2026 MLB Postseason
The Wild Card Series begins September 29 — one day after the regular season ends. Eight teams have already clinched. The bracket sets when the final out is recorded Sunday, September 28.
Updated September 26, 2026The Wild Card Series is a best-of-three played entirely at the higher seed's ballpark. The top two seeds in each league (the division winners with the best records) receive a first-round bye and wait for the Division Series.
All three NL division titles are decided. The Brewers (NL Central), Dodgers (NL West), and Braves (NL East) hold the top three seeds. The three NL Wild Card spots are still being determined; the Cubs have clinched one of the three berths.
Jacob Misiorowski's Brewers clinched September 11 with a 20-0 rout of the Reds — the largest clinching-game margin in baseball history. Milwaukee has been the best team in the NL all season and enters October as the favorite to host the NLCS.
Brewers clinch story →Kyle Tucker's near-cycle in the clinching win headlines another dominant regular season for LA. The Dodgers' fifth straight NL West title and three consecutive World Series titles make them the team every Wild Card team fears finding in the bracket.
Dodgers clinch story →One year after going 76-86, the Braves turned it around under first-year manager Walt Weiss. Mike Yastrzemski's three-run homer and Dylan Dodd's dominant ninth sealed the September 20 clincher in Houston. Atlanta is back in October in a big way.
Braves clinch story →The Cubs edged the Marlins 2-1 to clinch their Wild Card spot with the regular season winding down. Chicago last appeared in the postseason in 2025; they'll enter the Wild Card Series as a lower seed and road team. Wrigley Field fans haven't forgotten 2016.
Cubs gift hub — 2016 WS Game 7 scorecard →The Rays own the AL's best record and the No. 1 seed. The Yankees hold a Wild Card berth. The Guardians have clinched a berth as well. AL West and AL Central division races remain live through the final weekend.
Drew Rasmussen's near-no-hitter at Yankee Stadium — 11 strikeouts, no-hit bid into the seventh — clinched both the AL East title and the AL's top seed in one of the season's signature pitching performances. The Rays are the AL's best team and play the first Division Series game at home.
Rays clinch story →Aaron Judge's first home run since May 24 — a three-run shot in the eighth inning off A.J. Minter at Target Field — capped a 3.5-month comeback from a rib stress fracture and gave New York their record 61st October appearance. The Yankees are the most storied franchise in baseball history, and they're back.
Yankees clinch story →One run in a 1-0 win over the Red Sox punched Cleveland's ticket. The Guardians do this every year: build a rotation that holds leads, squeeze runs, and make the postseason feel routine. They'll be dangerous in a short series, as always.
Guardians gift hub — 1997 ALCS →Every postseason contender's greatest October moment is in the Field & Ink catalog. Each scorecard is rebuilt from the official play-by-play record in real handwriting — every pitch, every out, every base-path trace. $29. Instant digital download.
Browse All Postseason Scorecards on Etsy →Whether they win the Wild Card or bow out, these franchises have unforgettable October nights. The Field & Ink catalog has scorecards for each one.