NEW YORK — The New York Yankees enter September 23, needing only one win to guarantee their postseason ticket. Their magic number has been reduced to one, setting up a clinching scenario against the Chicago White Sox.
At 88-68 through September 22, the Yankees currently occupy the fourth seed in the American League Wild Card standings. They remain two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East race. Toronto became the first American League team to clinch a playoff berth with Sunday’s victory over Kansas City.
Teams already qualified for 2025 playoffs
Several teams have already secured postseason spots across both leagues.
| League | Team | Division/Wild Card | Date Clinched |
| NL | Milwaukee Brewers | NL Central Champion | September 13 |
| NL | Philadelphia Phillies | NL East Champion | September 14 |
| NL | Chicago Cubs | Wild Card | September 17 |
| NL | Los Angeles Dodgers | Wild Card* | September 19 |
| AL | Toronto Blue Jays | AL East Leader* | September 21 |
| NL | San Diego Padres | Wild Card | September 22 |
*Division not yet clinched but currently leading.
Current Wild Card standings
Here is where the Wild Card races stood as of September 23, 2025.
AL Wild Card standings
| Rank | Team | W-L | Pct | GB / WC GB* | Last 10 | Streak | Run Diff |
| 1 | New York Yankees | 88-68 | .564 | +4.0 GB | 7-3 | W2 | +144 |
| 2 | Boston Red Sox | 85-71 | .545 | +1.0 GB | 4-6 | L1 | +105 |
| 3 | Cleveland Guardians | 84-72 | .538 | —† | 9-1 | L1 | -9 |
| 4 | Houston Astros | 84-72 | .538 | —† | 5-5 | L3 | +17 |
| 5 | Texas Rangers | 79-77 | .506 | 5.0 GB | 3-7 | L7 | +82 |
| 6 | Kansas City Royals | 78-78 | .500 | 6.0 GB | 4-6 | L1 | -2 |
NL Wild Card standings
| Rank | Team | W-L | Pct | GB / WC GB* | Last 10 | Streak | Run Diff |
| 1 | Chicago Cubs | 88-68 | .564 | +8.0 GB | 5-5 | L4 | +125 |
| 2 | San Diego Padres | 86-71 | .548 | +5.5 GB | 6-4 | W3 | +61 |
| 3 | New York Mets | 80-76 | .513 | —† | 4-6 | L2 | +56 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Reds | 80-76 | .513 | —† | 6-4 | W5 | +34 |
| 5 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 79-77 | .506 | 1.0 GB | 7-3 | W2 | +29 |
*Wild Card GB refers to games behind the top NL wild card team.
† Indicates tied records, with tiebreakers required.
Yankees control their wild card destiny
The Yankees have created distance between themselves and the Red Sox, sitting three games ahead in the standings. Their magic number for the top wild card seed is four. A combination of Yankees wins or Boston losses would secure home-field advantage for the three-game Wild Card Series.
Boston, at 85-71, has the season-series tiebreaker over New York. The Red Sox face a challenging week with three games in Toronto before closing at home against Detroit.
Cleveland and Houston share identical 84-72 records. The Guardians currently hold the tiebreaker edge. The Yankees split their season series with both clubs.
Blue Jays lead AL East race
Toronto remains in control of the AL East, boasting 90 wins through 156 games. Their magic number to eliminate both New York and Boston from division contention is four. The Blue Jays also hold the head-to-head tiebreakers over their rivals.
Toronto’s final stretch includes six games at home. They will host Boston before finishing against Tampa Bay. The Blue Jays lead the AL in total wins and are positioned for the league’s top seed and a first-round bye.
Seattle nears AL West title
Seattle’s weekend sweep of Houston opened a three-game lead in the AL West. Their magic number to claim their first division crown since 2001 stands at three. The Mariners could also clinch a postseason berth with one victory combined with a Yankees win.
National League races take shape
The NL playoff field has filled quickly. Milwaukee became the first to clinch on September 13 and went on to secure the Central title. Philadelphia wrapped up the NL East on September 15.
The Chicago Cubs earned their first postseason spot since 2018 with a win on September 17. Los Angeles secured its 13th consecutive playoff appearance on September 19 and continues to battle San Diego for the West. The Dodgers hold a slim two-game edge with a magic number of three.
San Diego clinched its fourth postseason berth in six years with a walk-off win Monday against Milwaukee. Cincinnati currently holds the last NL Wild Card spot at 83-73, with the tiebreaker advantage over the Mets. Arizona trails by a single game at 82-74.
Current playoff matchups take form
If the season ended today, the AL Wild Card Series would feature Cleveland at Detroit and Boston at New York. Winners would face Toronto and Seattle in the Division Series.
In the NL, the Wild Card Series would pit Cincinnati at Los Angeles and San Diego at Chicago. Division Series opponents would be Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
The Wild Card round opens Tuesday, September 30, with all games hosted by the higher seed. Division Series play begins Saturday, October 4.
Yankees face favorable schedule
The Yankees finish the season with six games against non-contenders. They host Chicago for three games before heading to Baltimore for a closing series. The White Sox own the league’s worst record at 58-98, while Baltimore sits at 75-81 after a recent sweep by New York.
The Yankees took three of four from the Orioles last weekend, trimming their magic number from three to one. The Yankees split their season series with potential wild card opponents. They went 6-7 against Cleveland and 3-3 versus Houston. New York dominated Detroit this season, winning seven of nine meetings.
Division series byes remain unsettled
Toronto and Seattle currently hold the AL’s two byes into the Division Series. Milwaukee and Philadelphia occupy the same spots in the NL.
The Blue Jays need four more wins to clinch the top seed in the AL. Seattle holds the tiebreaker over Detroit, leaving its magic number at four. Detroit, despite a strong start, has slumped, winning just 28 of its last 65 games.
In the NL, Milwaukee has already locked up home field. Philadelphia will host a Division Series at Citizens Bank Park. The Dodgers remain close to clinching the West and could secure it with the right results this week.
What do you think?
