Which Teams Have Clinched the 2026 MLB Playoffs?

Milwaukee did it the only way Milwaukee knows how — by making a statement. A 20-0 rout of the Reds in front of American Family Field gave the Brewers their fourth straight postseason berth and the largest clinching-game margin of victory in baseball history. Jacob Misiorowski, the first starter to reach 200 strikeouts in 2026, led the way. Garrett Mitchell hit the Brewers' first grand slam of the season in the same game.

The Brewers subsequently clinched the NL Central division title (September 15), locking up the league's best record and home-field advantage deep into October.

Drew Rasmussen struck out 11 and carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning as the Rays beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium to clinch Tampa Bay's fifth AL East title — and the AL's No. 1 seed for the first time since 2021. It was the nightcap of a day-night doubleheader. The Rays' only hit came in the seventh; Rasmussen's line was the story. Tampa Bay finished 96-61, best in the AL, and hosts the ALDS. Previously clinched a postseason berth September 12 on Caminero's 40th home run walk-off.

Mike Yastrzemski's three-run homer in the sixth inning broke it open, and Dylan Dodd struck out the side in the ninth to seal a 4-2 win over the Astros in Houston. The Braves clinched their seventh NL East title in nine seasons and their 24th division title overall — tying the Dodgers for the most in MLB history. One year earlier, Atlanta had gone 76-86 and missed the playoffs entirely. First-year manager Walt Weiss oversaw the turnaround.

Aaron Judge's first home run since May 24 — a three-run shot off A.J. Minter in the eighth inning — sealed an 8-3 win over the Twins and gave New York their record 61st postseason appearance, the most of any franchise in baseball history. Judge had missed three-and-a-half months with a rib stress fracture. He picked the right night to find his swing.

Kyle Tucker went 4-for-5 with a first-inning two-run homer, two doubles, and a single — a triple short of the cycle in the clinching game — as the Dodgers locked up their fifth consecutive NL West title and 13th in the last 14 years. The three-time defending World Series champions enter October as heavy favorites.

The Cubs edged the Marlins 2-1 to clinch their NL Wild Card berth, ending a one-year postseason absence and sending Wrigley Field into the kind of mid-September celebration it hasn't needed in a while. Chicago will be a Wild Card visitor — their bracket placement to be determined — with eyes on making deep October noise for the first time since 2016.

One run was all Cleveland needed. The Guardians shut out the Red Sox 1-0 to punch their postseason ticket — a quiet, workmanlike clinch in the Guardians' style. Cleveland has built one of the game's most reliable pitching structures, and October is where that formula shows up.