MLB Playoff Playoff Picture 2019 After All 10 Teams Clinched
By Sean Facey
With two games left in the MLB regular season, we now know who the fortunate few teams are that will get the chance to compete for a World Series title in October.
That being said, there are still matchups and home-field advantage to be determined, so let's take a look at the playoff picture for each of the 10 teams.
Houston Astros
Sitting at 105-55, the Astros have clinched their best record in franchise history and the best record in the American League, meaning they have home-field advantage locked up through the ALCS.
It also means that they'll draw the winner of the AL Wild Card matchup between the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays. It has been a historically good year for the Astros, and they head into October in prime position.
New York Yankees
For the first time since 2012, the Yankees are AL East champions, and that means they've secured a spot in the ALDS. Their 103-57 record also means they'll have last ups at least through the first series (if the Astros lose, they'll get home-field advantage). They'll be squaring off against some familiar foes in the Minnesota Twins.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins have reached the century mark in the win column for the first time since 1965, and it's earned them a date with the Yankees in the ALDS. The last time these two teams met was in the 2017 AL Wild Card game, an 8-4 drubbing that the Twins will seek to avenge here in 2019.
Oakland Athletics
For the second year in a row, the Athletics are in via the Wild Card, but there's still plenty to be determined. Tied with the Rays at 96-64, they've yet to secure home-field in the incredibly tense one-game playoff.
Regardless of where the game is played, it'll be do-or-die for an Athletics team that hasn't made the World Series since 1990.
Tampa Bay Rays
A late-season four-game winning streak coupled with a losing streak from the Cleveland Indians has the Rays in the postseason for the first time since 2013. They'll have their work cut out for them squaring off against the Athletics, but if they can secure home-field advantage over the final two games, they'll put themselves in prime position to move on to the ALDS.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Another year, another dominant performance by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The boys in blue won their seventh straight NL West division title and have secured the best record in the National League. They trail the Astros by one game for the best record in baseball.
They'll face the winner of the NL Wild Card game in the NLDS. Having lost the World Series two years in a row, the pressure will no doubt be on for them to seal the deal this time around.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves didn't let all of the noise from their NL East competitors distract them this year, and with a 97-63 record, they've snatched their second straight division title. They'll have home-field advantage for the NLDS and will face the winner of the NL Central, which is shaping up to be an extremely tight race.
St. Louis Cardinals
Heading into their final two games, the Cardinals hold a slim one-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. If the standings hold, they'll square off against the Braves in the NLDS, but they could very will be playing in the Wild Card Game if the Cubbies play spoiler.
Washington Nationals
In May, the Nationals were 19-31, without Bryce Harper, and written off by the majority of the baseball world. Now, they're in the playoffs and one win away from clinching home-field advantage for the NL Wild Card Game.
They haven't won a playoff series since they moved to Washington back in 2005, but this is a feisty squad looking to buck the trend of playoff failures of teams past.
Milwaukee Brewers
An improbable run has helped the Brewers overcome a deficit in the Wild Card standings and secure their second straight playoff appearance. They've played so well over the final three weeks of the season that they even have a chance at a division title.
If they can pick up just one game in the NL Central, they'll at least force a one-game playoff with the Cardinals to decide who wins the division.