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MLB Heads Into Final Week With Six Playoff Spots Still Unsettled

A cluster of head-to-head series and late-season injuries will determine division winners, wild-card berths, and postseason byes.

Overview

  • The regular season enters its final week on Tuesday with six of 12 postseason places already clinched and six spots still to be decided in head-to-head series.
  • Tampa Bay needs one win in its four-game set at Yankee Stadium to lock the AL East and the league's No. 1 seed while New York must sweep to keep a realistic path to the division title.
  • Aaron Judge’s right-calf (soleus) strain leaves his availability for the Wild Card Round uncertain and is shaping Yankees choices about resting and rotation preparation.
  • The Diamondbacks revived their faint playoff hopes with a sweep of the Yankees but still face a must-win trip to Coors Field and a decisive three-game series at Petco Park against the Padres.
  • Philadelphia enters the week with a magic number of three to clinch the final NL wild-card slot and must combine wins with Diamondbacks losses in its Tuesday-Thursday series with the Brewers to secure a postseason berth.