The ultimate weekend of the common season has arrived, and there’s a lot at stake.
From a group perspective, there’s nonetheless a battle for the ultimate Wild Card spots in each leagues and the highest groups making an attempt to safe a first-round bye and home-field benefit. As attractive as these playoff races are, you’ll be able to argue that the person storylines are simply as attention-grabbing. Look no additional than what Shohei Ohtani pulled off final week.
With this in thoughts, right here’s what’s at stake through the ultimate weekend of the season.
1. The (Wild) Wild Card Races
The Wild Card races in each leagues are poised to come back all the way down to the wire, particularly within the Nationwide League. Each the AL and NL have three groups nonetheless alive for the ultimate two spots, coming into play Friday, however the NL battle between the Braves, D-backs and Mets has the best potential to go proper all the way down to the wire.
Here’s a nearer have a look at how every race breaks down:
Already clinched: Orioles (will probably be No. 4 seed)In playoff place: Royals (No. 5 seed), Tigers (No. 6 seed)Nonetheless alive: Twins
File- Royals 85-74- Tigers 85-74- Twins 82-77 (3 GB)
Remaining schedule- Royals at ATL (3)- Tigers vs. CWS (3)- Twins vs. BAL (3)
Tiebreakers- The Royals personal the tiebreaker over the Tigers.- The Twins personal tiebreakers over the Royals and Tigers.- If the three groups tie for these ultimate two spots, the Twins would take the No. 5 seed, the Royals would take the No. 6 seed and the Tigers can be out.
What must occur?- The Royals and Tigers each can clinch a postseason berth with yet one more win or one Twins loss. That may occur as quickly as Friday.- The Twins must win their ultimate three video games and have the Royals and/or Tigers end 0-3.-
Already clinched: Padres (at present maintain No. 4 seed)In playoff place: Mets (No. 5 seed), D-backs (No. 6 seed)Nonetheless alive: Braves
File- Mets 87-70- D-backs 88-71- Braves 86-71 (1 GB)
Remaining schedule- Mets at MIL (3), at ATL (2)^- D-backs vs. SD (3)- Braves vs. KC (3), vs. NYM (2)^
^The ultimate two Mets-Braves video games in Atlanta, initially scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, had been rained out. They’re now set to be performed in a doubleheader on Monday.
Tiebreakers- The Braves and Mets each personal tiebreakers over the D-backs.- The Braves lead their season collection towards the Mets, 6-5. If Atlanta wins at the least one half of Monday’s doubleheader, it can clinch the tiebreaker between the groups. The Mets would want to comb it.- If the three groups tie for these ultimate two spots, both the Braves or Mets would declare the No. 5 seed, relying on which membership clinches the tiebreaker over the opposite in Monday’s doubleheader. (That group would then maintain tiebreakers over each of its Wild Card opponents.) Both the Mets or Braves would then win the head-to-head tiebreaker towards the D-backs for the No. 6 seed.
What must occur?- The Mets can’t be eradicated earlier than Monday. At worst, they’ll end Sunday two video games behind the Braves, needing a doubleheader sweep to tug right into a tie and declare the tiebreaker.- The Braves might be eradicated earlier than Monday. Nevertheless, they’ll stay in rivalry going into that day’s doubleheader in the event that they 1) Keep inside two video games of the Mets within the standings, and/or 2) Aren’t any fewer than two wins behind the D-backs. In both state of affairs, Atlanta would at the least have an opportunity to win twice on Monday to clinch a spot by way of tiebreaker.- The D-backs can be eradicated if the Mets and Braves each end Sunday with at the least as many wins as Arizona, which might lose any two- or three-team tiebreaker state of affairs.- Even when Arizona is eradicated in that state of affairs, Monday’s Mets-Braves doubleheader may nonetheless be wanted to find out which group is the No. 5 seed and which is the No. 6 seed.
Getting into September, three groups had been vying for the highest two spots in every league. With the Orioles and Brewers scuffling in September, nonetheless, the highest spots have come down to 2 groups in every league — it’s only a matter of who takes the No. 1 total spot to safe homefield benefit via the Championship Sequence and doubtlessly the World Sequence.
The Dodgers enter play on Friday with a one-game lead over the Phillies, though Philadelphia holds the tiebreaker benefit based mostly on head-to-head file. The Yankees, in the meantime, have a one-game lead over the Guardians and the tiebreaker benefit after going 4-2 towards Cleveland.
3. Residence-field benefit within the Wild Card Sequence
Regardless of Baltimore’s struggles this month, the Orioles are firmly answerable for the highest AL Wild Card spot. The Padres have launched into an unimaginable run that’s positioned them nicely forward for the primary Wild Card spot — they’re 3 video games forward of the Mets and D-backs for that high spot. Each the Orioles and Padres clinched playoff berths Tuesday on the highway towards their division rivals.
4. Ohtani pushing the HR-SB bar even greater
With three video games to go, Ohtani has an opportunity to proceed his otherworldly season and push the boundaries of what was perceived as potential.
With 53 homers and 56 steals, Ohtani is a lock to complete amongst MLB’s high two in each classes, one thing that hasn’t been finished in additional than a century. Earlier than 2024, the one gamers to complete amongst MLB’s high two in residence runs and stolen bases had been Honus Wagner in 1908 and Ty Cobb in 1909. (However do not let Ohtani’s brilliance fully overshadow the truth that Cleveland’s José Ramírez is knocking on the 40-40 door, with 38 homers and 40 steals of his personal.)
Sale and Skubal are very prone to take residence Cy Younger Award honors of their respective leagues. There’s additionally a powerful probability that Sale and Skubal turn out to be the fourth pair of pitchers to win the pitching Triple Crown — the league chief in ERA, strikeouts and wins — in every league.
If Sale (2.38 ERA, 225 strikeouts and 18 wins) and Skubal (2.39 ERA, 228 strikeouts and 18 wins) lead their leagues in these classes, they’d be a part of Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander (2011), Walter Johnson and Dazzy Vance (1924) and Johnson and Hippo Vaughn (1918) as the one pairs of pitchers to win the Triple Crown in the identical season.
Sale additionally has an opportunity to turn out to be the primary pitcher since Johan Santana in 2006 to steer MLB in all three classes in a full season. (Shane Bieber did it within the shortened 2020 marketing campaign.)
6. Choose, Ohtani additionally making late Triple Crown bids
MLB hasn’t seen a batting Triple Crown winner — main the league in homers, RBIs and batting common — since Miguel Cabrera in 2012, however Aaron Choose has an outdoor shot to do it. And so does Ohtani.
Choose enters Friday main the AL (and MLB) in homers (58) and RBIs (144) with the third-best batting common (.325).
It will be robust for Choose to catch Bobby Witt Jr. (.332 common) within the race for the AL batting title — he additionally must leapfrog Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who’s hitting .325 and barely forward of Choose on additional decimals. However it’s not outdoors the realm of risk.
Even when Choose fails to take action, although, he additionally has an outdoor probability to hitch Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa as the one gamers with a number of 60-homer seasons.
Ohtani is in the same place within the NL. With residence run (53) and RBI (126) titles nicely in hand, Ohtani (.305) would want a red-hot ultimate collection to catch not solely Luis Arraez (.312) but additionally Marcell Ozuna (.310) for his first batting title.
7. Saves and ERA historical past for Clase
Emmanuel Clase had already established himself as one of many high relievers within the sport, however what he’s doing this 12 months is almost unprecedented. Clase has a microscopic 0.61 ERA throughout 73 1/3 innings and 73 appearances, placing him on observe to do one thing 4 pitchers have finished. If Clase’s ERA sticks, he’d turn out to be the fifth pitcher with an ERA of 0.75 or decrease in 50 or extra innings, becoming a member of Zack Britton (2016), Fernando Rodney (2012), Dennis Eckersley (1990) and Rob Murphy (1986).
That’s not the one unique firm that Clase may be a part of. After main the Majors in saves in 2022 (42) and ‘23 (44), Clase (47 saves) is just one behind Ryan Helsley for the MLB lead this 12 months. If Clase can pull forward, he’ll turn out to be the primary pitcher to steer the Majors in saves in three straight seasons for the reason that stat turned official in 1969.
8. The 2024 White Sox vs. the 1962 Mets
The White Sox wanted to win their ultimate six video games of the season to keep away from surpassing these 1962 Mets, and remarkably, they’re midway there, having swept the Angels to enhance to 39-120. To keep away from setting a brand new file with 121 losses or extra, the White Sox should additionally sweep the Tigers in each groups’ ultimate collection of the season. In the event that they achieve this, it might be the group’s first six-game profitable streak since Might 2022. If they do not, then they’ll stand alone for probably the most losses in a single season courting again to 1900.
9. Can Choose be a part of Ohtani in reaching 400 whole bases?
Ohtani is on tempo to make much more historical past, imagine it or not. Alongside along with his 50-50 season, Ohtani reached 400 whole bases on the season on Thursday night time towards the Padres – one thing that hadn’t occurred since Sammy Sosa (425), Luis Gonzalez (419), Barry Bonds (411) and Todd Helton (402) every achieved the feat in 2001.
Ohtani’s surge to the highest of the whole bases leaderboard was fueled in no small half by his historic 6-for-6 day towards the Marlins on Sept. 19. It received one other enhance on Sunday, when Ohtani collected 4 hits, together with a game-tying residence run within the ninth inning, earlier than he completed the job in a division-clinching win over San Diego.
As for Choose, he was on tempo for 400 whole bases for a lot of the season, however has trailed off in current weeks and is now a toss-up to succeed in the milestone. Getting into Friday, Choose has 392 whole bases and is on tempo for 399. A powerful season-ending collection towards the Pirates would get him there, and we have seen sufficient from him to know {that a} sudden energy surge may occur at any time. Ought to Choose get there, it might be the primary season of 400 whole bases within the AL since Jim Rice in 1978.
It takes a very particular season to succeed in 400 whole bases, which is why it had solely occurred eight occasions since 1960 earlier than this 12 months. It requires a powerful mixture of excessive common and distinctive extra-base-hit skill. However even then, there aren’t any ensures. A number of mini-slumps over the course of 162 video games can sink a hitter’s probabilities.
But when Choose finishes robust, every league will see a participant get to 400 whole bases — which might be the right conclusion to their already rock-solid MVP circumstances.
10. Luis Arraez’s chase of a batting title with a 3rd group, which has by no means occurred earlier than
Arraez has already made historical past by turning into the primary participant to win American League and Nationwide League batting titles in consecutive seasons. However the Padres star now has the possibility to do one thing much more beautiful. Main the NL in batting at .312 in 2024, two factors forward of the Braves’ Marcell Ozuna, Arraez has a wonderful shot at profitable his third batting title in three years — all with totally different groups!
That’s by no means occurred earlier than, as Arraez is simply the eighth participant to even win batting titles with two groups. Trades sending him from the Twins to the Marlins to the Padres have given him the possibility for a 3rd straight batting crown with one other membership, and Arraez has made probably the most of his alternative. The 2022 AL and 2023 NL batting champion didn’t hit .400 nicely into Might like he did final 12 months with Miami, however Arraez has been persistently productive on the plate (and fairly arduous to strike out, too). Barring a late cost from Ozuna, extra historical past awaits Arraez and San Diego later this week.
