SUNDAY8/9
FROM THE BILL CHUCK FILES
The season ends on Sunday, September 27, seven weeks from today.
Including today, there are Mookie Betts #50 days of play remaining
HELL FROZE OVER
Yesterday, the Red Sox lost.
The Athletics won.
The A’s have just 2 wins in their last 14 games. Both wins are against the Red Sox.
The Red Sox have just 2 losses in their last 13 games. Both losses are against the A’s.
ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS KEY RACE?
The most important race in baseball right now is going on in the National League as the Brewers, Braves, and Dodgers battle for the top two slots.
Positioning in the league race is not a pride showcase for the teams involved. In every case, it determines home-field advantage in the postseason, but most importantly, the teams that finish first or second in the regular season standings receive a bye in the first round of the postseason.
The team that finishes third must play the best-of-three Wild Card Series, where anything can happen.
NL RACE
Only the top two division champs get a bye.
The Cubs (68-50) could finish with a better record than either the Dodgers or the Braves, ending with the second-best record in the NL, but if they don’t beat out the Brewers, it really doesn’t matter, as a Wild Card team cannot get a bye in the opening round. Additionally, in both the 2026 Division Series and League Championship Series, home-field advantage goes to the higher postseason seed—not necessarily the team with the better regular-season record.
HERE’S HOW THE PLAYOFFS WORK – 2026 SEASON
For 2026, the Wild Card round is scheduled to begin September 29, and the World Series is slated to start October 23.
The 2026 MLB playoffs use a 12-team format: six clubs from the American League and six from the National League. In each league, the field consists of the three division winners plus three Wild Card teams.
SEEDING
Seed Team
1 Division winner with the best record
2 Division winner with the second-best record
3 Division winner with the third-best record
4 Best-record Wild Card team
5 Second Wild Card
6 Third Wild Card
Division winners always receive Seeds 1–3, even if a Wild Card team has a better record.
Seeds 1 and 2 receive a bye directly to the Division Series.
BRACKET AND ROUNDS
Wild Card Series: No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5; best of three, with every game at the higher seed’s park (3 and 4).
Division Series: No. 1 plays the winner of 4 vs. 5; No. 2 plays the winner of 3 vs. 6. These are best-of-five series in a 2-2-1 home-field format.
League Championship Series: The two surviving clubs in each league play a best-of-seven, 2-3-2 series.
World Series: The AL and NL champions play a best-of-seven, 2-3-2 series. Home field goes to the club with the better regular-season record, regardless of seed.
Ties and postseason rules
There are no Game 163 tiebreakers. Regular-season ties are settled mathematically, beginning with head-to-head record.
There is no Manfred Man. The regular-season automatic runner on second base does not apply in postseason extra innings.
Managers start each postseason game with two replay challenges, rather than the one they get in the regular season.
TW3 - THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS
YESTERDAY, MAX SCHERZER PASSED WALTER JOHNSON IN STRIKEOUTS
Max Scherzer now has the 10th most strikeouts all-time with 3516.
Walter Johnson now has the 11th most strikeouts all-time with 3509.
I truly find that to be an outstanding feat.
Did you know that Walter Johnson struck out Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth 26 times each?
Did you know that Max Scherzer struck out Mike Moustakas and Brandon Nimmo 14 times each?
Doesn’t feel the same.
