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36m ago

Mets, Reds Deadlocked for NL Wild Card as MLB’s 12-Team Postseason Nears

Head-to-head tiebreakers replace Game 163 under the 12-team format.

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9/22/25
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Overview

  • New York and Cincinnati entered Monday tied at 80-76 for the final NL wild-card spot, with the Reds holding the head-to-head tiebreaker and Arizona one game back.
  • The American League race remains crowded, with the Red Sox, Tigers, Guardians and Astros vying for three spots as Cleveland has surged to 15-2 since Sept. 5.
  • MLB’s playoff field features three division winners and three wild cards per league, with the top two division winners earning byes and all Wild Card Series played as best-of-three hosted by the higher seed.
  • Ties are settled by a set formula that starts with head-to-head record, followed by intradivision, intraleague and post-All-Star-break interleague records, ending the era of one-game tiebreakers.
  • The postseason calendar begins with the Wild Card Series from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, followed by the Division Series Oct. 4–11, the LCS Oct. 12–21 and the World Series Oct. 24–Nov. 1, with NL qualifiers already including the Brewers, Phillies, Dodgers and Cubs and the Blue Jays clinched in the AL.