But much of the playoff field remains unsettled. The race for the AL East is heating up between two teams all but guaranteed to be reach the postseason in the Orioles and the Rays, with not just the division title but the first overall seed in the American League on the line. The AL West is a similar gauntlet between the Astros, Rangers and Mariners, with three teams all within striking distance of the division title.
The National League wild-card race has a clear frontrunner in the Phillies, but the last two spots are up for grabs as the Diamondbacks, Cubs, Reds, Marlins and Giants all vie for the chance to head to the winner of the NL Central division in the wild-card round.
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As the season wears down, Sporting News will be tracking the magic numbers and elimination numbers for all teams in the playoff race. Fans of teams currently in position for the postseason will be waiting for those magic numbers to tick down, while fans on the outside are looking at the elimination number and seeing that hope still remains.
Here’s what you need to know about the stretch run of the season.
MLB standings 2023
American League playoff bracket
Standings updated after games of Sept. 25
Seed
Team
Division
Record
Win pct.
1
Orioles*
East
97-59
.622
2
Rangers
West
88-68
.564
3
Twins**
Central
83-73
.532
4 (WC)
Rays*
East
95-62
.605
5 (WC)
Blue Jays
East
87-69
.558
6 (WC)
Astros
West
86-71
.548
American League wild-card standings
WC1: Rays, 96-62 (.605), +9.5
WC2: Blue Jays, 87-69 (.558), +1.5
WC3: Astros, 85-71 (.545)
—
Mariners, 84-72 (.538), 1.5 GB
Yankees, 79-77 (.506), ELIMINATED
Red Sox, 76-80 (.487), ELIMINATED
Guardians, 74-83 (.471), ELIMINATED
Tigers, 73-83 (.468), ELIMINATED
Angels, 70-86 (.449), ELIMINATED
White Sox, 60-96 (.385), ELIMINATED
Royals, 54-102 (.346), ELIMINATED
Athletics, 48-108 (.308), ELIMINATED
* Indicates clinched postseason berth
** Indicates clinched division title
National League playoff bracket
Standings updated after games of Sept. 24
Seed
Team
Division
Record
Win pct.
1
Braves**
East
100-55
.641
2
Dodgers**
West
96-59
.619
3
Brewers*
Central
88-68
.564
4 (WC)
Phillies
East
87-69
.558
5 (WC)
Diamondbacks
West
82-74
.526
6 (WC)
Cubs
Central
82-74
.526
National League wild-card standings
WC1: Phillies, 87-69 (.558), +5
WC2: Diamondbacks, 82-74 (.526), +0
WC3: Cubs, 82-74 (.526)
—
Marlins, 81-75 (.519), 1 GB
Reds, 80-77 (.510), 2.5 GB
Giants, 78-79 (.494), 4.5 GB
Padres, 77-80 (.494), 5.5 GB
Pirates, 74-82 (.474), ELIMINATED
Mets, 71-85 (.455), ELIMINATED
Nationals, 69-88 (.439), ELIMINATED
Cardinals, 68-88 (.436), ELIMINATED
Rockies, 56-99 (.361), ELIMINATED
* Indicates clinched postseason berth
** Indicates clinched division title
MLB magic numbers for 2023
Fans are starting to count down the numbers until their teams officially punch their tickets to the postseason. For some, like the Braves, Dodgers, Orioles and Rays, it’s been a foregone conclusion for some time.
The math behind magic numbers is simple. Add one team’s wins and the losses of the trailing team, then subtract it from 163. If a team leading the division has 90 wins and the second-place team has 63 losses, their magic number would sit at 10.
Sporting News will be tracking those magic numbers in the division races and wild card rounds. Info comes from MLB.com. The first number is for teams leading the division or wild-card races, and their magic number to reach the playoffs. The second number is the elimination number for teams trailing the division or wild-card races, and how far they are from playoff elimination. Two x’s means a team has been eliminated from that race.
Updated after end of games on Sept. 25.
AL East
Orioles, 4/x (clinched postseason berth)
Rays, x/4 (clinched postseason berth)
Blue Jays, x/x
Yankees, x/x
Red Sox, x/x
AL Central
Twins, x/x (clinched division championship)
Guardians, x/x
Tigers, x/x
White Sox, x/x
Royals, x/x
AL West
Rangers, 5/x
Astros, x/5
Mariners, x/5
Angels, x/x
Athletics, x/x
AL Wild Card
Rays, x/x (clinched postseason berth)
Blue Jays, 4/x
Astros, 6/x
Mariners, x/6
Yankees, x/x
Red Sox, x/x
Guardians, x/x
Tigers, x/x
Angels, x/x
White Sox, x/x
Royals, x/x
Athletics, x/x
NL East
Braves, x/x (clinched division championship)
Phillies, x/x
Marlins, x/x
Mets, x/x
Nationals, x/x
NL Central
Brewers, x/x (clinched division championship)
Cubs, x/X
Reds, x/x
Pirates, x/x
Cardinals, x/x
NL West
Dodgers, x/x (clinched division championship)
Diamondbacks, x/x
Giants, x/x
Padres, x/x
Rockies, x/x
NL Wild Card
Phillies, 1/x
Diamondbacks, 5/x
Cubs, 5/x
Marlins, x/5
Reds, x/3
Giants, x/2
Padres, x/1
Pirates, x/x
Mets, x/x
Cardinals, x/x
Nationals, x/x
Rockies, x/x